briefs

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AVweb’s “FBO of the Week” contest is sponsored by Aviation Safety magazine, the monthly journal of risk management and accident prevention. Thanks to all the pilots and AVweb readers who took time to nominate their favorite FBOs in our “FBO of the Week” contest. Today’s ribbon finds its target in Florida. AVweb’s “FBO of the […]

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Online Now: Marion Blakey, in her own words. Preview: While FAA Administrator Marion Blakey has this week been preoccupied with contract negotiations (or lack of same) with air traffic controllers, all that wrangling is unlikely to have any practical impact on pilots (at least for now). The impasse, as it is now designated, is part […]

COLUMNS As the Beacon Turns #100: Waking UpPilots trained in the last 30 or 40 years may not ever have learned the skills necessary for flying a tailewheel airplane. Taildraggers require you to wake up those “dead” feet and really feel the rudder pedals. Michael Maya Charles teaches some new tailwheel pilots in this month’s […]

Finally, there’s something the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) and the FAA agree on: The contract negotiations between them have officially stalled. As AVweb told you Monday, the two have been locked in a bitter battle over a number of issues, the most divisive being controller pay. After rejecting NATCA’s “best and final” proposal […]

Lycoming announced this week that a new division called Thunderbolt Engines will offer custom-built products at its Williamsport, Pa., facility. Customers can choose horsepower, fuel and ignition systems, plus performance enhancments such as tuned induction and turbocharging. The customer can even specify engine color. The factory-built custom, non-certified engines are aimed at specialty markets such […]

Early yesterday afternoon, a thick black smoke plume arose behind the trees just off the main show area at Sun ‘n Fun… not far from the flight pattern. Heads turned, and worried showgoers asked passing aviation reporters who had crashed. The good news was, nobody had crashed. The bad news was, 24 cars in the […]

Symphony Aircraft, based in Quebec, is gearing up to increase production from the current rate of about one airplane per month to four per month by the end of this year, CEO Paul Costanzo said at a Sun n Fun news conference yesterday. “We’re investing in new tooling and processes to increase effieciency,” Costanzo said, […]

The CarterCopter folks, who have been grounded since their one-and-only flying technology demonstrator crashed last June, were back at the show yesterday with some new ideas. They showed off a new design for a smaller version of the gyroplane, which they hope will fulfill the dream of a Personal Air Vehicle. “This aircraft will allow […]