News

The FAA has issued an Airworthiness Directivethat takes effect March 12 and covers 1,354 Superior Air Parts cylinder assemblies used in new Superior engines and as replacement parts in Lycoming four- and six-cylinder mills and Continental sixes. The affected cylinders didnt get proper heat treating and can come apart, as nine have done so far. […]

The pilot of an Ohio Air National Guard two-place F-16 with Lt. Gov. Bruce Johnson as a backseater broke several FAA regs in his high-speed tour of Columbus last summer. According to the Columbus Dispatch, the unidentified pilot buzzed the city at speeds as high as 500 knots and altitudes as low as 2,100 feet […]

As expected, Comair has filed suit against the FAA for alleged negligence in the crash of a Bombardier regional jet that killed 49 people last August in Lexington, Ky. After the crash, in which the pilots mistakenly took off on a runway too short for the CRJ, it was revealed that only one controller was […]

Flight International says Grob Aerospace conducted a test flight of the first prototype of its SPn light business jet last Friday, marking the resumption of a program halted three months ago when the second prototype was lost in a crash in Germany, killing the sole-occupant pilot. German authorities have since speculated that the crash was […]

As preparations continue for modernization of the airspace system, the recently privatized flight service station (FSS) system reached a milestone last week when the switches were flicked at the first of three “hub” FSSs at Dulles Airport near Washington, D.C. The others will be in Prescott, Ariz., and Dallas. The hubs will act as regional […]

ADS-B deployment will be a massive undertaking, requiring new gear to be installed in ground facilities all over the U.S. But while the FAA is big on sweeping statements about how the government and the successful bidder will create this entirely new way of doing business, its short on detail about a key component of […]

FAA brass have approved nationwide deployment of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast as the cornerstone of the Next Generation Air Transportation System. The agencys Joint Resources Council (JRC), which reviews major acquisitions, believes full implementation of ADS-B will give pilots the in-cockpit information they need to play a role in maintaining separation from other traffic and that, […]

An article recently printed by the Examiner.com takes critical aim at Cirrus Design, picking from a recent NTSB report regarding the Cory Lidle crash in New York city and citing crash statistics it says give the SR20 and SR22 a “spotty record.” While the article notes that Lidle had time in type that most insurers […]

The FAA’s new financing proposal may have gotten a cool reception in Congress last week, but that’s not daunting FAA Administrator Marion Blakey, who is continuing to push for the plan’s acceptance. Speaking before the Royal Aeronautical Society in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Blakey acknowledged that “a bit of a stick fight” greeted the release […]

COLUMN INDEX Interactive Quiz #117: Why Make Bad Landings?Would you rather bounce in a quiz or on real pavement? Let’s turn base leg to final to see how well you recognize a bum approach.