News

The FAA said on Wednesday the U.S.-registered Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet is grounded until a safety check of the airplane’s lithium batteries is completed and the system is “deemed safe.” The FAA said it will issue an emergency airworthiness directive to address “a potential battery fire risk” in the 787. United Airlines is currently the […]

Early reports say the pilot and one person on the ground were killed when a helicopter hit a construction crane on top of a 50-story building during rush hour in central London Wednesday morning. The AgustaWestland 109 helicopter fell straight to the ground and exploded, and the fire spread to nearby cars in the busy […]

Japan’s two major carriers, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways (ANA) have grounded their fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners after an ANA 787 made an emergency landing and passenger evacuation in Takamatsu on Wednesday. According to The Associated Press, the crew reported a crew alert message indicating battery problems and noticed a burning smell. The […]

ANA, the launch customer for the Boeing 787, has grounded its fleet of 17 Dreamliners after an emergency landing and evacuation in Japan on Tuesday. Japan Airlines quickly followed suit with its seven aircraft. The ANA drama was prompted by a battery warning light and what one of the pilots thought was a funny smell. […]

The Student Loan Marketing Corporation, commonly known as Sallie Mae, is getting back in the business of offering student loans for flight training. The Flight School Association of North America announced Tuesday it has been courting the massive lender for a couple of years and the company recently agreed to consider offering financing to flight […]

Bizjets are back at the popular resort area of Phuket, Thailand, after a 16-day ban to accommodate airline traffic over the holiday period. But even though the ban has been lifted, operators in the area say private aircraft are the lowest priority for slots and the difficulty getting into the airport is driving well-heeled visitors […]

Enstrom Helicopters, a small but growing company based in Michigan, has been sold to Chongqing Helicopter Investment Co. “This is a major step in moving Enstrom to a new level,” said company president Jerry Mullins. “This strong ownership will allow further growth of our business in Menominee, Michigan, to meet the demands of the increasing […]

A new variety of rigid airship is under construction in Tustin, Calif., and this week the prototype successfully completed its first float tests. A series of maneuvers was conducted inside the ship’s immense engineering hangar. The Aeroscraft vehicle will be able to take off and land vertically without a ground crew or runway, the company […]

Pilots in Part 121 operations should not be using personal electronic devices or laptop computers in the cockpit at any time, the FAA said in a proposed new rule published on Tuesday. The rule, which complies with legislation passed last year, was prompted by an incident in 2009 when two pilots flew 150 miles past […]

With glass everything the rule rather than exception, the lowly navcomm hasn’t seen much market push lately, but Garmin changed that this week with a series of new VHF navcomms. The GTR and GNC series will replace the aging but still popular SL 30 and SL 40 radios, which were developed more than a decade […]