News

The “current uncertainty in the U.S. economy is having an effect,” specifically on the spectrum of piston aircraft, according to General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) President and CEO Pete Bunce. This year, Q1 piston-powered airplane shipments dropped 28 percent to 399 from 544 for the same period last year, according to GAMA’s report. However, turboprop […]

Embraer’s Phenom 100 hasn’t been publicly displayed yet, but PP-XPH, one of Embraer’s certification prototypes, has been making the rounds in the U.S. as part of its certification program. It was spotted in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where it’s undergoing icing tests. CLICK FOR LARGE IMAGESEACH IMAGE WILL OPEN IN A NEW WINDOW

The FAA funding bill under consideration in the Senate has stalled, bringing dismay to GA advocates who had been momentarily heartened by this latest version’s lack of user fees. Partisan politics are to blame, says EAA. “We’re deeply disappointed, but will continue to push for procedural opportunities to move the bill forward through the Senate,” […]

Pilots in search of an aviation destination for summer have plenty to choose from. This week, the FAA published instructions for pilots flying into Oshkosh for EAA AirVenture, July 28 to August 3. The NOTAM takes effect starting July 25, and outlines procedures for arrival and departure. There have been some major changes since last […]

Just in case you don’t already have enough stuff flying around in the sky to watch out for, a new company in Alabama says it’s ready to start marketing a new product called Flogos — for flying logos. The floatable icons come in various sizes up to three feet across, and can be stamped out […]

A federal judge in California said this week that air traffic controllers at the Torrance Municipal Airport made a critical mistake in November 2003, resulting in the collision of two helicopters in flight. The NTSB report, issued last May, found the surviving pilot, a student flying an R22 solo, had caused the crash, by failing […]

The House Subcommittee on Aviation met on Tuesday for a hearing about aviation’s impact on the environment. Noise and emissions from aviation are expected to double by 2025, the panel said, so aggressive action is needed soon to prevent that scenario. Gerald Dillingham, speaking for the U.S. Government Accountability Office, told the panel that NextGen […]

“Not only can our fuel seamlessly replace the aviation industry’s standard petroleum fuel [100LL], it can outperform it,” says John Rusek, a professor at Purdue University and co-founder of Swift Enterprises. The company recently unveiled a new general aviation fuel that it says will be less expensive, more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendlier than any on […]

Flexjet, the fractional arm of Bombardier Aerospace, says its appealing to the penny-pinching side of today’s noveau riche by pitching private jet travel as a productivity tool. The company has started a new ad campaign aimed at the recently rich, most of whom grew up with meat and potatoes on the table and a Chevy […]

The Phenom 100 got a frosty reception on its first trip to the U.S. but that was the whole idea. The fourth prototype of the very light jet underwent the critical cold soak test at Florida’s Elgin Air Force Base’s climate laboratory last month and the company says it came through just fine. In the […]