briefs

While Cirrus is reporting record sales, Diamond fills flight schools and Lancair Certified ramps up production to clear a backlog of orders, the world’s biggest GA company is still writing pink slips. Another 300 Cessna employees were let go last Tuesday as the company finished its review of workforce requirements. The layoffs are included in […]

“During our investigation of the problem, we determined that the configuration and quality controls over the production of these parts were so deficient that we do not have confidence that the airplane can be operated safely for any period of time,” a new Airworthiness Directive states. The FAA, last week, grounded 222 Learjet Model 45 […]

Private-sector air traffic controllers are as highly trained as their federal counterparts, have a better safety record, and many are more experienced, says the president of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization. In a letter sent to AVweb, Ron Taylor dismisses the “doomsday” predictions of those opposing the expansion of the Federal Contract Tower (FCT) […]

Our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, is preparing an evaluation of aircraft datalink systems. If you have one and would like to talk about it, contact the editor at avconsumer@comcast.net.

There’s nothing like an airport expansion to foster debate, and the controversial $6.6 billion expansion of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport is getting some additional heat from U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, who’s questioning United Air Lines’ ability to pay for its share. The senator accused United of planning to use proposed federal legislation allowing deferment of […]

Aside from the Countdown To Kitty Hawk’s massive touring pavilion and marketing machine, there are other great opportunities for aviation enthusiasts to learn about the Wright Brothers’ work toward that historic day in 1903. Wright expert Darrell Collins will be at this year’s NBAA 56th Annual Meeting & Convention, to be held October 7 – […]

While the aviation industry continues to recover, some unemployed CFIs may wonder when things will turn around for them. Perhaps they should be checking in with the folks at Daniel Webster College. The Nashua, N.H.-based institution recently began training 13 new flight instructors in preparation for the arrival of the incoming 2007 graduating class. Doug […]

Crossing the Atlantic Ocean is a challenge for any light aircraft, but for something weighing in at less than some passengers, it’s nothing short of astonishing. A model aircraft called The Spirit of Butt’s Farm conquered the Pond last weekend, departing Cape Spear, Newfoundland, on Saturday, landing on the west coast of Ireland Monday morning, […]

If you’ve read our recent coverage on Burt Rutan’s White Knight/SpaceShipOne combo, you’ll know that the fertile minds at Scaled Composites were working overtime on this dynamic duo. Now, the top contender for the X-prize competition has taken flight and moved one step closer to winning the $10 million prize money. Last Thursday, the first […]

As long as pilots are up in the sky, they’ll be looking for ways to anticipate what to expect next from the weather. New tools are constantly in development, and one popular way to access text, digital and graphical forecasts, analyses, and observations of aviation-related weather is via the Aviation Digital Data Service (ADDS) and […]