News

One of the interesting side stories of the Eclipse Aviation debacle was the courting of Russia, including then-President Vladimir Putin as a manufacturing base and major customer. Although the VLJ heyday has passed there are apparently Eclipse 500s still in Russia and you’ll find them in the oddest places. Eclipse 500 serial number 09, registered […]

A week after a California court ruled the FAA has pretty much absolute authority over the use of airports that have accepted money from it (in this case Santa Monica) the City Council of Naples, Fla., appears poised to test that concept. The council this week voted to continue zoning discussions on whether the local […]

There’s been a significant improvement in the used business jet and turboprop inventory but it might be too early to signal a real recovery for new sales. AMSTAT reports that more used business aircraft and turboprops were sold in the last quarter of 2010 than in any quarter in recent memory. Inventory remains higher (14.7 […]

One hundred and sixteen members of the U.S. House of Representatives have signed a letter (PDF) to President Barack Obama urging him not to support aviation user fees as a means to fund the FAA’s budget for 2012. User fees would be “a step backward” in efforts to modernize the air traffic control system, and […]

Pilots who fly general aviation aircraft that were certified before the year 2000 should be aware that the stall-warning system may not work as expected in icing conditions, the FAA said on Monday. Pilots have reported that they felt a shudder or buffet, but attributed it to engine or propeller icing. “These reported events occurred […]

The FAA said last week it will take a fresh look at a longstanding rule that exempts aircraft operated by the federal government from most FAA regulations. “The statute is vague,” said John Allen, the FAA official who oversees flight standards. “It is very confusing.” Problems arise especially when Part 135 operators work under contract […]

Although there were some remarkably close calls (including the engine explosion in a Qantas A380), 2010 passed without a single fatality caused by a crash involving a passenger-carrying airliner based in what MIT considers “developed” countries. “In the entire First World, fatal crashes are at the brink of extinction,” Arnold Barnett, a professor who specializes […]

Gobosh Aviation has been sold to Aerospace Capital Partners LLC, which operates a flight school in Denver using three Gobosh aircraft. The announcement came during the annual U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Fla. Gobosh was formed by Tim Baldwin and Dave Graham four years ago and imported the Gobosh 700, a Polish design aimed […]

Piper Aircraft isn’t looking for an immediate replacement for the PiperSport but the company is also not completely ruling out a return to the light sport aircraft sector. A week before the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo began in Sebring, Fla., Piper announced it was dropping the PiperSport arrangement with the manufacturer Czech Sport Aircraft. Then, […]

Non-scheduled airlines and air taxis operating under Part 135 will have two years to create crew resource management (CRM) training programs for their roughly 24,000 pilots, plus flight attendants, according to a final rule announced Thursday. The FAA said analysis showed that CRM training helped reduce the rate of fatal accidents caused by pilot error […]