briefs

Add mischievous politicians to the list of airborne threats that can put the nation’s defenses on alert. According to The Washington Post, anti-terrorism and anti-drug forces were diverted from their normal duties to try and find a Texas politician mounting an airborne filibuster of their legislature. You may remember last month when 51 Democratic Texas […]

While the aerospace market seems bleak at times, Garmin keeps coming up with new products and upgrades. The company — known for its line of GPS products — unveiled plans to upgrade its 400- and 500- series units over the next few months. The June 5 announcement said upgrades to certain units would include terrain […]

An Arizona judge has upheld liability limitations for aircraft manufacturers on older aircraft. Last month, Cessna successfully defended itself against litigation resulting from the crash of a 1980 Cessna 210 in 2000. To back his ruling, the Maricopa County judge cited the General Aviation Revitalization Act, signed into law 1994. This legislation gives aircraft manufacturers […]

While Cessna and Eclipse seem to command most of the spotlight in the personal jet market, there seems to be a determined effort in Florida to provide some competition. Safire Aircraft recently announced plans for a massive new production facility at Opa-Locka Airport, in Dade County. The Beacon Council, Miami-Dade County’s official economic development partnership, […]

On June 9, the FAA issued an STC for the installation of a WSI InFlight AV200 cockpit weather system into a Piper Saratoga (PA-32R-301). The company says this is a major milestone in the certification process for their WSI InFlight (TM) system. The WSI InFlight AV200 system is designed to integrate with many popular multifunctional […]

Have you been thinking of selling your airplane lately? Now might be a good time. The National Aircraft Resale Association (NARA) says it is seeing the ingredients for a recovery in pre-owned aircraft sales. This assumption is based on factors ranging from the stabilization of aircraft values to opportunities created by the expiration of fractional […]

Well, we have to wonder if there’s a 51-percent quick-build version of the new Boeing 7E7 on the drawing board. The Boeing exec leading development of the super-efficient jetliner told a meeting of Washington State’s Snohomish County Economic Development Council last Wednesday that the company expects final assembly of each jet to take as little […]

One of the best-known and most-respected ultralight pilots, instructors and sport aviation boosters died Thursday during a training accident in Alaska. Mike Jacober and his student Robert Pelkey were killed when the ultralight trike trainer they were flying crashed about two miles from the Birchwood, Alaska, airport. Cause of the crash is unknown. The smoking […]

The combustion heater fuel pump (model 91E92-1 or 91E93-1) in certain New Piper PA-34-200T, PA-44-180, and PA-44-180T aircraft must be inspected for leaks. If leaks are found, the pumps must be repaired or replaced. The rudder torque tube and associated ribs must be inspected on various New Piper PA-31 models to check for corrosion. An […]

If you’d like a glimpse ahead at future cockpit technology and wouldn’t mind helping make it pilot-friendly, NASA and Lockheed Martin need you. You’ll even get paid for it. The company is recruiting GA pilots to take part in a series of NASA Aviation Safety Program studies at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. […]