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“It was an extremely complicated situation,” Costanzo said of the deal, involving companies in two countries, angry government agencies that had invested (and lost) money, and complex agreements about type designs and production certificates. At times, he wondered if it would even be possible to work it all out. “But I thought it was too […]

New Owners “Ecstatic”… The Symphony line of aircraft is back. Symphony Aircraft Industries (SAI) has bought the assets of the former OMF Aircraft Canada operation that closed early this year, SAI President Paul Costanzo announced in a media teleconference Tuesday afternoon. “I’m ecstatic about it,” he said. “There have been some dark days, and it’s […]

A “final rule,” though, is just the first step in what will still be a long process of working out the real-world implications of new regulations. Wagner said that along with the rule itself, several Advisory Circulars are due for publication, and altogether it is a lot of complex material to be sorted through. As […]

Final Rule Said To Be “Imminent”… After a decade or so in the works (and an extended stay at the Office of Management and Budget) the highly anticipated Sport Pilot/Light Sport Aircraft final rule may (very, very soon) be ready for prime time — we’ll let the real world be the judge. Ron Wagner of […]

The FAA claims it’s learned from the incident. “We don’t believe it can happen again,” Linda Schuessler, vice president for system operations at the FAA, told the hearing. A direct feed from Washington-area air traffic control was to have been installed in the NCRCC. On June 9, the command post was getting a raw feed […]

Fletcher’s Flight Almost Shot Down… Of course, the hubbub in Washington centered around Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher’s near-fatal trip to Ronald Reagan’s funeral on June 9. According to The Washington Post, unnamed sources reported that the military was on the verge of blasting Fletcher’s King Air out of the Washington sky after it showed up […]

Against the backdrop of all this discussion about security, the FAA hinted that Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) might be reopened to GA flights. According to the Associated Press, an unnamed FAA official told the hearings that the agency and the TSA are working on a general aviation plan for DCA but the plans […]

Of course, the alphabet groups wasted no time in denouncing the FAA’s plan to introduce the ADIZ NPRM. The beans were spilled by vice president for system operations at the FAA, Linda Schuessler, during a grilling at a congressional hearing into the communications mix-up that created panic in Washington on June 9 and very nearly […]

The Politics Of Security… You might think it hard to find a silver lining in the FAA’s apparent intention to make “permanent” the Air Defense Identification Zone around Washington, D.C., but the agency’s chief spokesman says there is one, and we may (but don’t count on it) see it in writing as early as late […]

Chances are avgas prices have gone up at your local FBO, too, but if you live in the central part of the U.S. you’re probably paying less than elsewhere in the country. AirNav’s report on fuel prices canvasses 3955 FBOs and the most recent tabulation reveals that the average price for 100LL in the central […]