News

Despite some discouraging news lately for those hoping to develop a next-generation air taxi system — such as the recent demise of DayJet — some upbeat news came along this week when the Virginia SATSLab (VSATS), in partnership with the Air Taxi Association (ATXA), officially launched VirginiaAirTaxi.com, a new on-demand online flight reservations system. Besides […]

Officials in California working to recover the wreckage of Steve Fossett’s aircraft, discovered Wednesday last week on a mountainside near Mammoth Lakes, Calif. (altitude, roughly 9,700 feet above sea level), succeeded this weekend in completing most of the task, but may have to postpone their most thorough efforts due to weather. Thursday, a bone fragment […]

Avidyne’s MLX770 two-way datalink transceiver will by year-end allow general aviation pilots to send and receive SMS text messages directly to mobile phones directly through their cockpits’ Avidyne Entegra EX500/EX5000-series multifunction displays. The service will come at a cost of somewhere between $1 and $2 per message as a result of their use of Iridium […]

WSI announced Sunday the release of Pilotbrief Mobile, which offers users the company’s aviation weather and hazard products via mobile devices like the Blackberry, Treo, and iPhone. They system does not require installation of a software application on your device and is compatible with common “smartphone” internet browsers, but it does cost about $10 per […]

The world’s number-two commercial aircraft manufacturer delivered 84 planes in the third quarter, 23 percent fewer aircraft than the same period in 2007 … when the company was not enduring a machinists strike and its country was not experiencing serious financial concern. Boeing has not produced aircraft since Sept. 6, when 27,000 machinists walked off […]

Reports of a pilot shortage in Australia suggest similarity to concerns about the U.S. economy in that it may get worse before it gets better. Down under, aviation experts point to a lack of experienced instructors available to teach new pilots interested in entering the profession. The head of the aviation academy at the University […]

Investigators have found a small bone fragment at the crash site of the Super Decathlon Steve Fossett was flying when he went missing in September of 2007. Authorities speculate Fossett’s body has been dragged off by animals but believe the bone fragment will lead to a positive identification and proof that Fossett died in the […]

The FAA’s proposed performance requirements and mandates for ADS-B (the likely future of air navigation) equipment aboard aircraft first closed March 2, 2008, but has now been reopened for 30 days to allow the public to comment on certain recommendations. The Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) has made 36 recommendations and divided them into two main […]

SwiftJet, a new Canadian on-demand airline offering service “anywhere and anytime to destinations around the world,” has purchased five Diamond D-JET aircraft with options for 10 more. The complete order (options included) would make SwiftJet Canada’s largest D-JET operator and its first charter customer. SwiftJet hopes to “re-define chartered travel and turn it into a […]

Authorities have confirmed that wreckage found in the Mammoth Lakes area of northeastern California is that of the Super Decathlon Steve Fossett was reported missing in just over a year ago. However, early reports of the circumstances of the crash may raise more questions than they answer about the end of a flight that sparked […]