News

Jeppesen spokesman Todd Krawczyk told media at EAA AirVenture that the FAA has formally recognized electronic charts for use in Part 91 operations and cleared up all the ambiguity that has been his industry’s biggest marketing impediment. The FAA issued Advisory Circular 91-78 on Monday that gives specific guidance to Part 91 operators on the […]

As the political crisis that was ignited by last Tuesday’s fiery crash of a TAM Airbus A320 at Sao Paulo (Brazil) Congonhas Airport continues to intensify, the investigation of the crash is shifting from the allegedly dangerous conditions at the airport to a thrust reverser that had been disconnected four days before the crash. The […]

An FAA spokesman says a paperwork snag that has grounded an unknown number of French-built Alouette helicopters in the U.S. doesn’t seem to have any easy solution. “The short answer is they’re ungroundable,” Roland Herwig, a communications officer for the FAA’s Southwest office, told AVweb on Friday. Herwig also said he’s continuing to gather information […]

“After seventeen hours and six minutes of flying time I touched down at all 110 airports (109 public plus one private) and averaged a landing every nine and a half minutes,” Ron Schreck wrote of his journey to each public-use airport in North Carolina on July 4. Schreck said the total distance (minus a few […]

The key word is “potential”. A $76 million incentive package offered to Piper Aircraft to keep the airplane maker in Vero Beach, Fla., the company’s current headquarters and a possible manufacturing facility for the PiperJet, was tied to a countywide referendum, stimulating public conflict and stifling the company’s interest in the plan. Piper management used […]

Barrington Irving, the Jamaican-born 23-year-old who this year flew around the world in a Columbia 400 built largely with parts donated from suppliers, plans to conduct an eight-week training course in October for inner-city kids in Miami. The program aims to expose disadvantaged youngsters to the world of aviation, while enhancing their math, science and […]

WHAT’S NEW FOR JULYThis month, AVweb‘s survey of the latest products and services for pilots, mechanics and aircraft owners brings you weather briefing cards, a Rotax engine DVD, the 2008 FAR/AIM, suction cup lights for your panel and much more.

Thousands of runways around the world have inadequate overrun safety areas, the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations said on Wednesday, a day after a TAM Airlines Airbus A320 crashed in Brazil, killing at least 189 people. The crew had been trying to land on a wet runway at Sao Paulo Cagonhas Airport, and […]

The nation’s airspace system is a mess, with airports overloaded and travelers plagued by delays, and that’s the fault of FAA Administrator Marion Blakey, says New York Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. On Tuesday he called for Blakey to resign before her term ends on Sept. 30, The Associated Press reports. “She has engaged in a […]

Quest Aircraft Company of Sandpoint, Idaho, on Wednesday announced that its Kodiak, a 10-place single-engine turboprop utility airplane, received type certification from the FAA. The rugged all-aluminum airplane is designed for use on short and unimproved runways and is float-capable to optimize its usefulness for backcountry operators. According to Quest, the Kodiak can take off […]