News

While most of the world was concentrating on AirVenture, things were also happening in Wichita where two of Cessna‘s business jet programs celebrated developmental first flights. On July 28, the first production Citation CJ3+ made its maiden flight. Test pilot Mark Tuttle reported that all systems performed as expected during the 73-minute mission. The Williams […]

Aviation films don’t come to theaters too often, and if you’ve already seen Disney’s second “Planes“animated movie this summer, that’s pretty much the whole list. But two feature films are in production that will bring airplanes back to the big screen. A documentary, “The Invisible Highway,” narrated by Harrison Ford and shot in 18 countries […]

New display technology now in the research stages at the MIT Media Lab automatically corrects for vision defects, so users don’t need to wear glasses or contact lenses. “The technique could lead to dashboard-mounted GPS displays that far-sighted drivers can consult without putting their glasses on,” according to the MIT news release. The screen also […]

The acting chairman of the NTSB has expressed concerns about a proposal to abandon the third class medical but he hasn’t expressly opposed it. According to Roll Call, Christopher Hart told a hearing of the Subcommittee on Government Operations: “We’re very concerned about pilots flying without adequate medical standards,” but he also noted he doesn’t […]

An “over-confident” salesman intentionally put a Cirrus SR22 into an aggravated stall before he lost control of the airplane and had to pull the parachute handle, according to an Australian Transport Safety Bureau report (PDF) released this week. The salesman, also a flight instructor, told investigators he routinely flew a similar flight profile to demonstrate […]

Over the seven days of EAA AirVenture, more than 2,500 volunteers pitched in to build an airplane, and on Tuesday morning they got their reward — the Zenith CH 750 Cruzer N140WW “One Week Wonder” took off on its first flight. “The flight was great,” said Jeff Skiles, EAA’s VP for community, who took the […]

For high-school and middle-school students, or anyone who dreams of becoming a pilot, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is now offering a free online course, Aviation 101. Twelve video lessons give students an introduction to the industry, with topics including aircraft systems, aerodynamics, flight instruments, airports, airspace, air traffic control, aeromedical factors, aviation weather, performance, navigation and […]

“It was a tremendous week,” EAA Chairman Jack Pelton said on Tuesday, as the organization released its final figures for this year’s show. “We filled Wittman Regional Airport with aircraft for the first time in several years, with both aircraft camping and parking areas completely full at mid-week.” Pelton credited the first appearance of the […]

A Piedmont Airlines pilot who lost his ATP and his job after he flew extra-low over his house on his way to a landing in Maryland in 2012 now has his certificate back, USA Today reported this week. Edmund Draper’s Dash-8 flight, scheduled as US Airways 4343, was en route to Wicomico Regional Airport when […]

EAA says the FAA’s proposed policy on hangar use at federally funded airports is a lot better than the previous rule and, for the first time, offers homebuilders some protection. “It is in fact an improvement,” Doug Macnair, EAA’s VP of Government told AVweb. “It actually protects our community for the first time.” As we […]