News

Companies from China and Russia have teamed up to build their own line of general aviation aircraft ranging from four to 12 seats, Xinhua reported this week. China Oriental Sciences Group, China-Russia International Investment Company and KB-SAT, a Russian aircraft design company, signed an agreement last week in Beijing, according to Xinhua. The consortium will […]

An extension of 100-percent bonus depreciation was stripped from the bill to extend payroll tax relief. The bill was approved by both houses last week and is now ready for the president’s signature. It’s a derivative of the same legislation that caused a major political crisis before Christmas as the polarized Congress finally agreed to […]

Wei Chen, a Chinese citizen and Memphis resident who flew around the world in his TBM700 and became the first Chinese “earthrounder,” says he wants to start the first civilian aerobatic team in his home country. Thanks to the growing number of airshows in China in recent years, aerobatic performance is in booming demand. Several […]

Both pilots walked away after a Beech Bonanza and Robinson R22 touched in midair near Sacramento, Calif., on Sunday. The R22 lost its tail rotor in the collision but the pilot was apparently uninjured, and was sitting in the car of a bystander when rescue crews arrived. “She was a little shaken up, but she […]

Cylinders are the big-ticket item during an engine overhaul, and the market has changed substantially during the last five years. Our sister publication, Aviation Consumer, is surveying owner experiences on engine cylinders. If you’d like to participate, click here to take the survey. The results will appear in a future issue of Aviation Consumer. For […]

The FAA needs to improve its management practices to ensure that the NextGen air traffic system is implemented without further cost overruns and delays, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released this week. The GAO reviewed 30 major programs involved in NextGen and found that half of them were behind schedule and costs […]

The Icon A5 amphibious light sport aircraft has met a spin-resistant standard beyond what is required for its certification, the company said on Thursday. Under the LSA standards, aircraft must be either “spin recoverable” or “spin resistant.” The A5 has met the criteria for “spin resistant,” which are spelled out in Part 23, the rules […]

A Cessna 182 that violated a presidential TFR in southern California on Thursday morning posed no threat to President Obama, officials said, but the pilot faces prosecution because authorities discovered 40 pounds of marijuana inside the airplane. Two Air Force F-16s scrambled to intercept the Cessna after it strayed into a eight-mile-wide TFR where Marine […]

Air Racers 3D, a 40-minute-long IMAX film about the Reno National Championship Air Races, will be coming to U.S. theaters in April, the filmmakers said recently. It’s the first film about the races ever shot completely in 3D, and “unprecedented access” to the course was granted, according to the filmmakers. The film will be shown […]

It’s not every day that a light sport aircraft lands in Antarctica, but on Thursday, Matevz Lenarcic touched down there in a Virus SW 914 Turbo, marking the first time a Pipistrel has landed on the continent. His aircraft has been modified with an Intercooler unit to be able to withstand temperatures as low as […]