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Blakey said she’s determined to change the way the FAA is funded once the current structure expires in 2007. However, she expects that a contribution from the General Fund and continued oversight by Congress will be part of any new plan. She also tried to reassure the crowd that whatever plans and proposals eventually emerge, […]

For pilots discouraged by their encounters with government beauracracy, FAA Administrator Marion Blakey on Wednesday brought a morsel (or two) of hope. The agency has cut the time it takes to process special-issuance medical certificates from several months to an average of 16 days. Investments in new technology have paid off in making such change […]

Piper Aircraft President James Bass said the new arrangement signals the launch of “a significant and meaningful relationship” between the two companies. The synergy will extend through sales and service to engineering collaborations and beyond, he said. No merger or takeover is in the works, however, and Bass said the arrangement won’t affect Piper’s plans […]

The seven-seat jet has reached 43,000 feet and 412 knots so far in 240 hours of flight testing, and is expected to have a range of over 1,000 nautical miles, according to Honda’s preliminary figures. Final specifications, as well as a price point, will be forthcoming later this year. The two GE-Honda HF118 turbofan engines […]

The HondaJet‘s flight toward certification has begun, an enthusiastic Michimasa Fujino told a crowd of reporters yesterday morning at EAA AirVenture. Under dazzling lights that bathed the jet in a brilliant glow, Fujino, who designed the airplane and has shepherded its creation, announced that Honda is now committed to take the jet to the marketplace. […]

Through the current system of fuel taxes, GA contributes about $500 million to the FAA. The ATA is looking for about $2 billion in relief with its proposal. If only turbine-powered, non-scheduled aircraft are left footing that bill, it means business jet owners could be faced with up to $100,000 in extra fees each year, […]

At the Tuesday forum, AOPA President Phil Boyer said his group, which represents more than 400,000 pilots, will be lending its considerable political clout to the effort, even though he’s been told it’s not his fight. He said that at debate between himself and Airline Transport Association President Jim May. May said piston-powered aircraft would […]

Alphabet groups and two industry leaders declared war against the Air Transport Association (ATA), which represents most U.S. Airlines, in the latest chapter in GA’s effort to prevent the imposition of user fees on general aviation. EAA President Tom Poberezny spoke yesterday to a large audience at AirVenture, declared the airlines as the “enemy” and […]

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HondaJet It’s really going to happen. Honda and Piper together announced they plan to sell and support the HondaJet introduced last year at AirVenture Oshkosh. The seven-seat jet has an operational ceiling of 41,000 feet, a 420-knot “maximum speed,” and a range of 1,100 nautical miles, according to Honda. The engines are two GE-Honda HF118 […]