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“These are great times,” according to the Teal Group, a research firm that released its annual business-aviation outlook last week at the Berlin Air Show. “High corporate profits and high commodity prices, coupled with emerging market growth, have produced a likely all-time market high this year — 901 planes worth $13.6 billion — with further […]

Vatsim grew out of the desire of ardent flight sim addicts for more and more realism. Along the way, they’ve attracted more than 100,000 registrants in a worldwide system that rivals the real air traffic control system in complexity and regulations. Vatsim is not for the casual gamer. It can take up to two years […]

“Pilots” from all over the world are expected to converge on the controlled airports in Poland on May 28 in a six-hour effort to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis victims. Each landing will accumulate points toward the cause and the tougher the flying, the more money will be raised. The more adventurous will be heading […]

One sign that the back rooms are buzzing is the two cents’ worth offered by the Heritage Foundation, a self-described “conservative think tank” that keeps right on top of these sorts of issues. Not surprisingly, Heritage Foundation researcher Ronald D. Utt, Ph.D., says Congress should stay out of the way, keep the process the same […]

A couple of House members have launched a last-minute bid to prevent the FAA from imposing a contract on air traffic controllers. Representatives Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) and Sue Kelly (R-N.Y.) have introduced a “discharge petition” to force a vote on bill H.R. 4755, which would send the dispute to binding arbitration. Costello, the senior Democrat […]

If your engine has not been overhauled or had new connecting rods installed since it was manufactured, there is no action required. If it has been opened up since December 2001, however, you’ll need to check the engine logs to see if any of these connecting rods got in there. The affected rods are part […]

The FAA says only about 100 aircraft will be affected by an Airworthiness Directive (AD) that takes effect June 22 concerning certain connecting rods manufactured by Engine Components Inc. (ECi) and installed in Lycoming 360- and 540-series engines. The AD resulted from a single engine failure in a Cessna 172. In the preamble to the […]

Every so often we’re reminded that there’s nothing new under the sun — or in the sky. A four-seat jet was developed by the French back in the 1950s. Refurbished models of the MS760x Paris Jet, complete with Chelton glass cockpits, now are being offered on the fractional market in Canada. JetSet Fractions, based in […]

Excel-Jet, of Colorado Springs, Colo., flew its single-engine Sport-Jet for the first time last weekend, logging almost four hours in the air. “The Sport-Jet is proving to be very stable, quiet, and with excellent control harmony and feel,” according to test pilot Ron McElroy. Takeoff rolls were less than 1,800 feet from the 6,000-foot-elevation airfield, […]

Although most of the proposed spaceports are in remote areas, AOPA has expressed concerns about airspace being closed down for frequent launches, especially at the Oklahoma site, which is currently used as a municipal airport. “For three hours during each launch … 16 Victor airways could be closed. When combined with the two nearby military […]