News

A controversial AD affecting certain Superior Air Parts cylinders that will likely ground some airplanes takes effect today (April 25, 2014) despite widespread opposition from the maintenance industry and the manufacturer. What’s important to note is that this AD grounds any aircraft with Continental 550, 520 and 470 engines with SAP cylinders that have been […]

Our survey of the news of the week uncovered two new releases, Conklin and de Deckers latest Aircraft Cost Evaluator and ASAs upgraded aviation dictionary app, as well as the identity of this years winners of the EAA/Daher-Socata scholarships and details of the first California Pilot Safety Tour. Conklin & de Decker has published the […]

Landmark Aviation announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Ross Aviation, a network of fixed based operations located throughout the United States. The acquisition, which is subject to satisfaction of closing conditions, is expected to close during the second half of 2014. Headquartered in Denver, Colo., Ross Aviation is a leading operator of […]

Not unexpectedly, just over a month after buying Beech Aircraft, Textron announced 750 job cuts at that company and at its Cessna division, according to the Washington Post. The layoffs will occur over the next 60 days. Both aircraft makers are based in Wichita, Kan., and Textron says about 575 of the affected jobs are […]

A nonprofit organization that claims to have coordinated more than 1,300 aerial searches and found more than 300 missing persons using model aircraft equipped with a camera is suing the FAA over the FAAs definition of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Despite its avowed humanitarian and non-commercial purpose, Texas EquuSearch was the recipient of a cease […]

NBAA has updated its guidelines for crew rest in business aviation and the new suggested limits reflect recent advances in scientific knowledge about how human beings react to and recover from fatigue. We developed these guidelines after significant scientific review, extensive analysis of industry practices and industry feedback, said Leigh White, president of Alertness Solutions […]

The original owners of synthetic vision pioneer Chelton Flight Systems are now part of a group that has assumed control of the company and autopilot maker S-TEC Corporation. In what has been termed a management buyout, former Cobham Avionics President Roger Smith, Chelton co-founders Rick Price and Gordon Pratt and Director of Finance Tammy Crawford […]

Powering Imagination, a new project developed by Erik Lindbergh, announced this week it is partnering up with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to expand research into the development of electric propulsion systems for aircraft. As part of the partnership, students and faculty at the ERAU campus in Daytona Beach, Fla., will convert a Diamond HK36 motorglider to […]

Capt. Gregory McWherter, who served as Blue Angels commanding officer for two tours from 2008-10 and 2011-12, has been relieved of his duties due to “initial findings of an ongoing investigation into recent allegations of misconduct and an inappropriate command climate” at the Blue Angels during his command, the Navy said on Friday. McWherter had […]

A Comp Air 8 aircraft carrying skydivers crashed in Finland on Sunday afternoon, killing eight people. The pilot and two skydivers were able to parachute to safety. The airplane was at about 10,000 feet when something went wrong — some witnesses said parts of the aircraft appeared to detach before it began to descend, other […]