News

It had to happen sooner or later: J.D. Power and Associates, the customer satisfaction and consumer ratings firm has branched out into the business aviation market, last week publishing results from its first-ever survey of aircraft owners and operators. The company’s inaugural study examined owners’ and operators’ overall satisfaction with fixed-wing, turbine-powered and pressurized-cabin aircraft […]

Last November’s crash of a Grob SPn Utility Jet prototype may have involved aerodynamic flutter in the aircraft’s horizontal tail. Germany’s Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Investigation (BFU) is looking at that scenario as a likely cause of the Nov. 29 crash of the company’s second light-jet prototype. Grob chief test pilot Gerard Guillaumaud, 45, […]

In a surprise move, General Dynamics late last week announced Joseph T. Lombardo will take over as the new president of its Gulfstream Aerospace division, replacing Bryan Moss. Lombardo, 58, was chief operating officer of the luxury bizjet maker. Moss, 66, will remain active with the company as president emeritus. “Joe Lombardo is a proven […]

Earlier this week, general aviation industry movers and shakers met in Washington, D.C., for the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) Annual Industry Review and Market Outlook Briefing. And everyone was smiling: 2006, it turns out, saw the all-time high for general aviation aircraft billings: $18.8 billion, a 24.1 percent increase over 2005. All that money […]

“Doc” — the B-29 Super-Fortress that sat in the desert of Mojave for 42 years, was used for missile target practice (but never hit) and has now nearly been rebuilt and restored from the ground up by a team of devoted volunteers — will face new adversity when it is pushed out of its current […]

General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) President Pete Bunce emphasized that nearly 30 percent of GA shipments are now exports, and the appetite for aircraft in China, India and Russia will continue to drive revenue. In the meantime, GAMA expects North American air carriers to continue to lose business in small communities in favor of GA, […]

On Monday, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) unveiled its 2006 summary of shipments and billings in Washington, D.C., and there was good news all around. GA airplane shipments were up across all types to reach 4,042 units, or 12.9 percent more than in 2005, with billings up 24.1 percent to a record of just […]

COLUMN INDEX CEO of the Cockpit #67: Age is a Four-Letter WordThe new possibility of flying until age 65 has made for ambivalent responses from airline pilots, including AVweb’s CEO of the Cockpit.

AVMAIL INDEX AVmail: Feb. 12, 2007Reader mail this week about the King Air depressurization and ATC staffing, and lots of concern about user fees.

A six-year-old Hanford, Calif., girl was the first to take advantage of a partnership between Angel Flight West and iFly, a fractional ownership group that splits Columbia 350 aircraft. iFly co-founder and Angel Flight member Erik Lindbergh announced last week that iFly will donate 20 hours of flight time per year for each member of […]