News

Kate Hanni, an advocate for airline passengers’ rights, put it this way this week: “We won’t take this sitting down (or belted to a seat locked in the upright position) any longer!” A federal judge in Oakland, Calif., has agreed to hear her case against American Airlines, the airline that left her and a planeful […]

What are the differences between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama when it comes to issues involving aviation and aerospace? A special report by Aviation Week this week examines their policies, noting that “for many aerospace and aviation interests, McCain is a known but feared quantity, while Obama is a blank slate.” FAA reauthorization, fuel […]

U.S. pilots who fly in Canada pay a fee for their use of their airspace, but recently, the Canada Revenue Agency (the equivalent of the IRS) told Nav Canada it should have been collecting taxes on top of those fees. So the agency is trying to retroactively collect those taxes, going back five years, AOPA […]

The Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General is investigating a complaint that the FAA certified the Eclipse E500 jet “despite safety concerns raised by the engineers and test pilots,” USA Today reported on Tuesday, citing “congressional officials.” A briefing on the report is expected “within weeks,” according to Jim Berard, spokesman for the House Transportation […]

Epic Aircraft will certify its factory-model turboprops and jets in Canada, even though a deal to build a “certification center” specializing in composite aircraft in Calgary has fallen through. Calgary is the center of Canada’s oil boom and that’s increased construction prices dramatically so the center, proposed for Springbank Airport, was shelved. But that doesn’t […]

VistaJet became the second-largest business jet company outside of North America on Tuesday with the completion of the blockbuster deal that was among the highlights of the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in May in Geneva. For an undisclosed amount, VistaJet acquired Bombardier Skyjet International. The EBACE announcement included a deal for 35 […]

Officials from U.S. and European aviation agencies and industry wrapped up a two-day meeting in Brussels on Tuesday with general agreement on business and safety issues. FAA Acting Administrator Bobby Sturgell and Antonio Tajani, head of transport for the European Union, signed an agreement to promote technical cooperation between the FAA and the European Aviation […]

The proof-of-concept PiperJet has started low-speed taxi tests and the jet is performing as expected, the company said this week. “Piper test pilots reported light rudder pedal forces and excellent response as the PiperJet POC was maneuvered with confidence in the tight confines of the Vero Beach factory test ramp for the first time,” according […]

The Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) is calling for a “rolling safety stand down” of medevac aircraft operations after the tragic collision of two medical airlift helicopters near a hospital in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Sunday. Initial reports indicated seven people had died but six people died and one woman, a nurse, survived the crash […]

Phil Boyer Phil Boyer Craig Fuller Craig Fuller Phil Boyer Craig Fuller AOPA President Phil Boyer, who’s been hinting at retirement for several years, announced today that he’ll “get my life back” at the end of this year after 18 years as president of AOPA. Replacing him will be Craig Fuller, a former Washington heavyweight […]