briefs

AVweb’s AVflash is mainly an aviation news service, so it’s a little embarrassing when we run a story that’s almost four years old. Alas, that is what happened with our breathtaking account of the runway departure of an F-15E in Lakenheath, England, in the Feb. 15 NewsWire and AVflash. Trusted sources provided AVweb with information […]

Farmer Le Van Dahn spent $30,000 and seven years building a helicopter out of spare parts and an old Russian truck engine. The contraption has risen 18 inches off the ground in four test flights and Dahn was getting ready to start trying to maneuver it when the government clipped his rotor blades. No one […]

It’s not only civilian airports that get noise complaints. The sound of freedom is rattling the dishes — and fraying the nerves — of some residents near the Navy’s Patuxent River Air Station. Some residents claim the Navy jocks are unleashing sonic booms over the naturally quiet hamlets of Princess Ann, Salisbury, Deal Island and […]

Australia’s government is furiously backpedaling from sweeping airspace reforms that have drawn fire from all facets of the aviation industry. Airservices Australia announced on Monday that it would implement “safety enhancements” at various airports in an attempt to restore public confidence in the system. Among the fixes are transportable radar systems to fill gaps in […]

Few places have more need for night flying in bad weather than Alaska, and soon aircraft will be able to get into some of the state’s most remote airstrips in an emergency. Galaxy Litebeams LLC, of New Jersey, and Greatland Laser LLC, of Anchorage, are partners in a $1.4 million contract to provide portable emergency […]

Cessna announced Monday that it will build the 340-knots-at-35,000-feet, six-place Mustang mini-jet in Independence, Kan., alongside the piston singles its plant there now makes. It turns out the out-of-the-way nature of the place was its biggest asset. Cessna spokeswoman Jessica Myers said there’s room for expansion in Independence, and the ability to test-fly a lot […]

The FAA is hoping to propose a rule this fall that would require airlines to install equipment to lessen the chance of in-flight fuel-tank explosions. FAA Administrator Marion Blakey announced the initiative Tuesday, saying the rule is being considered because new technology, largely developed by the agency itself, is now available to displace some of […]

_______COLUMNS “Title Here”How can you give a talk to pilots who know a lot more about flying than you do? One way is not to talk. But when confronted with a receptive audience, AVweb’s CEO talked about what he knows: flying airliners and being a good airline captain.

Reader feedback on AVweb’s news coverage and feature articles: https://avweb.com/avmail/ Reader mail this week about pilots breaking airplanes, acquiring deadly weapons, buying lots of planes and more.

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