Flight Safety

AVweb is teaming up with our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, for a retrospective safety analysis of how Cirrus aircraft are doing at the quarter century mark. That’s right, the company came out of the ground in 1994, although first deliveries weren’t until 1999. If you own and fly one, we would like to hear from […]

EASA has published its opinion on proposed regulatory easements that will help EASA-rated private pilots gain their instrument rating faster, cheaper and more easily. By clearing the path for the “Basic Instrument Rating,” EASA is combining various regulatory frameworks, allowing private pilots to gain access to instrument flying directly upon passing their EASA private pilot […]

After 18 months of development, BRS Aerospace says it’s ready to accept orders for the Van’s RV-10 ballistic parachute. BRS already offers a kit for the Van’s RV-7 and RV-9 aircraft as well as other experimentals. Priced at $25,990, the system can be retrofitted to flying aircraft or built into airplanes currently under construction. To […]

The best way to shorten an international airline flight isn’t necessarily to knock yourself out—in the case of one Virgin Atlantic flight from Los Angeles to London, the trick is to catch a whopping big tailwind. Around 10:30 p.m. on Monday night, as the Virgin 787 cruised along at 35,000 feet, it posted an 801-MPH […]

One Indian air force pilot was killed after two BAE Hawk aircraft collided midair. The Surya Kiran aerobatics team was preparing for an airshow at Aero India when the accident occurred. According to reports, Wing Commander VT Shelke and Squadron Leader TJ Singh both ejected, but Wing Commander Sahil Gandhi was killed. The two surviving […]

Southwest Airlines canceled more than 100 flights over the Presidents Day weekend not from weather or crew issues but because more than twice the usual number of its Boeing 737s were out of service for maintenance. On a typical day, Southwest will have 20 of its 750-airplane fleet sidelined for maintenance. But since last week, […]

Two high-school students have been awarded $10,000 each under the EAA’s Ray Aviation Scholarships. Nicole Blount of Lake Placid, Florida, and Max Davidson of Jurupa Valley, California, will receive this important head start toward their flight training. “Through the generous gift of the Ray Foundation, aviation is a pathway to impart important life skills and […]

We take it for granted today, but 25 years ago a GPS navigator approved for non-precision instrument approaches was big thing—and Garmin’s GPS 155 TSO was the first to be approved under TSO-C129 A1. There’s reason for Garmin to look back on Feb. 16, 1994, with some pride. After decades of abundantly analog navigation solutions […]

Blame it on YouTube. Sailors have an affliction they call “bigger boat disease” or “one-foot-itis,” and I was starting to feel the rumblings of the aviator’s version. I had been flying and enjoying my Fisher FP-404 biplane for the past three years but was starting to bump into its limitations: low speed, modest climb rate, […]