News

Most of the business links between aviation and Microsoft Corp. have involved the software giant’s “Flight Simulator” program, which used to allow would-be pilots to fly their PC into Chicago’s Sears Tower. Now, with the recently launched small-business product Microsoft Office Live, the publisher is offering 10 hours of private jet travel on a Citation […]

The Raytheon Company’s proposed spinoff of its aircraft-manufacturing business got a green light last week from Europe’s regulatory authorities. The European Commission automatically cleared the proposed sale to a new company formed by Goldman Sachs and Onex Partners after no antitrust problems were identified and no complaints from rivals were received. The EC allowed 25 […]

Embraer this month embarked on an ambitious multi-continent tour, featuring full-scale mock-ups of its under-development Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 light jets, to include some 30 cities in the U.S. The tour began in Daytona Beach, Fla., where the Embraer road show expected to draw attendees at NASCAR’s Daytona 500 race. An additional tour began […]

As a precursor to final U.S. type certification, the FAA this week published the proposed “special conditions” under which it intends to certify Dassault’s forthcoming Falcon 7X trijet. In its statement, the FAA noted the 7X will have “novel or unusual design features” not envisioned in its existing airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes, thus […]

Last week’s FAA announcement that three firms had qualified to bid on the ADS-B portion of the agency’s planned Next Generation Air Transportation System (NGATS) brings closer — or pushes further, depending on your cynicism level — the date by which the U.S. ATC and air navigation system is modernized. The firms’ identities should come […]

Pulling no punches, Cessna Aircraft Company Chairman, CEO and President Jack J. Pelton last week labeled the FAA’s proposed scheme of user fees and increased general aviation fuel taxes a “bailout” for U.S. airlines. Pelton’s remarks came in a Feb. 23 speech to the University of Northern Colorado, touching on the general aviation industry’s recent […]

Eclipse Aviation and Avidyne have decided to terminate their relationship, Eclipse spokesman Andrew Broom told AVweb on Sunday. The troubles between the two companies go back to December 2005 when Eclipse announced a three-month delay for its Model 500 very light jet due to problems with an avionics vendor, which last summer was identified as […]

COLUMN INDEX The Pilot’s Lounge #110: Bad News Coming? Refuse DeliveryWhen the future of GA looks bleak, go meet up with fellow pilots, fly planes you haven’t tried and get your groove back.

AVMAIL INDEX AVmail: Feb. 26, 2007Reader mail this week about fuel taxes, new charity rules, and still more concern about user fees.

EAA and the FAA have reached a deal that will allow Young Eagles flights to continue unhindered by the new rules affecting sightseeing flights. Some parts of the rule (like the one that bans charity flights in uncertified airplanes) naturally raised concerns at EAA but it all got ironed out in meetings in Washington, D.C., […]