Flight Safety

Model aircraft hobbyists, research universities and commercial drone interests filed lawsuits Friday challenging a government directive that they say imposes tough new limits on the use of model aircraft and broadens the agency’s ban on commercial drone flights. According to ABC News, the three lawsuits asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of […]

A Chinese Su-27 fighter made several “dangerous” and “unprofessional” passes at a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon this week-coming as close as an estimated 20 feet at one point-in what the White House calleda “deeply concerning provocation.” The incident, which is reportedly in violation of international law, occurred Tuesday in international airspace in the South China […]

AVweb’s weekly review of what’s going on in aviation turned up news of everything from Beech’s delivery of new airplanes to the Mexican Navy, through word of CTI Professional Flight Training’s new training approval, to a new national commander of the Civil Air Patrol, to PlaneLogiX going live with its maintenance backup program. Beechcraft Corporation, […]

The aviation industry has been warned about the possibility of flight disruptions caused by activity at Iceland’s largest volcano system. Intense seismic tremors have been recorded at Iceland’s Bardarbunga volcano for the past several days, although there are no signs yet of an eruption. Iceland’s Met Office has raised the risk level to the aviation […]

The world of training aircraft has all but reinvented itself since Diamond introduced the DA20 to the North American market nearly 20 years ago. When the Katana appeared, Diamond reasoned that the fleet of ancient Cessna 150s and 152s was growing weary and operators would lust for replacements. What it didn’t anticipate was a couple […]

Our weekly review of aviation events on SocialFlightuncovered everything from a fly-in cookout through a Big Toy Day to a PilotPalooza coming up this weekend. Middlebury State Airport, Vermont, is hosting a cookout fly-in Saturday, Aug. 23, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Organizers report that burgers, hot dogs and more food will be served […]

A new proposed airworthiness directive issued by the FAA on Wednesday affects up to 6,000 general aviation aircraft, mostly (but not limited to) Pipers and Cessnas, equipped with Meggitt (Troy) Inc. combustion heaters. The required inspections would cost about $425, the FAA said, and if repairs are needed, the cost could rise above $6,000. An […]

If I were to break down the quest for an unleaded avgas into seasons, I think we’re in the long, hot summer phase. From here until two years from now, progress may be like watching the grass grow. At AirVenture last month, the only meaningful activity was that Shell showed up to talk about its […]

The FAA issued a Notam on Monday restricting U.S. flight operators from flying in the airspace above Syria. Previously, operators had been warned to contact the FAA before flying there. “The ongoing armed conflict and volatile security environment in Syria poses a serious potential threat to civil aviation,” the FAA said. “Armed extremist groups in […]

Seven general aviation advocacy groups said this week they have sent a letter (PDF) to officials in the Transportation Department asking them to expedite a review of the FAA’s proposed rulemaking that would change the requirements for a third-class medical. The groups asked Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to complete the review within 30 days and […]