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U.S. air traffic controllers handle more than 64 million takeoffs and landings each year, and Cleveland controllers alone handle more operations annually than Canada’s entire privatized system … according to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA). NATCA President John Carr last week spoke out against privatization. “We have the world’s safest, largest and most […]

Airspace System Scrutinized The House Aviation Subcommittee last Wednesday held a hearing on the commercialization of air traffic services, saying the FAA is now in crisis and at a “crossroads.” The FAA has failed to meet schedules and deploy new technology despite billions of dollars in spending, the committee said. At least 30 other countries […]

One voice in the wilderness is trying to gain support for converting surplus A-10 Warthog fighter jets into “Firehogs.” Ed Herlik, a Colorado pilot, formed AeroTech Ltd. to work on converting the aircraft and training pilots. But first he has to convince the Pentagon to let them go, and so far that’s been an uphill […]

Meanwhile, in Arizona, a retrofitted 747 super-tanker is not yet approved to fly by the FAA, and may not be ready for this summer. “We don’t know how much it drops and how accurate it is,” Rose Davis, spokeswoman for the National Interagency Fire Center, told The Arizona Republic. The 747 can carry 24,000 gallons […]

As Summer Fire Season Approaches In states across the western U.S., wildfires are an inevitable part of summer, and aircraft are depended on to keep them under control. But with many operators facing tight budgets and a scarcity of airplanes, concerns are already widespread that the firefighting capacity will fall short. The Oakland (Calif.) Tribune […]

“60 Minutes” also looked at the CarterCopter and the Moller SkyCar. The CarterCopter prototype has been flying off and on for a few years, but was sidelined by a wheels-up landing and then by an in-flight fire. SkyCar inventor Paul Moller says his futuristic vehicle will fly like a “magic carpet,” but so far it […]

“The good stuff is coming.” Flying cars are back in the news this week, thanks to Nevada inventor Woody Norris, who is working on an ultralight helicopter called the AirScooter. Norris has won a prestigious inventors’ award — for his work in acoustics, not aviation — and he and his flying machine were featured in […]

Most of the alphabet groups got an advance look at the system last Thursday and seemed to agree it has merits as long as it’s accompanied by a massive educational and public-relations program. “If you didn’t know what it meant, you wouldn’t know what to do,” AOPA spokeswoman Melissa Rudinger told the Post. “It’s important […]

Assuming a pilot who manages to blunder into the most publicized and recognized restricted airspace in the country recognizes the laser signals for what they are and gets out of the ADIZ, his or her troubles are far from over. Attached to the dozen or so lasers are high-powered cameras that will apparently be able […]

You’re It The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has unveiled its laser-based warning system designed to prevent innocently errant pilots from being shot down in the hypersensitive restricted airspace surrounding Washington, D.C. Starting in about a month, pilots who stray into the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) will get “illuminated” with alternating blasts of […]