Flight Safety

Linear Air and Hopscotch Air have teamed up to offer new a air taxi service, flying the Cirrus SR-22 between White Plains, NY and Boston. But there may be something unique about their approach — they’re starting slow. Linear Air COO Peter Schmidt explains the service and why he thinks his company’s business model is […]

Furlough of FAA aviation safety inspectors and NTSB accident investigators may put the country in default of its obligations under an aviation treaty that sets standards for safety for ICAO, former FAA lawyer Loretta Alkalay told Forbes magazine this week. The U.S. failure to approve a federal budget and subsequent partial government shutdown has furloughed […]

Flying for fun isn’t restricted to Alaskan mountain valleys or Idaho rivers. The Recreational Aviation Foundation is working to preserve pilot access to unique backcountry runways all around the country. RAF President John McKenna spoke with AVweb’s Mary Grady about the group’s mission, their achievements, and their plans for the future. If you want to […]

American Airlines said this week it will begin hiring again for the first time in over a decade, seeking to acquire 1,500 pilots over the next five years. The carrier is not yet out of bankruptcy, and has been involved in restructuring for nearly two years now, but began recalling pilots late last year. It […]

In day two of the federal government shutdown, airlines continue to run on schedule with fully staffed control towers, and general aviation pilots have seen few impacts — but the longer it goes on, the more effects will be felt, according to GA advocacy groups. Although air traffic controllers remain on the job, 3,000 support […]

Before control of an aircraft shifts from the autopilot to the pilot, the system should require the receiving pilot to acknowledge that he or she has assumed control, according to a recent study of ergonomics and flight safety. Eric Geiselman, lead author of a two-part study published in Ergonomics in Design, emphasized that the warning […]

Opponents of the Santa Monica airport are calling again for its closure following Sunday evening’s fatal jet crash. “It is time to shut this airport down,” Los Angeles city councilman Mike Bonin said in a Twitter post. “There have been more than 80 crashes related to this airport since 1982. Meanwhile, nearby residents are suffering […]

Pilots operating in the national airspace after today’s shutdown of the federal government should notice little impact, but the aviation industry as a whole will be affected in a number of ways. For those who are flying, air traffic control towers will be staffed as usual, since controllers are exempt from the furloughs. Airman medical […]

A Cessna Citation 525A (CJ2) that crashed into a hangar at Santa Monica Airport at 6:20 p.m. on Sunday was engulfed in flames by the time emergency crews arrived, Santa Monica Fire Department Capt. John Nevandro told reporters on the scene. The crash was “unsurvivable,” he said. “The building actually collapsed and wrapped itself around […]

Back in the early ’80s, I was making a living flying night-time aerial advertising with a “Skycaster” electronic moving-message sign that spanned the wings under the belly of my Cessna 172. Flying out of CMH, I would circle local communities with ads. My “low and slow,” combined with horizontal distance, gave the appearance that the […]