News

The FAA on Wednesday updated its 34-year-old Advisory Circular on personal model aircraft, issuing safety and airspace rules similar to the ones it has issued on consumer drones. The new version, which triples the length of the original 1981 AC(PDF) to three pages from one, limits model aircraft to 55 pounds unless certified by a […]

In one of the more unusual press releases we’ve seen, RAM Aircraft LP, a Waco, Texas, engine and mod shop, says Continental Motors’ recent acquisition of ECi “will cost everyone in general aviation.” RAM implies that the loss of competition will drive prices higher on certain engine components that both Continental and ECi, as an […]

The FAA has reported that an “unknown object” struck a Piper Apache while in flight near Romeoville, Illinois, but according to the drone website suasnews.com, that object was likely a small drone. Citing an “unconfirmed report,” suasnews states that a Piper PA-23 twin impacted the drone at about 2,500 feet near Lewis University Airport (KLOT) […]

ADS-B and TCAS will be disrupted during the whole month of September according to aNOTAM covering the U.S. Southeast. The FAA is warning all pilots flying from Virginia to Florida for the month of September that ADS-B and TCAS will be “unreliable” because of “military activities.” The NOTAM was posted less than 24 hours before […]

As part of its Fly Safe campaign aimed at general aviation pilots, the FAA on Tuesday posted information and links about the effect of drugs on flying skills — including prescription and over-the-counter medications, as well as illegal drugs. A 2011 study by the FAA found that 42 percent of toxicology reports from pilots who […]

Researchers from NASA have been experimenting with a 150-year-old photography technique that captures dramatic images of the shock waves created when airplanes fly at supersonic speeds. The images, which NASA posted online last week, reveal the effect of supersonic flight on the air-density gradient. Simple equipment is used to capture the images, which then are […]

NBAA this week filed its formal response to a recent announcement from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that it wants to regulate carbon emissions from airplanes. NBAA said it is not opposed to new regulations, but wants them to be standardized across the globe. The International Civil Aviation Organization already is working to develop a […]

The Legacy 450 business jet, an all-new mid-light design featuring fly-by-wire technology and sidestick controls, is now FAA-certified, the company announced on Monday. The jet was first certified in Brazil, a few weeks ago. Deliveries will start in the fourth quarter of this year, the company said. The jet has a top speed of Mach […]

The champagne was flowing but so was the oxygen and that meant an easyJet flight from Gatwick to Turkey spent seven hours on the ground in Milan. The aircraft was taking holiday makers to a Turkish resort when a flight attendant did her best to add to the festive atmosphere. But in uncorking a fresh […]

While two F-16s waited outside, it was actually a cat-deprived “European model” that managed to bring down a Boeing 767 for an emergency landing in Denver on Friday. The Condor Airlines flight was on its way from Las Vegas to Frankfurt about 6 p.m. when a female passenger insisted that her “comfort cat,” which was […]