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Guidelines For Field Approvals… The FAA has published a new Advisory Circular (AC) that for the first time provides guidance to aircraft owners, operators and technicians on the thorny topic of how to obtain FAA field approvals for aircraft alterations. The 35-page document is the FAA’s attempt to clarify and standardize its policies and make […]

The NTSB also said the weight averages used by air carriers to calculate weight and balance are inadequate. The airlines need to collect current and specific data that takes into account seasonal and regional differences to develop better estimates. Further, systems should be created for collecting actual weight data for each flight instead of relying […]

The NTSB issued a list of 21 safety recommendations directed at the FAA. The FAA should specify that all critical flight systems must pass a functional check before they are signed off, the board said. Procedures for on-the-job training of mechanics need to be beefed up and clarified. Maintenance workers must scrupulously follow proper procedures […]

Missing Links In “Safety Chain”… When an Air Midwest Beech 1900D crashed in Charlotte, N.C., in January 2003, killing all 21 aboard, the loss of pitch control on takeoff brought it down, the NTSB said in its final report on Thursday. The loss of control was the result of incorrect rigging of the elevator control […]

A pair of microlight pilots from South Africa have found another way to give wings to their ideas. They launched two trikes from Cape Town on December 17, 2003, to embark on a 50,000-mile flight around the world. “Freedom Flight is a joint celebration of the first decade of a democratic South Africa and South […]

Another pilot who supported the efforts of Cuban exiles is now serving a seven-year sentence in a Thai prison, convicted of hijacking an airplane to drop anti-communist leaflets over Ho Chi Minh City in November 2000. Ly Tong says he didn’t use force against the pilot but bribed him with $10,000 to relinquish control. Ly […]

Brothers To The Rescue Plans A Return To Cuba… It was eight years ago Tuesday that two unarmed civilian Cessna 337 Skymasters were shot down by Cuban MiGs, killing four Miami-based pilots as they searched for rafters fleeing from the island. To commemorate that anniversary, Jose Basulto, founder of Brothers to the Rescue, is planning […]

Yesterday, Skyguide scaled back flights by 40 percent in Zurich airspace, to help ensure security and out of consideration for its workers. A quarter of Skyguide’s Zurich staff did not report for work. Skyguide had been heavily criticized in the wake of the midair collision. Investigators found that only one controller was on duty while […]

Random Act Or Revenge… On Tuesday, an air traffic controller who worked for Skyguide, the Swiss airspace agency, was stabbed to death in his home in Kloten, near Zurich. The victim had been the sole controller on duty in July 2002 when two airplanes collided in Swiss airspace over Lake Constance, killing 71 people, many […]

Well, Volvo has proved that safety can sell, but airplane buyers also look for performance. The XL2 fits an uncommon niche in that it only seats two, an accommodation package usually reserved for trainers. The Liberty folks reasoned that there were plenty of people who fly by themselves or with only one other passenger on […]