Flight Safety

The FAA has responded to recent complaints from AOPA and others about rising costs and limited access at some FBOs at public-use airports, issuing a document that aims to clarify the issues. The six-page Q&A (PDF) spells out the various obligations of the FAA, the airport sponsors, the FBO and aeronautical users. “This is an […]

Only a week after the FAA and EASA issued type certificate approvals for the Pilatus PC-24, FlightSafety has received FAA interim approval for its FS1000 Level C simulator for the new “super versatile jet.” Andre Zimmerman, VP for the PC-24 program at Pilatus, said, “We are excited to see the training device getting ready on […]

So how much would you have to be paid to intentionally ditch a perfectly serviceable airplane in the open ocean? Enough to buy a used SUV? We didn’t think so but Theodore Robert Wright III apparently thought it was worth the gamble and what makes his reckless behavior even more despicable is that he had […]

Following a path similar to the FAA’s BasicMed, Australian pilots without paying passengers will now have the option of a Basic Class 2 medical, which can be issued by a general practitioner. “In the interests of public safety, it is important that pilots meet relevant medical standards, but the system must not make unnecessary demands […]

We were in a long holding pattern at STL on a typical bad day there. Approach Control gave a direct clearance to another aircraft and canceled his hold. Pilot: “Roger, cleared direct; you read my mind.” Anonymous voice: “It was a short book.” Tom Wilson

After looking to the airlines, the recently retired and just about anywhere else it could to fill a growing shortage of pilots, the Air Force is now looking at its own ranks, its enlisted ranks, to fill the void. The Air Force Times reports the Air Force is testing the concept by including five enlisted […]

The pilot who died along with his four passengers in the crash of a Beech Baron on the Caribbean island of St. Croix last week apparently didn’t have the multi-engine rating or night experience that would have been minimum requirements for the flight. David Richardson was the owner of the Baron but the FAA airmen’s […]

After Icon reported that they were raising the price of a new A5, my inbox came alive with predictions that this was Icon’s last gasp. Comparison were many to Eclipse Aerospace, and its CEO Vern Raburn. One person described it as a corporate “suicide.” My favorite email on the topic from a reader ended: “You’re […]

AVweb’s General Aviation Accident Bulletin is taken from the pages of our sister publication, Aviation Safety magazine 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 web site at www.ntsb.gov. Final […]

Police helicopter pilots regularly assist with the apprehension of suspects accused of pointing laser pointers at aircraft, but they rarely land to make the arrest themselves. Florida’s Bay News Channel 9 reports that Pasco County Sheriff’s Office helicopter pilot Stephen Bowman tracked the laser wielding suspect to his home, landed in a nearby vacant lot, […]