News

The Coming Electric Airplane RevolutionRandall Fishman’s public AirVenture Oshkosh 2008 demonstration (see AVweb and Kitplanes video interview, here) of his virtually silent, nearly vibration-free and fillup-less single place ElectraFlyer-C (capable of flying for an hour and a half on 75 cents worth of lithium-polymer battery power) is just the tip of the iceberg. Fishman is […]

Eclipse Aviation founder and former CEO Vern Raburn wants nothing more to do with the company and will not accept a post promoting the airplane internationally. Raburn issued a press release late last week saying he has some irons in the fire and will let his “media friends” know what he’s up to. Meanwhile, his […]

“Automated on-board energy aware planning” is being developed by the U.K.’s Roke Manor Research to allow autonomous gliders to find naturally occurring lift and sustain unpowered or prolong powered flight, according to a report in ElectronicsWeekly.com. Ultimately, aircraft equipped with software and hardware that actively processes video feeds of cloud conditions and surface type (cool […]

Liberty Aerospace, which promotes its XL2 as the only FAA-certified piston-engine aircraft equipped with FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control), has entered a distributorship agreement with Piper-Germany, which will sell and distribute the Liberty XL2 in Germany, Austria and the U.K. Liberty said in a press release that it “looks forward to continued exponential growth […]

Eclipse Aviation has let go about 190 of its temporary workers, the company said in a statement on Friday. “This is not a layoff because it does not affect any direct employees,” the statement read. “It is not uncommon for manufacturing companies to hire temporary workers when adapting to fluctuations in production,” Eclipse continued. “The […]

Three youngsters from the West Coast are taking part in a first-of-its-kind aircraft construction project this week and next week in Arlington, Wash. The high schoolers are building a brand-new Glasair Sportsman under the wing of Build A Plane, the nonprofit group that helps to match up school kids and aircraft construction projects — generally […]

The FAA issued a final rule this week that requires “special awareness” training for anypilot who flies under VFR within a 60-nautical-mile radius of the Washington, D.C., VOR/DME. The training consists of an hour-long online course that focuses primarily on the procedures for flying in and around the DC Metropolitan Area Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) […]

The Transportation Security Administration is taking a close look at general aviation and new rules are expected to be issued soon, but for now at least, the agency’s attention is focused on aircraft that weigh 12,500 pounds and more. A story in USA Today on Monday said the TSA is planning “a massive expansion” of […]

A Bonanza pilot was taking a patient and his wife to Boston for cancer treatment on Tuesday morning when the airplane lost altitude and crashed into a parking lot in Easton, Mass., killing all three. The flight had been arranged by Angel Flight Northeast, which released a statement expressing sadness and sympathy. It was the […]

Airshow pilot Patty Wagstaff (or her representative) will appear in court in Oshkosh on Sept. 2 to face two charges relating to the incident on a runway at Wittman Regional Airport July 31. According to court records, Wagstaff is charged with first offense drunken driving and failure to submit to a sobriety test. If the […]