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Unconventional aircraft designer John McGinnis’ public funding drive Friday surpassed its original goal and may help him prove if his five-seat double box tail Synergy aircraft is indeed “lighter, simpler, and more economical” than other planes. McGinnis turned to the online fundraising website Kickstarter.com to seek $65,000 from private individuals that he says will “maintain […]

A 52-year-old Piedmont Airlines pilot has been charged with unlawful possession of a concealed firearm after a security check of his bag Friday found a .357 Magnum revolver loaded with five rounds of ammunition. Prosecutors now allege that the pilot, Brett Dieter, had been traveling with the gun since at least May 16, when he […]

Forty-two year-old Gary Connery Wednesday may have become the first person to land a wingsuit without first deploying a parachute, on purpose and without injury, with the aid of about 18,000 cardboard boxes. Connery performed the stunt near his hometown of Henley, England, and flew two test jumps from a helicopter hovering at 2,400 feet […]

After 10 spectators and a pilot died in a crash at last year’s National Championship Air Races in Reno, the fate of the event was uncertain, but now organizers say they are definitely holding the races as usual this September, although with a modified course. Reno Air Racing Association Director Mike Houghton said on Tuesday […]

The FAA’s declaration last week that it will allow unmanned aircraft systems weighing up to 25 pounds to fly at altitudes up to 400 AGL and within sight of an operator didn’t draw much reaction in the aviation world, but it did get a response from the mainstream media. Conservative pundit Charles Krauthammer said all […]

“Both EAA and the NTSB know that we must improve the accident record of amateur-built aircraft,” said EAA President Rod Hightower on Tuesday evening, in a video response to the safety board’s report released earlier that day. However, he said, some of the NTSB’s recommendations to the FAA, which could result in more regulations, are […]

Cessna is offering a 40-hour training course to help the world’s maintenance facilities handle new inspection requirements that came into effect in April for many of upward of 150,000 of its products. As the company announced and AVweb reported in December of 2011, there are concerns about fatigue and corrosion issues in the fleet of […]

GippsAero announced Tuesday that its new GA10 turboprop flew for the first time on May 1. The aircraft uses a Rolls-Royce 250 engine and the company says it’s “the first single turboprop to be designed and developed in Australia.” As the name implies, the GA10 has two more seats than the piston GA8 and is […]

The NTSB on Tuesday released 16 recommendations for improving the safety record of experimental amateur-built aircraft, which have a fatal accident rate 3 to 4 times higher than the rest of the general aviation fleet. Most of the recommendations focus on transition training, which has long been recognized as a problem, and also suggest changes […]

The FAA said on Tuesday it’s ready to “reevaluate its policy” regarding the operation of historical aircraft for hire, and announced a series of public meetings on the topic. The meetings, which are open to the public, will be held June 26, 27, and 28 at FAA headquarters in Washington, D.C. The FAA said its […]