News

Last week’s controversy about the convoy of business jets that carried the CEOs of the Big Three automakers to Washington to ask for a bailout was bound to get tongues wagging on the nightly news elsewhere. It prompted an “investigation” by “Chief Investigator” Darcy Spears at KTNV in Las Vegas. Spears combed public records and […]

With a new administration preparing to take over in Washington next January, AOPA’s incoming president, Craig Fuller, met with members of the Department of Transportation transition team on Monday to press the case for GA. Fuller, along with AOPA Executive Vice President of Government Affairs Andy Cebula, met with Mortimer Downey, head of the DOT […]

With no parachute and no safety net, Eric Scott flew under jet-pack power across the 1,053-foot-deep Royal Gorge, in Colorado, on Monday. The 24-second flight carried him safely across the 1,500-foot-wide gorge to a gentle stand-up landing. Scott, 45, had previously flown the JetPack International system but never for more than a few hundred yards. […]

Ballistic Recovery Systems, which supplies the all-aircraft parachutes used by many manufacturers of general aviation and sport aircraft, said late last week that “in light of recent cutbacks from two of its major customers,” about 25 percent of its workforce has been laid off. Most of the staff cuts were made at the BRS headquarters […]

FAA Acting Administrator Robert Sturgell said this week the agency will move forward rapidly to implement nationwide deployment of the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system. ADS-B, which will replace radar-based services with data disseminated via satellite, will reduce the risk of midair collisions and weather-related accidents, provide more efficient routes in adverse weather, and improve […]

Eclipse Aviation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection today and it appears ETIRC, the company controlled by current CEO Roel Pieper, is moving to consolidate its hold on the troubled planemaker. According to a news release from Eclipse, the company is “seeking court approval for debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing and procedures for the sale of substantially […]

Diamond Aircraft is advising its customers to continue fueling their diesel-powered aircraft with jet fuel in spite of a recommendation from ExxonMobil to dealers to stop selling jet fuel to diesel aircraft owners. Diamond CEO Peter Maurer told AVweb he’s unaware of any service issues that might have led the oil giant to issue the […]

As the year end approaches, aircraft manufacturers keep rolling out incentives and reminding prospective owners that the bonus tax depreciation applying to light aircraft will end on Dec. 31. To sweeten the pot, Liberty Aerospace is offering free fuel, free scheduled maintenance (125 hours worth for both) and free insurance for those who buy a […]

Our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, would like to know. The magazine is conducting a survey of owners on their experiences running the SR22’s engine lean of peak. If you’d like to participate, contact the editor directly at avconsumer@comcast.net. (The results will appear in a future issue of Aviation Consumer. For subscription information, click here.)

Working with a government computer system that allows federal agencies to trade between them their resources, a field technician with the FAA in San Diego allegedly took home some 215 government owned items, including a Cessna 210. Court papers made available Thursday indicate investigators are still trying to discern how widespread the problem was. “There […]