News

An Extra 300L operated by Aviation Performance Solutions LLC (APS) crashed Friday, killing two aboard. APS offers upset recovery and spin training. APS instructor Jim “Clap” Clapper was killed in the crash along with another pilot identified by a local CBS news affiliate as “an experienced commercial pilot.” Clapper is a former F-4 and F-105 […]

Airshow performer Rob Harrison Saturday crashed his Zlin 50LX while performing at Modesto airport, and though one witness told a local ABC news channel, “the plane just went all to pieces,” Harrison, 66, survived the impact with serious injuries. The pilot, nicknamed “The Tumbling Bear,” was performing a rolling maneuver at low level near the […]

“I don’t give a sh-t about that. I’m taking the airplane.” Juan Solis, an aircraft mechanic, told the NTSB the now-deceased Michael Klemm, an ATP certificated pilot with more than 10,500 hours flight time, spoke those words on July 10, 2007, about the accident aircraft (a NASCAR-operated Cessna 310R) prior to his fatal flight, according […]

Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (CACC) was inaugurated Sunday, having been bolstered by a $2.72 billion cash infusion, almost one-third of which comes from the state. The company is expected to be involved in the development of the 90-seat ARJ21 regional jet, which rolled off the production line last December, should be test flown later […]

The FAA has proposed to change its regulations regarding operations with “polished frost” on an aircraft’s flying surfaces … just in time for summer. Frost polished to make it smooth would no longer be permitted as the FAA has determined it poses a threat to safe flight. The notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) officially applies […]

Mooney’s Acclaim Type S, Ovation 3, and Ovation2 GX have earned FAA approval to use Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)-aided navigation and Safe-Taxi technology via amended Type Certificate. The systems work with the Garmin G1000 avionics’ GPS to ease pilot workloads in instrument conditions and better manage high traffic environments both in the air and […]

The second annual Electric Aircraft Symposium (EAS) held late last month offered a lot of theory and some progress. For now, the tone at EAS may suggest development of electric aircraft could follow the path of electric cars, and see their most immediate practical incarnations take the form of gas/electric hybrids. Boeing, which this year […]

When was the last time you heard that? For AVweb reader Jeff Goosetree, it seems to be the case. Goosetree currently flies 30- and 40-series Lear Jets out of northwest Arkansas, but maintains his earlier-won CFI. Currently, he is in the process of teaching his girlfriend, Maria, to fly, but on May 3 took a […]

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