News

New rules governing what is broadly known as air tours are easier than expected on commercial operators and tougher than anticipated on so-called charity flights. The final form of the air tour rule released Friday is quite a bit different from the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that was released almost three years ago. Among the […]

On Friday, Honda Aircraft fulfilled a promise to build the HondaJet in the U.S. by announcing plans to establish its world headquarters and aircraft manufacturing plant in Greensboro, N.C. Aircraft division President and CEO Michimasa Funjino said his company will invest $60 million for the new 215,000-sq-ft headquarters facility and hangar at Piedmont Triad International […]

COLUMN INDEX Probable Cause #25: Controlling The ApproachAfter some bad vectoring by ATC, a pilot tries to salvage a botched approach when the better course of action should have been to go around.

Amid all the recent protest over the FAA’s plans to change its funding structure, EAA has found something to be glad about in the agency’s reauthorization bill, which is now heading for debate in Congress. The FAA is asking for permission to release abandoned type certificate or supplemental type certificate data to individuals so that […]

The NTSB’s investigation of a King Air B200 that landed safely last Friday after suffering serious structural damage is likely to focus on cockpit checklists and procedures, along with radar data collection. N777AJ was headed from Rogers, Ark., for Stanton, Va., when it encountered complications after suffering a shattered (but not blown out) windshield at […]

On Wednesday, the FAA released a proposed new rule that will update and overhaul Federal Aviation Regulations Part 61 subsections that govern certification of airmen. Some 200 changes are proposed, which range from minor tweaks in the language to more substantive changes. Among the changes: The FAA would allow student pilot certificates to last longer […]

The approach lights to Runway 5 at New Bedford (Mass.) Regional Airport were turned off last Friday night when a Socata TBM 700 crashed on approach in rain and fog, killing all three people on board. The lights were functional but had been turned off last August because overgrown vegetation “obscured and distorted” the lights, […]

For years, ducted fans have been tinkered with as a means to propel vehicles into the air and bring us a step closer to the “flying car” of the old Jetsons cartoons. So far the technology has proved less robust than the vision, but an Israeli company has recently attracted attention from Bell Helicopter for […]

It’s not often that a brand-new airport opens up, but Houston Executive Airport (HEA) is now ready for landings. Located in Brookshire, west of Houston, the private airport is VFR-only, with a single 5,050-foot runway. HEA will cater to general aviation aircraft and provide FBO services, including fuel. The airport was established by former commercial […]

Cessna Aircraft Company said on Tuesday it delivered 1,239 aircraft last year, keeping its spot as the world’s largest manufacturer of general aviation aircraft. Jet sales and overseas sales both grew significantly, said company CEO Jack Pelton. “We also did very well with our single-engine line, with 865 piston aircraft and 67 turboprops delivered,” he […]