Flight Training

Airbus Helicopters and Helisim broke ground on a new helicopter pilot and maintenance crew training center in Grand Prairie, Texas, on Tuesday. According to Airbus, the Helisim Simulation Center will house the first H145 and H175 Level D full-motion flight simulators in North America. In addition, it will incorporate Airbus Helicopters’ existing training facilities including […]

The National Transportation Safety Board released its 2019-2020 Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements and, among the broad recommendations of eliminating distractions, reducing fatigue-related accidents and full implementation of positive train control is this: Improve the safety of Part 135 flight operations. According to the board, “Most of the organizations that conduct Part 135 […]

Many of today’s workplaces seek to create a formalized “safety culture,” an environment where employees practice behaviors that minimize accidents, look out for their co-workers and where reporting unsafe conditions is encouraged, not subject to retaliation, and frequently rewarded. It can be a great goal, but it often creates an exaggerated sense of safety where […]

A New York Times investigation of the Oct. 29, 2018, Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX crash suggests marketing considerations were at least partly behind Boeing’s and the FAA’s joint decision to not specifically train pilots in the maneuvering characteristics augmentation system (MCAS) that may have played a role in the crash. The Times story quotes […]

The profoundly concerned TV meteorologist warned of dangerously cold temperatures sweeping across the Midwest, conjuring Dr. Zhivago images of Cossacks on horseback and Lara Guishar in her Ice Palace with Omar Sharif to keep her warm and free from reality. A nice try to glam up winter, but it failed. I despise the season. Hate […]

Simulator manufacturer Frasca International has announced a partnership with Garmin to incorporate G1000 NXi software into its new Reconfigurable Training Device (RTD). The company says integrating the NXi software with the Frasca’s simulation software “required extensive collaboration” with Garmin and is “a first in the simulation industry.” The Frasca RTD, which is an FAA-approved Advanced […]

Universal Helicopters (UHI) announced a purchase agreement with Tecnam for ten new aircraft on Monday. The order includes four P2008 LSAs, four P2010s and two P2006T twins. The aircraft will be headed to two fixed-wing training locations operated by UHI sister company Universal Fixed-Wing (UFW). According to the company, the P2008 LSAs will be used […]

After months of production delays, Icon Aircraft is ramping up production of its A5 light sport amphibious aircraft. Showing a demo model at the Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring this week, Icon’s Scott Rodenback said in this exclusive podcast that about 90 airplanes have been built. The company says some 1300 are on backorder. Rodenback […]

Veteran FBO and flight school operator Lou Mancuso has opened a new flight academy at Sebring, Florida, that he says will provide fast-track training for pilots planning professional flight careers. In this exclusive podcast recorded at the Sport Aviation Expo 2019 show in Sebring, Mancuso said the school will rely on light sport aircraft, specifically […]

AVweb‘s weekly news roundup found reports on a survey for IFR helicopter pilots, the Cirrus Training Center of the Year, a new training management system for Pacific Sky Aviation, flight animation software for Kalitta Air and a partnership between Carlisle Air Group and Worldwide Jet Charter. The National EMS Pilots Association (NEMSPA) and the U.S. […]