News

Cirrus Design Corp. on May 24 was cleared of liability in the October 2006 death of Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his instructor Tyler Stanger, and, Thursday, the plaintiffs in the case filed an appeal. The aircraft impacted a Manhattan building while attempting a turn that departed the area above Manhattan’s East River. The widows […]

EASA, roughly Europe’s FAA, has released certification specifications for light sport aircraft, and LSA watchdog Dan Johnson believes that could affect availability and pricing of European-made LSAs. The European regulatory agency has basically adopted ASTM standards. But unlike the FAA, which is funded by taxpayers, EASA is funded by fees and charges paid by the […]

The past few weeks have seen two high marks set for electric flight — one in distance and one in speed — but not at the same time. The eGenius is a two-seat motor glider with a wingspan just over 55 feet adapted for electric flight bya team from the University of Stuttgart. It was […]

The Center for Environmental Health and the Attorney General of the State of California are threatening to sue local FBOs and suppliers for dispensing leaded avgas, and shutting down small GA in the state is only one potential outcome. The suit’s origins stem from the California Safe Drinking Water & Toxic Enforcement Act (Prop 65). […]

Senator James Inhofe, wholast Octoberlanded on a closed runway that had vehicles and people on it for which he received a remedial training order from the FAA, Wednesday introduced a bill to protect pilots from “agency overreach.” Inhofe’s remedial training was supplied by an instructor who he’d once taught. The bill would address items ranging […]

Federal officials Wednesday briefed airline executives on the possibility that terrorists may try to deliver explosive devices onto commercial airliners by surgically implanting them into suicide bombers. British officials in 2010 reportedly found evidence that al-Qaida was trying to do just that, but the new warning has not been attached to a specific threat. “This […]

A report released Wednesday by the National Research Council found that commuting practices among airline pilots “could potentially contribute to their fatigue,” and since fatigue can reduce performance, pilots, airlines, and the FAA should take steps to reduce the chance that commuting will pose a safety risk.The report stopped short of recommending new regulations, and […]

The FAA has announced its annual grants to support airport improvements around the country. To find out what to expect at your local airports, click here to download the official FAA spreadsheet (XLS). Most of the awards are for well under a million dollars, and fund projects such as resurfacing a runway or acquiring snow-removal […]

In May, Congress agreed to extend the FAA’s funding through June 30, and as that date loomed last week, they passed yet another extension that expires on July 22. It was the 20th such short-term measure since the last comprehensive funding bill expired in 2007. The uncertainty and lack of long-term planning has not been […]

Cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs soon will be training in the Cirrus SR20. The Air Force has ordered 25 of the airplanes, branded as the T-53A, Cirrus announced on Tuesday. “The T-53A meets or exceeds all of our performance and operational criteria and is very well-suited to our mission,” said […]