News

With more experimenters seeking to test airborne wind-energy systems aloft, the FAA said on Wednesday it has revised its policy to ensure the safety of the national airspace. The experiments no longer will be evaluated under the rules that govern moored balloons; instead, they must comply with the rules for structures exceeding 200 feet above […]

Last week the Civil Aviation Administration of China unveiled more significant legislation to aid Chinese GA growth. The release of the General Aviation Airport Construction Standards (draft) for public commenting occurred on Nov. 30, the first anniversary of the central government’s official announcement for airspace reform. (Click here to download the .DOC file.) These standards […]

The following release was posted Dec. 6 to the FAA website under the title, “Statement from Randy Babbitt.” That statement follows, here, in its entirety: Today I submitted my resignation to Secretary Ray LaHood and it has been accepted. Serving as FAA Administrator has been an absolute honor and the highlight of my professional career. […]

The aviation industry needs to form a working group to help clarify the rules that apply to public-use aircraft operations, Helicopter Association International President Matt Zuccaro said on Friday. The distinction currently is often blurred, Zuccaro said, especially for contract operators. He added that most contract flights that are now flown as public-use actually could […]

Embraer opened a new customer center at the Melbourne, Fla., airport on Monday, and delivered the first U.S.-assembled Phenom 100 to its owner. The 58,000-square foot facility cost $50 million and took three years to build. It will house customer service and sales for the U.S. market, and also serve as the delivery site for […]

A group headed by NBAA President Ed Bolen made its first stop in Beijing on Dec. 1 tovisit AOPA China anddiscuss their interests in the Chinese business aviation market. In that meeting, Bolen’s group met with Feng Zhang, Deputy Director General of AOPA China. The groups expressed strong interest in China’s fast-growing market, especially within […]

Randy Babbitt, administrator of the FAA, was taken into custody Saturday by Fairfax County police and charged with driving while intoxicated, according to a news release from the city of Fairfax, Virginia. At about 10:30 p.m. Babbitt was seen driving on the wrong side of the road and was pulled over. He was alone in […]

Hawker Beechcraft is slowing down work on its Hawker 200 light jet, the company said on Friday, citing the “fragile global economic situation.” The program has been meeting its objectives, Hawker CEO Bill Boisture said in a letter to employees, but with the timing of a recovery uncertain, “the prudent management decision is to slow […]

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The U.S. Air Force will scale back single-ship demo flights for next year’s airshow season, the Air Combat Command announced last week. “We face significant fiscal constraints,” the ACC said in a statement (PDF). Those constraints require “tough decisions,” and the ACC said it will scale back from sponsoring six single-ship demo teams to just […]