News

The Comp Air 12 turboprop single achieved first flight on Saturday at 6:10 p.m. from the Merritt Island (Fla.) Airport, where Comp Air is based. Ron Lueck, owner of Comp Air Aviation, was behind the controls of the all-composite, Honeywell TPE331-14GR-powered airplane. According to the aircraft manufacturer, the maiden flight was “a complete success” and […]

According to Eclipse Aviation President and CEO Vern Raburn, the Eclipse 500 fleet (five customer and five test airplanes) has been temporarily restricted to only visual meteorological conditions flight operations after a teething problem was found with the very light jet’s pitot/static system. In a letter to customers sent Monday night, Raburn outlined the problem: […]

NASA has established the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Advisory Board, and AOPA President Phil Boyer has been appointed as a member. “GPS has become a public utility like electricity or water,” Boyer said. To help oversee that infrastructure, the board brings together experts to provide advice on policy, planning, program management and funding. […]

If you’re heading to Florida for the annual Sun ‘n Fun air show starting on Tuesday, the FAA has the flight planning info you need. The Notice to Airmen, available online, includes detailed arrival and departure procedures for Lakeland Linder Regional Airport and for Lake Parker, the seaplane destination. Special rules are listed for ultralights, […]

For most workers, taking a break to visit the restroom is not a big deal. But if you are an air traffic controller, and you’ve been at your post over two and a half hours, and the only other worker on duty is a trainee not qualified to take over for you, well, it could […]

On a clear morning in July 2004, a Piper Navajo flown by a retired airline pilot who had more than 32,000 hours of logged flight time hit a forested ridge in Ticonderoga, N.Y. The airplane was torn apart and burned, and the pilot and his passenger both died. The NTSB said in its recently released […]

The NTSB said on Tuesday it wants the FAA to modify the way it schedules air traffic controller work shifts to minimize disrupted sleep patterns and fatigue. The Safety Board said controller fatigue has been an ongoing concern, but the issue was raised again after last August’s fatal crash of a Comair regional jet on […]

The Alliance for Aviation Across America announced its arrival on Tuesday morning, launching an effort to expand beyond the aviation community and include small businesses and rural areas in opposition to the FAA’s proposed changes to its funding system. “Community airports that serve small towns are critical to our security, our mobility during national emergencies, […]

An update to the Air Defense Identification Zone over Washington, D.C., is due by July, but the details are continuing to be worked out and that date might be extended, AOPA said on Monday. At a briefing for local pilots held last week, some FAA officials suggested the final ADIZ could end up smaller than […]

The FAA on Monday published its final rule regarding how it will compensate aviation businesses in the Washington, D.C., area that suffered financial losses due to airport closures following 9/11. Congress has provided up to $17 million for reimbursements, with no more than $5 million to go to the three Maryland airports: College Park, Potomac […]