News

“Off we go into the wild blue yonder” will take a significant turn as the military plans to grow its fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles from about 100 to about 370, and its roster of non-flying pilots from about 450 to 1,100, by 2011. Those figures will make UAV pilots a major stakeholder in the […]

Comp Air, the manufacturer known for its sturdy back-country-capable, turbine-powered kit aircraft, has announced that it has been granted $150 million to develop, certify and produce the 310-knot, eight-plus-two, near-standup cabin (with lavatory) Comp Air 12 composite pressurized turboprop single. With this cash infusion from MercMed investment company, Comp Air has set target dates for […]

An investment of nearly $200 million federal and local dollars spent over 20 years has purchased roughly 2,900 acres and 1,200 homes and has, according to one study, made Indianapolis International Airport a friendlier (read: quieter) neighbor. The impact of airplane noise has diminished, according to consultants for the airport authority, but that may have […]

The month-long strike has already further delayed the 787 Dreamliner, is starting to affect airlines’ expansion plans, is disrupting the business of metal makers around the world and may (according to some analysts) last through December, but both the company and the Machinists Union have agreed to resume talks. The two sides continue to be […]

The rapid altitude change last Tuesday of an Airbus A330-300 cruising at 37,000 feet with 303 passengers aboard resulted in injuries to at least 74 people, a potential compensation bill for the airline (Qantas) and new concerns about potential conflicts between laptop computers and commercial aircraft systems. In July, manipulation of a wireless mouse was […]

First impressions of a massive proposed rule aimed at beefing up general aviation security are that parts of it will put an outsized burden on GA operators compared to the security benefit of those measures. “…our initial read of the NPRM concerns us in that some very burdensome requirements may not provide commensurate security benefits […]

Well, product development is important–even if the design is almost 100 years old. The Wright “B” Flyer Inc. has built a new replica of the aircraft that “really introduced the country to aviation,” said Amanda Wright Lane, great-grand-niece of Wilbur and Orville and trustee of the Dayton-based nonprofit group behind the project. The “Silver Bird” […]

First it was zooming fuel prices, now it’s volatile financial markets, and as the airlines scramble to survive, pilots are finding their work lives in turmoil. Mesa Air Group this week cut 150 pilot jobs, most of them from Delta routes that were operated by Mesa. Meanwhile, as Delta and Northwest work toward a merger, […]

For years, airline crews have lobbied against requests from safety advocates for video in the cockpit, but now it seems that some crews have shot their own videos and posted them on YouTube. The FAA and Horizon Air confirmed to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that they are investigating possible cockpit violations in which pilots allowed personal […]

FAA OKs Eight Additional Schools For ATC TrainingThe FAA has added eight schools to its list of colleges and universities approved to train students for careers as air traffic controllers. In the past five years, schools that are part of the FAA’s CTI program — the Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative — have graduated more […]