News

FedEx pilot Gordon Boettger on Tuesday set the new high mark for glider flight in the northern hemisphere when he covered more than 1,400 miles surfing a mountain wave downwind of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in his 1972 Kestrel 17. The trip was a 13-hour “yo-yo” flight from Minden, Nev., to Minden, Nev. — […]

Regulations and technological restrictions suggest it may not happen very soon, or at all, but some researchers believe aerial turbines will be tapping high-altitude winds for power generation sometime in our future and perhaps within the decade. For researchers, the mother lode would be to maintain flying electric generators in the jet stream. Scientists estimate […]

The loss of Air France Flight 447 has stirred comments on training and automation, but if you’d like to better understand the in-cockpit dynamics of a commercial airliner flying overseas through storms at night … here’s a closer look. AVweb’s Glenn Pew asked Jason Goldberg, a 15,000-hour professional airline pilot who flies long-haul overseas routes, […]

Wittman Regional Airport may be permitted to allow Part 139 operations at the airport during AirVenture 2011 but only if talks between local officials and the FAA improve. To accommodate the flights, the FAA says Wittman Field would need to comply with certain FAA requirements (including the installation of a 10-foot fence) and safety standards […]

Testing has shown that a proposed national wireless broadband network system could negatively impact some GPS systems, or worse, and at least one company has already stepped forward to say they can fix the problem. LightSquared, which hopes to install 40,000 antennas across the country, may now face problems winning FCC approval that could also […]

About 150 EAA chapters around the country will host Young Eagles Day events on Saturday, June 11, EAA said this week. The annual event, which launched in 1994, is a “chance to focus on the program and share the freedom to fly with a new generation,” said EAA President Rod Hightower. Many EAA members independently […]

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 […]