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Proponents suggest that raising fuel taxes on aviation fuel would raise nearly $1 billion for the government and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but opponents say the idea seems unlikely to succeed in its environmental goals. The tax makes no bones about reducing emissions by increasing costs associated with air travel, thereby discouraging it. And therein […]

Rising oil prices have India’s recently booming aviation industry seeking governmental intervention through application of lower taxes to help stem losses that have been piling up since last year. Fuel accounts for roughly half the cost of operation for Indian carriers, according to some sources, and the steadily rising costs of air travel passed on […]

In an unveiling at ICON Aircraft‘s company headquarters in Los Angeles-in fact, directly across Jefferson Avenue from the defunct Hughes Airport-the A5 Light Sport amphibian was introduced to a crowd of 500-plus trendy Angelenos, investors, powersport stars, and designers packed cheek-to-diesel. After a short speech from Eclipse Aviation CEO Vern Raburn, who’s also on ICON’s […]

When the gigantic WhiteKnightTwo spaceship-hauling airplane rolls out of the hangar in Mojave on July 28 — the opening day of EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis. — the event will have “real-time ties… back to Oshkosh,” EAA President Tom Poberezny promised this week. “We’ve been in regular communications with our friends at Virgin Galactic and […]

Time to blow off a little steam — FAASTeam. That’s shorthand for FAA Safety Team, a relatively new program promoting aviation safety. Test your knowledge of the program and some of its hotter topics. Take the quiz. More Brainteasers

The local-area knowledge of Flight Service Station briefers is still not as good as it should be, says Andy Cebula, AOPA’s executive vice president for government affairs. But the system is working much better than it was last summer, when pilots frequently were having problems with lost flight plans and long hold times. Since then, […]

A recent flight test showed that an unmanned, autonomous F/A-18 jet aircraft may be able to land safely even after losing almost 60 percent of a wing, Rockwell Collins said this week. Athena Technologies, a division of the company, conducted the test this spring flying a scale-model airplane. The control systems automatically adapted to the […]

A Sudan Airways Airbus A310 ran off the runway and burst into flames after landing at Khartoum International Airport in Sudan on Tuesday night. At least 29 people died and 171 escaped, with 14 still unaccounted for, according to The Associated Press. On Wednesday, investigators were on the scene but it was unclear what had […]

The Lancair Evolution, a four-seat, pressurized turboprop kit aircraft that flies at 335 knots behind a Pratt & Whitney PT6, will make its first appearance at EAA AirVenture next month, the company said this week. The airplane first debuted in April at Sun ‘n Fun, but at Oshkosh it will fly daily exhibition flights, and […]

The FAA’s procedures for training new air traffic controllers are falling short, according to a report from the Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General issued late last week. On Wednesday afternoon, the topic got a hearing before the House Subcommittee on Aviation. In its report, the OIG said the FAA’s program for training new hires […]