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Although the user-fee issue dominated the political discussions in Palm Springs, there were some other victories being heralded in the host state of California. Earlier this year, the FAA, with some prodding from AOPA, emphatically denied a request from the city of Bakersfield that it be released from its obligations to the FAA so the […]

The massive shift in the political winds in Washington is a major boost to the fight against general aviation user fees, delegates to AOPA Expo in Palm Springs were told on Saturday. “The election says we’re in much better shape,” AOPA President Phil Boyer told those attending the morning general session. Boyer said the political […]

A year ago, Sherry Nesbitt Gettinger was a newly minted pilot who was presented with the Newest Pilot Award at AOPA Expo 2005. She is now instrument rated, and yesterday at AOPA Expo 2006 Gettinger received the keys to Columbia Aircraft’s 500th aircraft, a Columbia 350. This is a tremendous milestone for our company and […]

AOPA Expo is virtually assured to break attendance records, according to spokesman Chris Dancy. He said that as of late Friday, the number of registered delegates was more than 10,900. The current record (set in 2002 when the event was also held in Palm Springs) is 11,700 and there is still a full day left. […]

FAA Administrator Marion Blakey was given an opportunity to clear the air on the user fee issue on Friday but didn’t. Asked politely, but pointedly, to explain exactly what she meant by comments she made about GA’s role in the future funding mechanism for the agency, she told hundreds of delegates to AOPA Expo in […]

At AOPA Expo, Cessna is debuting a mockup of its Next Generation Piston (NGP) aircraft and displaying its flying proof-of-concept Light Sport Aircraft (LSA). It further announced upgrades for its current single-engine pistons. The company anticipates a launch decision for the NGP program by next summer, which would be followed by an 18-month certification schedule […]

While it’s too early to tell what effect the Nov. 7 election results will have on the most pressing legislative issue facing general aviation, something politicians in Washington (the new and the old) can count on hearing plenty about is the aviation user-fee issue. In yesterday’s opening general session of AOPA Expo in Palm Springs, […]

Both companies were quick to respond. “Honeywell is not aware of any evidence that indicates that its transponder on the Embraer Legacy was not functioning as designed or that Honeywell was responsible for the accident,” Honeywell spokesman Paul Loughran told AVweb on Tuesday. “The National Transportation Safety Board and the Brazilian authorities are still investigating […]

Lawyers for the relatives of 10 victims of September’s midair crash in Brazil filed suit this week in a U.S. court against ExcelAire, the owner of the Embraer Legacy jet that collided with a Boeing 737, and also named Honeywell, the manufacturer of the Legacy’s transponder. “The pilots of the ExcelAire jet were flying at […]

Some 108 aircraft taxied down blocked-off streets yesterday morning during the “airplane parade” and are now on display outside the Palm Springs Convention Center. At the static display, visitors can expect a first look at the brand-new 1200-hp Epic Dynasty Jetprop, but don’t look for the three Eclipse 500s that are supposed to be on […]