News

This Thursday, the Air Force is expected to announce the winner of a $35 billion contract to build 179 military tanker aircraft. The two contenders for the contract are Boeing, with a 767 derivative, and EADS, with a design based on the Airbus A330. EADS has said if it wins the competition, it will assemble […]

Safety specialists from the FAA will host a meeting on March 22 and 23 in Portland, Ore., to address issues particular to helicopters. Pilots, instructors, mechanics, operators, manufacturers and insurers are urged to attend. The regional FAA Safety Team, Helicopter Association International and the International Helicopter Safety Team are hosting the event. Mornings will feature […]

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association released its annual industry report (PDF) on Tuesday, showing that aircraft deliveries continued to fall in 2010 despite improvements in the global and U.S. economies. Deliveries of GA aircraft fell by 11.4 percent overall in 2010 compared to the year before. Piston deliveries were down by 7.7 percent, from 963 […]

The FAA’s proposal to require photos on pilot certificates has drawn almost 500 comments, many of them objecting to the plan, and several advocacy groups have asked the FAA to modify or withdraw the proposal. “As an ATP pilot, I already have an encrypted military ID [and] a state-issued drivers license,” said one commenter. “The […]

a href=”https://www.wings-of-hope.org/” target=”_blank”>Wings of Hope, a charitable flying group based in St. Louis, Mo., is on a list of nominees for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, the Air Care Alliance said this week. The group is one of 237 candidates for the prize, the largest number ever. Each nominee is selected by a qualified nominator […]

ForeFlight Mobile, one of the most popular chart viewing and flight planning apps for the iPhone and iPad, now offers georeferencing — a fancy term for showing where the aircraft is on approach charts and airport diagrams. The data for georeferencing has been in the software for some time, but not active because ForeFlight felt […]

All eyes are now on the House after the full Senate passed its version of an FAA reauthorization bill. The Senate approved a two-year measure allocating a total of $34.5 billion in an 87-8 vote. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved a four-year reauthorization bill to be considered by the full House. It’s not […]

In a precedent-setting decision, the operator of a Southern California airport has been ordered by the FAA to allow resumption of glider operations or risk losing its federal grants. As we reported in 2009, Riverside County evicted more than 40 gliders and closed the grass strip they used, citing safety concerns. The agency ruled last […]

Executive Jet has earned official authorization from the FAA to use the Jeppesen Mobile TC App for iPad as a sole reference for electronic charts and as a direct replacement of paper aeronautical charts in the cockpit. Executive Jet managed that after three months of in-flight evaluation that included more than 250 flight segments and […]

American Airlines says proposed rules intended to reduce pilot fatigue would require it to hire an additional 2,325 pilots at a cost of $514 million annually, and seemed to suggest the industry-wide effect could be crippling. The rules would effectively decrease maximum time on duty for pilots. In November, American offered public comments on the […]