News

General aviation manufacturing saw declines in the overall market worldwide as shipments for airplanes are reported down for 2015 over the previous year, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association reported Wednesday (PDF). Airplane shipments declined 4.6 percent, from 2,376 units in 2014 to 2,267 units in 2015. GA airplane billings also are down 4 percent with […]

A British pilot flying a helicopter to track poachers in Tanzania was killed recently when he was hit by gunfire from the ground and the helicopter crashed into trees. Roger Gower, 37, was flying in partnership with Tanzanian wildlife authorities on Jan. 28, to track down and arrest active elephant poachers. “In the course of […]

Besides the signature reversed vertical fin, Mooney airplanes have always been characterized by a single cabin door. But no more. This week, Mooney rolled out the new M20V Acclaim Ultra, a significant redo of the company’s best-selling Acclaim. In Fredericksburg, Texas, near the company’s newly refurbished Kerrville, Texas factory, Mooney showed the test version of […]

The controversial FAA reauthorization bill that includes privatizing the air traffic control system will begin its journey through what is expected to be a tough legislative process Wednesday with a hearing. Four witnesses, including representatives of Airlines 4 America, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the Reason Foundation and NBAA President Ed Bolen will testify. […]

A bill that would cap flight-training benefits for veterans at $20,235 should be scrapped, seven GA advocacy groups told Congress in a letter (PDF) issued today. “This legislation would effectively put flying careers out of reach for many vets,” said Jim Coon, AOPA spokesman for government affairs. “There are great jobs in aviation, and our […]

The FAA today issued a safety alert to airlines around the world, urging them to conduct a “safety risk assessment” regarding the transport of lithium batteries as cargo, in light of new evidence from the agency’s recent lithium-battery-fire tests. The FAA also advised its inspectors to determine whether airlines have adequately assessed the risk of […]

Space may get all the mainstream attention in the new NASA budget proposal released today, but staff from the Aeronautics Research Mission are excited about a boost in research funding for new technologies that will impact commercial aviation — including projects that aim to cut fuel burn in half, dramatically reduce noise, restore commercial supersonic […]

Apparently responding to buyer complaints about complex ADS-B Out solutions that require expensive WAAS upgrades,Garmin International has announced two all-in-one transponders that will allow owners who don’t have WAAS GPS receivers to upgrade to ADS-B Out as simply as possible. One version of the new product combines both In and Out in a single box, […]

A new two-day symposium to explore the future of electric-powered flight will be held May 6 and 7 in Redwood City, California, the Sustainable Aviation Foundation has announced. The program, which is being developed by SAF President Brien Seeley, will include a “global faculty of technology experts and visionaries,” according to the SAF website. The […]

A suicide bomber, possibly with explosives concealed in a laptop, is believed to have blown the hole in the side of a Daallo Airlines A321 last week. It has also been reported that the bomber is the passenger whose body was found on the ground 18 miles north of Mogadishu, Somalia, where the flight originated. […]