Flight Safety

The Commonwealth of Virginia requires motor vehicles to undergo annual safety inspections. An authorized mechanic checks the lights, horn, brakes, tires, steering, suspension, etc., to make sure they’re within service limits (sound familiar?). In neighboring Maryland, on the other hand, just one safety inspection is required, when a vehicle is initially registered. After that, it’s […]

AVweb’sGeneral Aviation Accident Bulletinis taken from the pages of our sister publication,Aviation Safetymagazine, and is published twice a month. All the reports listed here are preliminary and include only initial factual findings about crashes. You can learn more about the final probable cause in the NTSB’s website atwww.ntsb.gov. Final reports appear about a year after […]

Each year, starting on the first Saturday in October and running through the second Sunday, Albuquerque hosts the International Balloon Fiesta—about 600 hot air balloons from all over the world. A daily mass ascension (wind-willing) places this colorful display into the air at sunrise. There are no grandstands for the tens of thousands of spectators—it’s […]

Friendly fire incidents usually involve the heat of combat but a Belgian Air Force F-16 on the ramp was a sitting duck for the serendipitously deadly aim of one of its stablemates. The Viper was fully fueled and thankfully unoccupied as it waited to go flying at the Florennes air base in southern Belgium. Meanwhile […]

Gainesville, Florida, is the hub of a GA relief effort to help the hurricane-ravaged Florida Panhandle in the wake of Hurricane Michael. Only a few weeks after mounting a major effort to help some of the millions affected by Hurricane Florence in the Carolinas, Operation Airdrop began receiving and distributing supplies on Sunday. Gainesville is […]

By some estimates as many as 22 F-22 Raptor fighters were damaged or destroyed when Hurricane Michael scored a direct hit on Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida on Wednesday. Tyndall is the main F-22 base in the U.S. and according to various sources only 33 of the base’s 55 Raptors were evacuated ahead of […]

As we reported earlier, the FAA is reinstating its $500 rebate for equipage with ADS-B Out as an incentive for aircraft operators to get the new gear installed before the Jan. 1, 2020, deadline. The agency has set aside $4.9 million for the program, which will ease the financial impact on 9,800 aircraft owners and […]

After I heard a GA pilot expressing concern about getting into icing conditions, I responded to air traffic control: Me: “PIREP for the 172 concerned about icing, the freezing level over Santa Cruz summit is 5,000 feet.” NorCal Approach: “What was the OAT?” Me: “Well, uh, that would be zero degrees Celsius.” Bennet Taber San […]

This week, AVweb‘s news roundup found reports of a new sim lab, a second chance to catch a weather tool webinar and a change in leadership at Pro Star Aviation. In partnership with Cirrus Aviation, Alsim has opened a demonstration center and simulation lab at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) in Sarasota, Florida. The facility […]

Possible LSA Weight Limit Increase I’ve heard reference to four seats, 3600lb, and 150mph. Now, I won’t complain about the weight number… but honestly I’d rather trade some of that weight increase for a further speed increase. How many four-seaters out there weigh 3600lb and only top out at 150? Maybe if they could make […]