Flight Safety

GA groups can claim a victory in the fine print of the latest government shutdown. The FAA has confirmed to AVweb that aircraft registry services will be maintained throughout the shutdown, which began at midnight Dec. 22 and is still the subject of political machinations in Washington. “Air traffic controllers, as well as those who […]

Are Towered Airports Safer? Overall, I consider towered airports to be safer. However, that is due mainly to the fact that they provide order to traffic procedures that does not always exist at nontowered fields. Plus, they normally handle larger aircraft with more experienced pilots who are accustomed to following directions from controllers. In my […]

I was preparing for some instrument and maneuvering practice with my instructor, Andy. Sitting in the apron area in a Cessna 172 with the engine running, I made my initial call to Texarkana Ground as follows: Me: “Texarkana Ground, Skyhawk 62689, Texarkana Flying Club; ready for departure with information Delta.” Texarkana Ground (in a completely […]

The FAA has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the adoption of an airworthiness directive (AD) that would require wing spar inspections on nearly 20,000 Piper aircraft. According to the FAA, the AD comes after an investigation into the report of a fatigue crack on a Piper PA-28R-201 “revealed that repeated high-load operating […]

A Cessna C560 Citation V crashed shortly after takeoff from Fulton County Airport (FTY) in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday, killing all four people onboard. The aircraft went down in a football field in English Park at approximately 12:10 p.m. local time, about two miles from FTY. The aircraft’s destination was Tennessee’s Millington-Memphis Airport (NQA) There […]

Tecnam has achieved EASA type certification for its 11-seat commuter airliner, the P2012 Traveller. The aircraft was developed essentially with the sponsorship of Cape Air, which needed a replacement for its long-serving fleet of Cessna 402s. It ordered 100 planes and will take delivery of its first early in the New Year, assuming routine issuance […]

Nothing like a loud bang at 35,000 feet (FL350) westbound over the North Atlantic in late November to make the sleepiest coach passenger snap both eyes wide. Subsequent bangs from the American Airlines Boeing 777-200’s right engine quickly had the cabin crew’s attention, and even though the explosions were somewhat muffled forward of the cockpit […]

Purdue University’s Research Foundation is helping two Purdue alumni develop and market a new aviation communications simulator aimed at helping new pilots (or rusty old pilots) master radios skills and phraseology. PlaneEnglish has been developed by Muharrem Mane, a graduate of the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Eren Hadimioglu, from the School of Aviation […]

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a rule prohibiting the certification, manufacture, importation and sale of Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs) that operate only on 121.5 MHz last week. Similar rulemaking was issued in 2010, but at the request of the FAA and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the Commission stayed the amendment prohibiting […]