News

Images of what appears to be the tail-rotor of one the helicopters used in Sunday’s raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound at Abbottabad, Pakistan, are hitting the internet, and may be a glimpse at something special. The parts don’t appear to come from the standard military catalogue. According to the Army Times, the aircraft “were […]

An amendment that passed the House in March and was included in the House version of the bill that funds the FAA would change how regulations are created and has sparked some safety concerns. The amendment’s critics include the NTSB and Sully Sullenberger, who believe the amendment would add a level of complexity that could […]

Many volunteer pilots tried in vain after Hurricane Katrina to offer their services to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help provide relief, but now FEMA is working with AERObridge, an NBAA-endorsed group, to plan ahead for GA support in future emergencies. An exercise is planned for May 13 to 17 to simulate response to […]

The fifth annual CAFE Electric Aircraft Symposium convened over the weekend in Santa Rosa, Calif., bringing together about 30 presenters with an enthusiastic audience to discuss emerging technologies for personal aircraft. Topics included STOL aerodynamics, new sources of energy production, lithium battery developments, flight deck automation, suburbia-based air-taxi systems, high-efficiency motors, quiet propeller designs, and […]

“Goodyear Airship” just doesn’t have the same ring to it but the iconic blimps are being phased out in favor of a rigid design. The rubber company announced Tuesday it’s teaming with Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik, of Friedrichshafen, Germany, to build three Zeppelin NT airships to replace the gas bags that now circle the stadiums of the […]

The recent buying spree of U.S. aviation companies by the Chinese appears to be a coordinated effort to ensure the country cashes in on the phased liberalization of airspace restrictions. People’s Daily, the official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, reported on Tuesday that state-owned AVIC International Holding Corporation recently […]

If you brought something home from Heli-Expo other than a nifty swag bag and a latent desire to hang a machine gun on your chopper, then the Center for Disease Control wants to know about it. The CDC has sent an e-mail letter (PDF) to everyone who registered for the event in early March to […]

In first-quarter reports released this week, Hawker Beechcraft reported aircraft deliveries in its business and general aviation segments were up compared to the same period last year, but revenues were down. Hawker said it delivered 45 business and GA aircraft in the first quarter 2011, compared to 34 in the first quarter 2010. “We are […]

A search team has recovered the cockpit voice recorder from Air France Flight 447, which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in June 2009, killing all 228 on board. A remotely operated vehicle retrieved the CVR from the ocean floor, 12,800 feet down, on Tuesday morning, and it appears to be intact and in good condition […]

Jack Pelton, the current chairman, president and CEO of Cessna, is retiring, parent company Textron announced on Monday. Scott Donnelly, the CEO of Textron, is now running Cessna, though Pelton doesn’t officially retire until June 1. Donnelly, who is based in Providence, R.I., has already been spending a lot of time in Wichita, Textron spokesman […]