briefs

A Circuit City Citation business jet carrying two crew and six passengers crashed on approach to Pueblo (Colo.) Memorial Airport in February 2005 because it stalled, the NTSB said on Tuesday. All on board were killed. During the flight, the wing leading edges had picked up a layer of thin, rough ice that degraded the […]

Here’s a story to make you even happier that you fly general aviation. A group of passengers was recently stranded for more than eight hours aboard an American Airlines jet that was diverted to Austin, Texas, due to weather. They had no food, the toilets clogged and overflowed and the stale air reeked. Now some […]

The Airports Council International-North America (ACI) recently announced its hopes for the FAA’s next reauthorization bill with a focus on passenger facility charges (PFCs) and airport improvement program (AIP) funds, according to a recent report by Aviation Week. ACI believes that inflation will reduce the impact of PFCs while the air transportation system bloats with […]

The Martin County Commission, influenced by community-developed noise and pollution concerns, more than six months ago voted to stop using a 460-foot section of runway at Witham Field in Stuart, Fla. Unfortunately, in 1998 the FAA approved the runway for extension. And so it is that while the FAA’s regional office in Orlando has suggested […]

It turns out that NATCA and the FAA agree on something – “commercial” radios aren’t allowed to be kept by controllers working in the tower. It’s a simple rule intended to eliminate distractions from a controller’s work environment, but one that was perhaps complicated by a tornado last Christmas that flipped some 50 Cessnas at […]

On Sunday, Brazilian lead aviation accident investigator Renato Sayao for the first time acknowledged air traffic controllers share some of the blame for the Sept. 29 midair that killed 154 people when a Legacy business jet collided with a Gol Airlines 737 over the Amazon jungle. But the Legacy pilots — Joseph Lepore and Jan […]

AVMAIL INDEX AVmail: Jan. 22, 2007Reader mail this week about TFRs at the border, too many spins, the Comair crash and more.

COLUMN INDEX Probable Cause #24: Ice BoxThis time of year, almost any forecast includes a chance for airframe ice. Here’s why to pay attention.

If its not enough that your family is worried about you, your fellow pilots keep tabs and the whole aviation system is built around this notion, now your airplane can remind you to fly safely. Cirrus Design has introduced a feature on its Avidyne multifunction display that will invite some introspection along those lines. Those […]

The Alpha 160A, an adaptation of the French-designed Robin R2160, has been granted FAA certification, and New Zealand-based Alpha Aviation says theres strong interest in the aerobatic two-seater among flight schools in the U.S. “Our aircraft have already proven to be of considerable interest to United States aero clubs and flying schools, said Alphas managing […]