News

Ellen Stofan has been named director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. Stofan begins her tenure April 30. She brings more than 25 years’ experience in space-related organizations and a deep research background in planetary geology. She is the first woman to hold this position. Stofan was chief scientist at NASA (2013-2016), serving […]

As further proof that aviation missionary work is often a serious driver of aircraft sales, Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) has ordered five Cessna Caravan 208 turboprops for its operations in Papua New Guinea. The group also has the optionofpurchasing an additional two aircraft. This is the largest aircraft investment by MAF to date. The five […]

As Sun ‘n Fun opens Tuesday, Bose announced a new noise-cancelling in-ear headset called the ProFlight Aviation Headset. The new product, Bose’s first aviation headset since the A20 was introduced in 2010, is aimed at the cabin class and turbine market, whose cockpits have lower noise levels. See a full video on the new headset […]

Last week’s fatal accident of a Thunderbirds F-16 outside Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, has led to the cancellation of the aerobatic demonstration team’s appearance at the Sun ‘n Fun fly-in in Lakeland, Florida, which opens Tuesday. The training accident claimed the life of Air Force Maj. Stephen Del Bagno. Sun ‘n Fun President John […]

Fresh from showing its M600 turboprop for the first time at Chile’s FIDAE exposition, Piper is touring the airplane throughout South America and seeing signs that the aircraft market is waking up. Piper’s Latin American sales executive, Dan Lewis, told AVweb that the company has tripled its sales forecast for Brazil and demand in the […]

As commonplace as flying with a tablet has become, you still have to put the thing someplace. At Sun ‘n Fun this week, Guardian Avionics is showing off additions to its line of panel-mounted racks for the popular iPad and iPhone. On Tuesday, Guardian’s Ash Vij will conduct a forum on using tablets and smartphones […]

Months before the fatal helicopter crash into the East River that killed five passengers, pilots for the company operating the tours had warned management about unsafe conditions and harnesses that could make escape difficult. According to a story in TheNew York Times, the pilots “repeatedly requested more suitable safety gear” and one pilot warned managers […]

The NTSB and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University officials are working together to determine what caused the PA-28R-201’s wing to fall off in mid-flight last week. The resulting accident killed two: Zach Capra, an ERAU student, and an FAA designated examiner, John S. Azma, conducting a checkride. Flight training resumed on Thursday for all aircraft at ERAU […]

In a week during which five military crashes killed seven service members, an article in the current issue of Newsweek raises questions about funding, training and maintenance in U.S. military aviation units. “The number of service members killed in noncombat aviation was 37 in 2017—almost double the 19 who died in 2016,” the piece states. […]

The Collings Foundation’s iconic B-24 sustained minor damage in a bizarre incident that shut down a runway at Dallas’ busy Love Field this week. The aircraft was on a takeoff roll when debris, possibly concrete from the runway, entered the cockpit of the historic World War II bomber, hit the copilot in the hand. It […]