News

Diamond aircraft is using the outcome of an Oct. 17 hailstorm that ravaged Middle Tennessee State University’s (MTSU’s) 20 Diamond aircraft and 5 Pipers to tout the repairability of its composite airframes. Hail cracked one canopy during the storm and put two holes in composite wing skins while also pelting other airframes, including some metal […]

A coalition of nearly 30 industry groups (including AEA, ALPA, AOPA and NATCA) has organized to fight aviation tax increases while supporting aviation spending programs. The Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) issued a statement Friday that urged Congress to “reject the proposed taxes” it says are part of a White House and Congressional Super Committee proposed […]

Teterboro-based aviation safety inspector Harrington Bishop, 63, entered a guilty plea in a federal court Thursday on charges of receiving illegal gratuities in exchange for what court documents allege were hundreds of unauthorized pilot check rides. Bishop had been assigned to the Teterboro FSDO. On available days off, weekends, and holidays, from May 2004 to […]

A twin-engine 1978 Piper PA-44-180 Seminole being flown Tuesday through maneuvers near Aurora State Airport, Oregon, collided with a flying Beech Bonanza V35, essentially cutting the single in half, sending its pieces to the ground and killing its pilot. The midair took place at about 4 p.m., in clear weather. The twin lost a section […]

After an extensive investigation and grounding, the Air Force doesn’t know why some F-22 pilots have suffered symptoms similar to oxygen deprivation while flying the fighter (including one last week) and has returned the full fleet to service. During the more than four months that the aircraft was grounded the Air Force failed to find […]

FAA AD Warns Of 757 Stabilizer Control FailureMore than 700 Boeing 757s operated by U.S. airlines will need to be inspected for potential problems that “could lead to loss of control of the horizontal stabilizer,” according to a proposed Airworthiness Directive from the FAA. The FAA says that it is responding to a report of […]

A major Hollywood movie about the Tuskegee Airmen is due in theaters soon, and meanwhile, a small documentary company has released a film about flying paragliders with wild birds in the Himalayas. Red Tails started production with LucasFilms in 2009 and will open in theaters on Jan. 20. “I’ve wanted to do this film for […]

The Super Tucano turboprop, designed for light attack missions and military training, has been certified by the FAA, Embraer announced on Wednesday. The company said it will now plan a demo tour to U.S. military bases in an effort to win contracts for the aircraft. More than 150 of the airplanes are flying, and five […]

In a report (PDF) completed last month, the U.S. Government Accountability Office examined “safety concerns” about the use of composites in commercial aircraft. Based on research and interviews with experts, GAO investigators identified four key safety-related concerns with the repair and maintenance of composites in commercial airplanes, but added that none of the experts they […]

Sen. Charles Schumer of New York on Tuesday asked the Senate’s aviation subcommittee to schedule a hearing in response to last week’s release of email exchanges relevant to the 2009 Colgan Air crash. “The fact that [these emails] were not shared with [NTSB] investigators compels us to take a closer look at how we investigate […]