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Although it’s long been speculated that Mayor Richard Daley ordered Meigs closed to make way for a park, his original justification was that he feared terrorists would use the airport to launch an attack on the city’s downtown. Now, the city is using the same line to try and defend itself against the FAA charges. […]

Fines Could Reach $4.5 Million… The city of Chicago (in particular, its taxpayers) could face fines approaching $5 million for its midnight assault on Meigs Field 18 months ago. The FAA announced Friday it’s proposing the city be fined $33,000 (the maximum) for failing to provide 30 days notice of the closure. The agency also […]

Special Coverage Of The X Prize Attempt As you read this, history is, hopefully, being made in the high desert north of Los Angeles. The Mojave Aerospace Ventures Team is trying to become the first privately funded group to make successive suborbital space flights within a two-week period to demonstrate the technical viability of space […]

The two-week postponement on the resumption of production has more to do with cleaning up than it does with any actual damage to the facilities. Miller said that in the aftermath of Frances, production facilities were being moved out of damaged buildings and into those that had survived the first hurricane. Turns out they stood […]

Piper Cleans Up … Again … If they handed out awards for sheer resilience in the face of adversity, The New Piper Aircraft Inc. would have to be considered a leading candidate. After weathering all sorts of business challenges (some not of its own making, i.e., the Lycoming crankshaft debacle) the company now finds itself […]

Whether regulatory agencies can keep up to the light-speed pace of commercial space development is another question. In a statement that may have the Wright Brothers rolling over in their graves, FAA spokesman Hank Price told AVweb that his agency needs Congress to give it the authority to regulate passenger flights to space but that […]

Wednesday’s flight was used as the launch pad for an even more ambitious private space race. Hotel chain owner Robert Bigelow is sponsoring a $50 million prize to the first team to put into orbit a private spacecraft carrying five to seven people. Published reports say Bigelow will put up at least half the money […]

The Sky Shook, The Earth Shook … The Aircraft Rolled… The Paul Allen funded, Burt Rutan designed Ansari X Prize inspired SpaceShipOne burned rubber (quite literally — as a major component of its fuel) and scrolled through mach numbers most of the way toward an apogee of roughly 337,500 feet over Mojave, CA — the […]

To help with the recovery, the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) has collected contact information for aviation businesses hurt by the storms in Florida and neighboring states. NATA suggests that business owners in need of relief contact the Small Business Administration (SBA) at 800/621-3362, to see if they qualify for federal disaster assistance. The SBA […]

Jeanne Hits Weary Florida… Early yesterday, Hurricane Jeanne battered the East Coast of Florida, the fourth hurricane in six weeks to affect the GA-heavy state, where the damage tally already is up to about $15 billion. Jeanne crossed the coastline near Stuart, with 120-mph winds, drenching rain and huge waves. The winds tore off rooftops […]