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Although the resurgence is being felt in every corner of the industry, there’s one place in particular that is welcoming the news. Wichita-based companies accounted for the lion’s share of the 2004 deliveries, shipping 1,277 airplanes (or about 43 percent) of the worldwide total. However, the hangover from the post-9/11 slump will likely be felt […]

New Aircraft Shipments Third-Highest Ever We sensed it at last year’s Sun ‘n’ Fun and felt it strongly at AirVenture, and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association has now confirmed it: 2004 was a recovery year for most plane-makers and the future looks strong. “Bonus depreciation, coupled with the continuing growth of the U.S. economy helped […]

The decision also raises questions about the FAA’s handling of the crankshaft problem. From the outset, the agency appears to have gone along with Lycoming’s conclusion that Interstate was to blame for the weak cranks. The original Emergency Airworthiness Directive grounding Cessnas and Pipers with TIO-540 and LTIO-540 engines cites “a variation in the heat […]

Now, the legal wranglings have undoubtedly just begun (Lycoming will almost certainly appeal) but the Texas decision raises some practical and potentially disquieting questions about the whole crankshaft issue. These are questions we’d like to pose to Lycoming but we were unable to receive a response before our deadline. According to Interstate lawyer Marty Rose, […]

Blame … And Nearly $100M In Damages In a stunning verdict (the effects of which could ripple through the aviation world for years to come) a Texas jury has found Textron Lycoming entirely to blame for crankshaft failures in high-horsepower engines between 2000 and 2002. What’s more, the Grimes County jurors found that Lycoming’s investigation […]

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) told the Commercial Space Conference on Thursday that the space industry is about more than tourism. “In 2010 the Shuttle will be retired,” he said. “So there is right now a need to move people into space quickly, safely and reliably. I believe that need could be met in […]

U.S. Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), however, thinks the FAA’s approach to space safety is too lax. Last Thursday, Oberstar introduced a bill that would amend last December’s space tourism legislation to allow the FAA to take a more “pro-active” stand on passenger safety. Oberstar decried the “tombstone mentality” of the December legislation, which prohibits the […]

Pax Need Training, Mineta Says DOT Secretary Norm Mineta offered a glimpse last week into what the FAA will be looking for in safety guidelines for commercial space tourism. Speaking at the annual Commercial Space Transportation Conference in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Mineta said that passengers who want to travel into space should get a […]

The new rule really just recognizes procedures that have developed over time since the original SFAR was issued, says David Wartofsky, owner of Potomac Airfield. Over the last several years, he has worked with the TSA and FAA to obtain the approvals of more than 400 area pilots who are allowed to fly in and […]

Under the new rule, transient pilots must receive prior authorization to use the airports. They will have to be fingerprinted at Reagan National Airport, complete a criminal background check, pass muster with the TSA, check in with the FAA in Washington or Baltimore and present their documents to airport management. The airport operators must keep […]