briefs

English may be the language of aviation but that shouldn’t be a barrier to getting a private pilot’s certificate in countries that speak other tongues, according to a spokesman for an international pilots group. John Sheehan, secretary general of the International Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, says English should only be a requirement for pilots […]

COLUMNS The Savvy Aviator #31: Know Your OleoOleopneumatic shock struts — commonly known as “oleos” — use hydraulic fluid, compressed gas and clever engineering to absorb the impact of those occasional less-than-grease-job landings. If your airplane uses one (or three), you need to understand how they work and what maintenance they require.

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Coming, Friday: AVweb speaks with the president of Adam Aircraft — the company with the first VLJ to fly with its production engines. Check AVweb.com Friday to listen.Online Now: Find exclusive interviews featuring Cirrus Design’s Alan Klapmeier, FAA administrator Marion Blakey, and more. AVweb‘s Podcast index, is available online — pick and choose your particular […]

If there are unidentified objects flitting around in the airspace, lots of pilots would certainly like to know about it — and so would the military. In the United Kingdom, a secret government report from six years ago was recently released to a professor who requested it under a freedom-of-information law. The report concludes that […]

As China’s commercial aviation sector continues to grow at an ever-accelerating pace, the future of private general aviation is less clear. This week, a senior official told China Daily that the commercial fleet would double by 2010, growing to 1,580 aircraft, and reach 4,000 by 2020. Plus, 42 airports will be built in the next […]

The Adam A700 jet is on track to be certified by the FAA by the end of this year, Adam Aircraft President Joe Walker told AVweb on Tuesday. Customer deliveries would start early in 2007. Certification is proceeding swiftly thanks to the commonality with the A500 twin and the well-established working relationship between the company […]

The FAA has issued a Notice Of Proposed Rule Making to address concerns about brake fires in some Cirrus SR20 and SR22 aircraft. Four brake fires and two reports of airplanes losing directional control have been recorded, the FAA said. Cirrus issued Service Bulletins in December and January to address the problem. The bulletins required […]

FAA Administrator Marion Blakey testified before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation last week, to justify her FAA fiscal year 2007 budget. Blakey reiterated her request for a change in FAA funding practices, saying the agency needs “a stable and predictable funding system that provides appropriate incentives to users and to the FAA to […]