News

Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Agency (CASA) is considering “driver’s licence” medical requirements for private pilots who want to fly mainly recreationally. However, there would still be some medical standards to be met beyond simply carrying a valid D.L. In a newsletter, CASA Director of Aviation Safety John McCormick said pilots would still need a note […]

In the midst of his flight around the world, Slovene pilot Matevz Lenarcic took his Pipistrel Virus to 29,344 feet above the Himalayas — not directly overflying the summit of Mt. Everest, but reaching an altitude about 300 feet above that highest peak. “There were a lot of trouble getting the permits to fly over […]

Although Hawker Beechcraft was thrown a $120 million lifeline and given some breathing room by creditors earlier this week, that hasn’t quelled a media death watch on the Wichita planemaker. On Tuesday, Hawker Beech announced that a group of creditors representing about 70 percent of the company’s debt load had agreed to defer some interest […]

President Obama has nominated Acting FAA Administrator Michael Huerta to take the position for a five-year term. Huerta was elevated to the post from deputy administrator in December after former FAA boss Randy Babbitt was arrested for drunk driving and resigned the post. Huerta must be confirmed by the Senate before getting the job but […]

Embraer made the most of its new association with film star Jackie Chan as the Brazilian company’s brand ambassador landed at the Asian Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition on Tuesday with his spanking new Embraer 650 bizjet. Chan addressed reporters and took part in a ribbon cutting with Ernest Edwards, president of Embraer Executive Jets, […]

Joint ventures involving prominent American companies and Chinese firms are the theme of this years Asian Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Shanghai. Last week Cessna announced deals with China’s AVIC to build jets and develop GA infrastructure in China. Tuesday, Cessna’s VP of Strategy and Development Mike Shih told an audience at the convention […]

The FAA is now working on a final proposal for how it will determine prices for aeronautical chart products, the agency said last week, but no dates were set to complete or implement that plan. Late last year, the FAA developed a draft proposal to address the issues of security, safety, and cost recovery for […]

NASA plans to launch a “virtual institute” to solicit and foster innovative ideas that address technological challenges facing aviation and the U.S. air transportation system, the agency said on Tuesday. The NASA Aeronautics Research Institute (NARI) will be based at Moffett Field in California. “This institute will fulfill NASA’s desire to make deliberate investments in […]

A JetBlue Airbus captain who reportedly behaved irrationally on a flight from JFK to Las Vegas on Tuesday is being treated for a “medical situation” in an Amarillo, Texas, hospital after being subdued by some eminently qualified passengers on the flight. The pilot, who has been identified as 49-year-old Clayton Osbon, reportedly became agitated when […]

John “Lites” Leenhouts, who was named president of the Sun ‘n Fun organization just last summer, has hit the ground running, with an abundance of energy and new ideas for this year’s show. “I want all of our guests to leave here feeling inspired and educated, and with a plan for moving forward if they […]