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Although it (probably) hasn’t happened on U.S. soil, missile attacks are a disturbingly common cause of commercial aircraft crashes elsewhere. There have been 24 commercial planes officially downed by shoulder-fired missiles in the last 20 years, killing about 500 people, according to The Associated Press. That figure does not include TWA 800 (July ’96), EgyptAir […]

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) is calling on her colleagues to reignite programs to equip airliners with anti-missile systems. Boxer told The Associated Press in an interview that the Bush administration’s apparent abandonment of the initiative is a mistake. “We are being irresponsible by not moving forward on this today,” said Boxer. Congress has appropriated more […]

Beginning today, AVweb introduces our twice weekly audio news service. You can listen to our audiocasts by downloading them for your iPOD or any MP3 player or directly to your computer by clicking on this link. The Monday audiocast will feature a summary of the weekend news while our Friday audiocast will include a news […]

The Professional Airways Systems Specialists (PASS), the union that represents support staff and technical workers in the FAA air-traffic system, complained last week about working conditions at Burlington (Vt.) International Airport. Radiation leaks inside a radar facility were detected last August but the FAA didn’t alert workers until February, the union said. “We don’t believe […]

It’s not only vintage aircraft owners who are struggling with FAA paperwork. “Certification has now become a risk and threatens our business plan,” Cessna CEO Jack Pelton told a congressional panel last week in Wichita. The lack of FAA support creates delays in getting new products to buyers and harms competitiveness in the global market, […]

In their proposal for a new vintage category, EAA and the VAA said that such aircraft would not be limited in size or complexity; Part 43 airworthiness regulations would still apply; the installation of parts and items that are not PMA- or TSO-compliant would be allowed; and aircraft in the new category would lose any […]

Earl Lawrence, EAA‘s vice president of industry and regulatory affairs, says too much time and money is spent trying to comply with regulations that do nothing to improve the safety of aging aircraft, and in fact, the current rules have become an impediment to safety. “We need a different system,” he told AVweb on Saturday. […]

The average GA aircraft is 35 years old, according to the FAA, and plenty of aircraft even older are still being flown every day. To address issues about how to regulate the fleet and keep it safe, the FAA’s Small Airplane Directorate hosted an Aging Aircraft Summit in Kansas City, Mo., last week. Representatives from […]

Sun ‘n Fun attracts about 4,000 airplanes, with a wide variety of classics, homebuilts, sport planes, and warbirds. This year’s special-guest list includes a new air vehicle from the folks at CarterCopter, who promise to demonstrate a new Personal Air Vehicle prototype, an “aerial motorcycle.” They plan to fly it in from Atlanta, stopping at […]

For much of the U.S., the summer flying season starts on April 4, when the annual Sun ‘n Fun show opens in Lakeland, Fla. On Monday, the FAA released its official arrival procedures, complete with a video tour of the VFR route. The folks at Sun ‘n Fun Radio 1510 sent out a reminder this […]