News

Sikorsky last week announced that its upgraded UH-60M Black Hawk, which could become the first fly-by-wire (FBW) helicopter for the U.S. army, has begun flight testing. The digital triple-redundant FBW system involves dual-channel flight control computers and actuators as well as active control sticks. It eliminates mechanical control linkages, saving weight and reducing maintenance requirements, […]

A federal judge has ruled that a pilot whose health status was shared by federal agencies cannot sue the government for violating his rights because he did not prove he was harmed financially. The FAA and Social Security Administration shared medical records and personal information on the pilot in 2005 as part of “Operation Safe […]

A British buyer of an Eclipse 500 very light jet is reportedly suing the jet maker, claiming the order has been cancelled, but that a $180,0000 refund is past due, according to the Albuquerque Journal. Attorney Robert Sutphin is suing Eclipse on behalf of London-based Ice Blue Air, which signed on in July of 2006 […]

Boeing’s goals of building 160 aircraft and flying its 787 Dreamliner for the first time before year-end may have hit a snag when the company upset the Machinists union by the way it offered workers an 11-percent raise in base pay. The plane-maker apparently held one-on-one meetings between managers and machinists to lay out its […]

The FAA plans to reduce VOR coverage beginning in 2010, according to AOPA, in spite of AOPA’s urging against the reduction — particularly if widespread implementation of WAAS is not part of the plan. The association argues that FAA regulations require pilots flying with non-WAAS GPS to also carry a “primary navigation system” and AOPA […]

Civil Air Patrol members spent the weekend making preparations both to safeguard their assets and to respond to those in need after Hurricane Gustav makes landfall. And forecasters are now tracking Tropical Storm Hanna, which they say may follow Gustave to New Orleans. Both Southeast and Southwest wings of CAP were Friday ordered to initiate […]

Garmin Model 819 and Model 820 Flybuddy GPS units “stopped working” on or about Aug. 16, according to e-mails received by AVweb from users of those products. Thursday, AVweb contacted Garmin for comment and Friday, Garmin responded with Service Advisory No. 0835 (PDF), which clearly states that the affected units “cannot recover normal operation on […]

The National Airspace Data Interchange Network (NADIN), which failed Tuesday at a Georgia facility causing at least 646 flight delays, is scheduled for an update to be installed by year-end. Hank Krakowski, COO of the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization, said Wednesday an improved version with vastly higher memory will offer noticeable improvements before November, according […]

A corrupt file contained in a normal software upload brought down the FAA’s main flight planning computer on Tuesday, delaying hundreds of flights and prompting questions about the inevitability of it happening again. FAA spokesman Paul Takemoto told eWeek the corrupt file stopped flight plans from being filed at the FAA’s Hampton, Ga., facility, which […]

Sikorsky flew its X2 technology demonstrator for the first time on Wednesday, from its facility in Horseheads, N.Y. The X2 is intended to advance the state-of-the-art for counter-rotating coaxial rotor helicopters, the company said, and establish that a helicopter can cruise at 250 knots while retaining excellent low-speed handling, efficient hovering, safe autorotation, and easy […]