News

Late Wednesday the U.S. House of Representatives finally released H.R.2881, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2007. As widely expected in aviation circles, the House bill does not contain any user fees, unlike the companion Senate bill (S.1300) that includes a $25 per flight fee for turbine aircraft using the IFR system. However, H.R.2881 does increase […]

Click any Image to View Larger Version Cirrus Design unveiled the mockup of its single-engine V-tail jet, with seating for up to seven people, at a media reception at its Duluth, Minn. headquarters on Thursday. The aerodynamically sculptured design includes a variety of innovations that will definitely make it stand out on any ramp, but […]

NEW PRODUCTS: JUNE 2007This month AVweb’s survey of the latest products and services for pilots, mechanics and aircraft owners brings you prop locks, oxygen systems, tri-color flashlights and much more.

Wichita-based Cessna Aircraft on Wednesday announced an agreement to collaborate with Germany’s Thielert Aircraft Engines on future programs “centered on the Thielert diesel engine.” Cessna said details will be announced later this year — possibly as early as next month at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis. “We think the Thielert engine may provide a very […]

Columbia Aircraft has restored its production level to three new aircraft per week, and nearly all employees furloughed in late March are now back at work, the company said in a news release on Monday. “We made a lot of dramatic moves earlier this year with the objective of increasing our efficiency and strengthening Columbia […]

A new aviation organization will launch in Africa this week that aims to bring the continent’s civil aviation standards to a par with those of Europe and the U.S., AllAfrica reported on Wednesday. The new African Civil Aviation Agency (Afro-CAA) will have its headquarters in Namibia, and its staff will work to establish common technical […]

Boeing’s first 787 hasn’t had a formal rollout yet, but an aviation enthusiast acting on a tip from a blogger caught pictures of the airplane as it was moved to a paint hangar just after midnight on Tuesday morning. Charles Conklin, 30, of Kirkland, Wash., shot with a telephoto lens through a fence from just […]

For the second time in four months, the FAA has revised its air traffic controller retirement projections for the current 2007 fiscal year, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) said in a news release on Tuesday. According to NATCA, the changes reflect “the agency’s continuing inability to get a handle on the alarming rate […]

Cirrus Design has so far been coy about the details of its new “personal jet,” but a mock-up will be unveiled on Thursday during the annual gathering of Cirrus owners at the factory in Duluth, Minn. AVweb Contributing Editor Russ Niles will be on scene for the event, so keep an eye on AVweb for […]

Barrington Irving landed his Columbia 400 at Florida’s Opa-Locka Airport Wednesday at 10:26 a.m., completing his round-the-world flight as — unofficially — the youngest person and first person of African descent to fly solo around the world. Irving, 23, launched from Florida in March, and flew up the East Coast and across the Atlantic. He […]