News

Welsh pilot Maurice Kirk gets full marks for politeness but his questionable judgment landed him in a Texas psychiatric hospital. Kirk, from the Vale of Glamorgan, was detained for psychiatric assessment after landing his Piper Cub in a field about six miles from President Bush’s Texas ranch April 25. Known as the Flying Vet, Kirk […]

Our sister magazine, Aviation Consumer, is preparing a follow-up story on user experience with Thielert diesel engines. If you’d like to participate, drop an e-mail to avconsumer@comcast.net. (The story will appear in a future issue of Aviation Consumer. For subscription information, click here.)

AOPA says Cessna has suspended its delivery schedule of 172 TD models in light of the crisis at Thielert Aircraft Engines, which supplies the engines. According to AOPA, Cessna intends to continue with certification of the diesel Skyhawk but none of the 100 on order will go to customers just yet. “At this point we […]

Smart Air S.A. has announced the first fractional ownership program in Europe for Diamond’s single-engine (and very roomy) four-plus-one place composite D-JET. The company has purchased eight D-JETs, which it expects sometime in 2010, and has options for more. Smart Air’s business plan aims to offer a “hassle-free, flexible” and “even more economical way” for […]

International Avionics Inc., a Delaware corporation, has acquired what it says is the oldest general aviation electronics manufacturer in the world, Narco Avionics Inc. All operations at Narco’s Fort Washington, Pa., facilities “will continue as they are,” according to a Narco release. Narco says that all its customer service, support and dealer network functions will […]

Hit twice on the same night by a laser beam, Mark Westwood, a helicopter pilot for the British police, found justice … and the man responsible. Westwood was momentarily blinded by the beam, but kept control of his helicopter and turned his thermal imaging camera on the culprit. It turns out that 20-year-old Dean Bottomley […]

Toyota Motor Corp has decided to invest more than $96 million in Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp., taking a 10-percent ownership interest in the company that will oversee launch of Mitsubishi’s new regional jet. Mitsubishi’s Aircraft subsidiary was established by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. just last month and was prepared to begin operations April 1 to manufacture […]

Two fatal accidents in nine days snapped five years of fatality-free operations for the Air Force’s T-38C trainer and have now grounded the aircraft. An April 23 crash and a May 1 crash together claimed four pilots. The Air Force has so far offered few details, offering Thursday that the accidents so far appear unrelated. […]

Last month, the Santa Monica, Calif., City Council approved a law banning jets with approach speeds between 139 and 191 mph, but a Federal Judge has granted the FAA a temporary restraining order blocking the move. Santa Monica airport saw 18,575 jet operations in 2007. The FAA says that the law is not only unnecessary, […]

SATSair Thursday announced that its on-demand “air cab services” (or air taxi) finished 2007 with strong financials and growth, and that the trend has continued into 2008. From 2006 to 2007, SATSair grew its number of flights by 60 percent, operating more than 16,000 flights in 2007. The company has flown more than six million […]