News

The Air Force Thunderbirds and the Navy’s Blue Angels released their 2012 schedules last week at the International Council of Air Shows annual meeting in Las Vegas. Both teams fly their first show in March — the Angels at El Centro, Calif., and the Thunderbirds in Yuma, Ariz. The Thunderbirds also are scheduled to fly […]

Pilots at LIAT, a Caribbean airline, this week took action, crippling their employer with a sickout that cancelled at least 110 flights when their union leader was fired shortly after suggesting that pilots’ pensions had been mismanaged and lost by the airline. Captain Michael Blackburn had worked for LIAT for more than 35 years and […]

We don’t normally associate general aviation aircraft with the events of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, 70 years ago this week, but a flight instructor and student out flying that day nearly collided with a Japanese Zero — an event that was re-enacted Wednesday morning in Las Vegas. Cornelia Fort and her student were flying […]

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 […]