News

British-owned Cobham PLC, which owns Chelton, Comant, Artex Aircraft Supplies and Wulfsberg Electronics, among other things, has purchased autopilot maker S-Tec from Meggitt PLC, also from Britain, for $38 million. The deal was concluded last week and the capacity that S-Tec adds to Cobham’s aviation portfolio were front and center in the announcement. “The close […]

As the air taxi business based on very light jets (VLJs) gets plenty of hype all over the aviation world, even places that don’t normally figure prominently in the business are taking notice. Iran, for example, seems to think there’s a place for VLJ air taxis to fill in the transportation gaps over its vast […]

The Light Sport Aircraft era faced a number of chicken-and-egg difficulties in getting launched, such as ensuring there would be enough flight instructors and mechanics to train students and maintain airplanes. Folks were cautious about buying aircraft if that infrastructure was sparse, but businesses were reluctant to invest until they were sure the market was […]

Desperate for pilots to fill the cockpits of its expanding fleet, Air India made a deal with the Indian air force to offer a new career option to military pilots age 54 and over. But so far only nine pilots have agreed to join the airline, though dozens more are eligible, the Hindustan Times reported […]

The wife of adventurer Steve Fossett, who vanished in September while flying over the Nevada desert, asked a court in Chicago to declare him dead on Monday. “As painful as it is for Mrs. Fossett, other members of the family and his many friends, it is time to initiate this process,” lawyer Michael LoVallo told […]

The transition from radar to ADS-B is expected to take more than 13 years and may cost you, personally, close to $9,000. The FAA is now giving you an extra 60-days to add your thoughts on its Notice of Proposed Rule Making — the comment deadline is now March 3. Currently, some forecasts expect the […]

The Experimental Aviation Association is seeking to expand channels that would allow aircraft enthusiasts to build and fly their own airplane while participating less in that aircraft’s construction process. The organization’s latest push “supports the revision of the existing experimental ‘Primary Kit Built’ category to make this certification category readily available to consumers that desire […]

“To increase awareness and support for our airport,” Linda and Mike Ely produced a video that puts the focus on that airport — Liberty Municipal Airport (T78) in Liberty, Texas (population 9000). They say they thought it would be a good way to promote general aviation and their community airport and, they say, city officials […]

A system that gives cockpit warnings to pilots about bumpy air has been tested for the past month in some airliners flying east of the Rocky Mountains and feedback from pilots has been favourable. “The messages I’ve received in the cockpit gave a very accurate picture of turbulence location and intensity,” Captain Rocky Stone, chief […]

American Eagle, the regional subsidiary of American Airlines, has trimmed flights from its winter schedule in part because it doesn’t have enough pilots. “It’s one of several reasons, but that does play into it,” Eagle spokeswoman Andrea Huguely told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “The pilots are crucial, and without them, the planes don’t fly.” Eagle […]