News

About 500 light sport aircraft are produced each year in the Czech Republic, and the industry there now is researching a possible move into the production of larger aircraft with as many as 15 seats, the Czech News Agency reported this week. A three-year project is underway that seeks to boost production efficiency. “Forty organisations […]

A once-in-a-lifetime aviation event is in the works for next month, when up to 100 Mustangs will fly into Rickenbacker International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, for the “Gathering of Mustangs and Legends.” The last such gathering took place in Florida in 1999. This year’s event is billed as “The Final Round-up,” as it might be […]

Pilots using certain GPS receivers to navigate the complex airspace around Washington, D.C., have been receiving images that make the airspace look even more confusing than it is, AOPA said this week. A new VFR speed-limitation ring, with a radius of 60 nm around the Washington, D.C., Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), is set to […]

Runway incursions continue to rank among the most persistent hazards in civil aviation, the FAA says, and to increase awareness the agency has published an InFO, or Information for Flight Operators, alert. Awareness of pertinent FAA regulations and a clear understanding of every taxi clearance are essential defenses for pilots against incursions, the FAA alert […]

NASA over the weekend awarded $250,000 to participants in the Personal Air Vehicle competition, which promotes the use of personal aircraft for fast, safe, efficient, affordable, environmentally friendly and comfortable on-demand transportation. Four teams competed at the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in California. The $100,000 Vantage Prize went to Vance Turner of Rescue, […]

The S-33 Independence very light jet, under development by Spectrum Aeronautical, will be powered by a Williams International FJ33-4A-19 engine instead of the previously planned FJ33-4A-15, the company said on Monday. “This will give the jet a substantial step up in both thrust and efficiency,” said Spectrum Chairman Linden Blue. “The Independence already had the […]

North American Jet Charter Group at Chicago Executive Airport in Wheeling, Ill., on Tuesday received FAA approval as the first U.S. Part 135 very light jet (VLJ) operator using an Eclipse 500. Operations are expected to begin Wednesday under the company moniker Q, for Quintessential Traveler service that offers an air limo at half the […]

The FAA has published a final rule that introduces new airworthiness standards for evaluation of performance and handling of Part 25-certified airplanes in icing conditions. The FAA through this action intends to require “the same maneuvering capability requirements at the minimum operating speeds in the most critical icing conditions defined in appendix C of Part […]

International Jet Management (IJM) has acquired Pylon International, expanding IJM’s operations to the West Coast. IJM provides charter, management, sales and maintenance services, while Pylon is a Part 135 charter operator based out of Van Nuys, Calif. IJM hopes to use Pylon’s fleet of light through large-cabin jets to create cost savings for its combined […]

Spectrum Aeronautical’s S-33 Independence very light jet will be even faster, roomier and have a better than 2,000-nm range mostly due to a switch in powerplants from the Williams International FJ33A-4A-15 to the more powerful FJ33-4A-19. The airplane is also now scheduled for certification behind its larger GE Honda HF120-powered sibling, the S-40 Freedom. According […]