News

A Naples, Fla., helicopter pilot is being held without bail in Virginia after police allege he was giving rides to families while under the influence of alcohol. Police were called to the Suffolk Peanut Festival after a family that had taken a ride with the 50-year-old pilot complained that he flew erratically and that they […]

A French explorer says the best way to measure the effects of global warming on the Arctic environment is from the comfort of an airship. Jean-Louis Etienne intends to fly an airship more than 6,000 miles from Spitzberg, Norway, over the North Pole, to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska from April to May of next year. He […]

Forecasters will be able to see the size, type and intensity of precipitation much more accurately after a system-wide upgrade of NEXRAD radars. Baron Services, an affiliate of WxWorx, and L-3 Communications were awarded the $43 million deal to upgrade 171 weather radars with something called dual-polarization Doppler capability. According to WxWorks, the new capability […]

The FAA says it will likely clear the records of 12 pilots who violated a temporary flight restriction (TFR) near Camp David last weekend on their way to an antique fly-in at Hagerstown. According to the Federal Times, a Capitol Hill news magazine, the pilots may not have been told about the TFR when they […]

Next to advances in engine technology, new materials to make the rest of the aircraft are critical to improving performance and durability of aircraft and Dutch scientists say theyve hit on a winner. The researchers at the Delft University of Technology said in a recent news release that their CentrAl reinforced aluminum, which is a […]

Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters appears to accept that general aviation is not to blame for flight delays at major airports and says her department will impose scheduling restrictions on airlines, if necessary, improve on-time records. The first target could be JFK in New York. Peters has called a meeting between airline representatives and the […]

AOPA has asked U.S. Customs and Border Protection to extend the comment period by two months on a proposed rule that would require general aviation pilots to electronically file passenger manifests at least an hour before departure on flights headed to the U.S. from outside the country. As AVweb reported last week, the Baja Bush […]

At Atlanta’s Air Route Traffic Control Center, the busiest air traffic control facility in the country, officials have confirmed that various kinds of fungus and mold have been found growing in the building. About half of the 300 staffers have complained of headaches and recurring sinus infections. A fungus called Scopulariopsis has been found in […]

A simple new technique could help to identify and repair small, potentially dangerous cracks in high-performance aircraft wings made of composite materials, researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in Troy, N.Y., have reported. The scientists added a small amount of carbon nanotubes to the mix when forming composite materials from epoxy resin and carbon fiber. The […]

Those of us who love to fly might be fascinated by a video of air show pilot Mike Goulian explaining what it takes to fly a Red Bull air race — but it turns out that the wide-open masses of people enjoy it, too. The interview, shot by AVweb videographer Glenn Pew in San Diego […]