News

NASA Wednesday announced it is seeking information from educational institutions, science museums and the like, which may be able to afford and are interested in acquiring for display a retired Space Shuttle Orbiter. The cost to detoxify the fuel systems on each of three Space Shuttles currently in NASA’s fleet (the Atlantis, Endeavour, and Discovery) […]

Cirrus Design co-founder Alan Klapmeier said Thursday that Chief Operating Officer Brent Wouters has been promoted and will take over from him as Chief Executive Officer of the company effective Feb. 1. Klapmeier said he will continue as chairman of the board of directors and his brother and company co-founder Dale will continue as vice […]

Ray LaHood, a moderate Republican Congressman from Illinois, has accepted a request to become transportation secretary in the coming Obama administration, news agencies reported Wednesday. The nomination is expected to be officially announced within a few days. LaHood, 63, has served in Congress since 1995. Kenneth Quinn, a former FAA chief counsel, told the Washington […]

Many folks will face the New Year warily uncertain of what it might bring, as global economic turmoil continues, and those who depend on the charity of others face even worse uncertainty. When times are tough, it’s harder to give, but that’s when generosity is needed most. Aviators have long been proud of their charitable […]

Customers of Eclipse Aviation announced on Wednesday that they have formed an Ad Hoc Customers Committee to represent the interests of owners and position holders as the company works its way through bankruptcy proceedings. Eclipse delivered 259 aircraft and took deposits in the estimated amount of $300 million for future deliveries before filing for Chapter […]

AOPA reported on Tuesday that the Transportation Security Administration has issued a directive that will require background checks for general aviation pilots based at airports served by airlines, starting next year. Those pilots who pass the background check will receive an ID badge to allow them access to the airport. The directive won’t affect transient […]

A Britten-Norman Islander took off from the Dominican Republic on Monday afternoon, with 12 people on board bound for New York, but disappeared from radar 35 minutes later after sending an emergency signal, The Associated Press reported this week. Six airplanes, two helicopters, and a ship from the U.S. Coast Guard searched the seas near […]

Ohio colleges are being encouraged to develop specific courses to train business aircraft pilots. According to Dayton Daily News, expansion by Columbus-based NetJets and requests from Ohio business people have prompted the creation an introductory business aviation program at Sinclair College. Colleges and universities all over the state are being encouraged to follow suit. Sinclair […]

Cessna announced the first retail delivery of its recently certified Citation XLS+ business jet to an undisclosed customer on the U.S. East Coast. The XLS+ traces its roots to the Excel, introduced in 1998. The updated XLS came out in 2004 and the XLS+ was certified by the FAA in May of 2008. Among the […]

An Albuquerque television station is reporting that Eclipse Aviation’s application for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection was approved by a Delaware court on Monday and that there is competition for Roel Pieper’s bid to take over the company through a Luxembourg subsidiary of his company, ETIRC. KRQE does not identify the second potential purchaser for the […]