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The FAA, frustrated by a rise in incidents of lasers pointed at aircraft, said on Wednesday it will impose civil fines of up to $11,000 against violators. “Shining a laser into the cockpit of an aircraft is not a joke,” said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. “These lasers can temporarily blind a pilot and make it […]

Qantas says an unscheduled fuel stop on a Pacific island during its new route from Dallas to Brisbane on Monday was due to stronger-than-expected headwinds, but the pilots union has recently accused the airline of pressuring crews to carry minimum fuel to cut costs. The Boeing 747-400ER, flying one of the longest routes in the […]

It’s been almost a week since the worldwide fleet of Falcon 7X aircraft was grounded and there is still no word on when there will be a fix to the runaway pitch trim fault that led to the emergency AD. A 7X crew experienced the malfunction May 25 while on descent. The crew was able […]

Chinese authorities say that while more airspace will be opened for general aviation, pilots can’t expect the “free-for-all” atmosphere of the U.S. and, in some ways, flying will be more strictly controlled than it is now. “Authorities will be stricter with the issuing of pilot licenses and assess the qualification of the aircraft and capabilities […]

Alaska Airlines is now giving iPads to all of its pilots to replace 25 pounds of flight manuals. “We’ve been exploring the idea of an electronic flight bag for several years, but never found a device we really liked,” said Gary Beck, Alaska Airlines’ vice president of flight operations. “When the iPad hit the market, […]

Just a few weeks after CEO Jack Pelton left the company, Cessna has a new leader, Scott Ernest, who was formerly with GE Aviation. “Scott is a talented global business leader who has strong expertise in the aviation industry,” said Scott Donnelly, CEO of Textron, Cessna’s parent company. “Accelerating Cessna’s new product and service development, […]

While aviation advocates continue to lobby for a stable, long-term FAA funding plan, Congress last week agreed to extend current funding for the agency through June 30. The bill is now awaiting President Obama’s signature. The obstacles to creating a long-term funding plan, according to U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, are two “poison-pill” provisions that Republicans […]

The commander of the Blue Angels has resigned and the team is back in Pensacola for training and practice after an unspecified maneuver was performed at too low an altitude during a show in Lynchburg Va., on May 22. Navy Cmdr. Dave Koss was “voluntarily relieved of duty” as the elite team’s commander and will […]

Don’t see a video screen?Try disabling ad blockers and refreshing this page.If that doesn’t work, click here to download the video directly. The Martin Jetpack went to 5,000 feet May 21 and came back on its emergency parachute in the most ambitious test flight to date. Equipped with multiple video cameras and occupied with a […]

Aviation groups will undoubtedly turn up the heat in the political arena now that the Department of Transportation has gone ahead with plans to dismantle a system that allows private aircraft owners to block online access to services that track aircraft movements. On Friday, the DOT announced its intention to eliminate the Block Aircraft Registration […]