briefs

_______COLUMNS The Pilot’s Lounge #71: “Fresh Annual” And Other Hooks For SuckersThe combination of a challenging national economy and fast-paced (but not face-to-face) internet communication is causing more planes to be sold in very poor mechanical condition with questionable — if not illegal — documentation. AVweb’s Rick Durden updates the old buyer-beware maxim in The […]

British Airways is getting rid of a huge inventory of useless parts and, presumably, aiding a good cause. The airline has announced it will hold a second auction of Concorde “memorabilia” from April 14 to April 17. More than 150,000 spare parts, now considered collectors’ items, will go on the block in the four-day affair […]

Until President Bush leaves office, anyone wanting to build or erect anything more than 50 feet tall in his hometown of Crawford, Texas, will not only need the normal building and zoning permits, he or she will also require FAA approval. The purpose of the rule, finalized February 6, is to ensure that new construction […]

Commander Aircraft, of Bethany, Okla., could resume production this year if a buyout by Tiger Aircraft, of Martinsburg, W.Va., is approved by shareholders. Tiger, which makes a modern version of the Grumman model by the same name, has offered to buy 80 percent of the shares in Aviation General, the holding company that owns Commander. […]

Shuttle astronauts will have a Plan B if something goes wrong with the spacecraft when it returns to service. The shuttle (it could be Discovery or Atlantis) will be diverted to the International Space Station (ISS) while a rescue mission is mounted using a second shuttle. “We do plan to have a safe haven capability,” […]

Friday, an Indian air force MiG-21 crashed in a residential area near Jamnagar, killing at least four people on the ground and injuring 14. The pilot ejected with minor injuries. It was the second MiG-21 crash this month and at least the 30th in less than four years. Investigators haven’t been able to find two […]

A Japanese newspaper has reported that Honda and Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM) are close to a deal to produce piston engines for light aircraft. But neither company is apparently willing to confirm or deny the report. The Nihon Keizai newspaper said Honda and Teledyne are in final negotiations on a 50-50 venture to market the […]

The family of a Texas doctor is suing the FAA for $25 million, saying controllers gave Dr. George Swanson “bad information” just before his Swearingen turboprop crashed in dense fog in Florida last November. The suit alleges that Swanson, an experienced pilot, was flying much lower than he should have been when the plane hit […]

_______COLUMNS The Savvy Aviator #2: In Quest Of The Ideal MechanicThere are a dozen crucial attributes that you should look for when choosing an A&P to maintain your aircraft. Realistically, however, you’ll never find any one mechanic who possesses them all. AVweb’s Mike Busch explains how to size up your mechanic’s strengths and weaknesses, and […]

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