News

RunwayFinder owner Dave Parsons says he will fight the patent awarded FlightPrep for online flight planning. In a blog post Parsons says he thinks he’s found enough holes in the patent to defend his service’s technology against it. “I think there is a clear path toward fighting the lawsuit against RunwayFinder, and potentially a way […]

Department of Homeland Security officials said Friday that the unmanned aerial vehicle that crash landed in El Paso Tuesday was an Israeli-built Mexican-government-operated drone and that it’s no cause for alarm. The UAV reportedly went off course during a test flight, fell out of control and landed under parachute largely undamaged in a suburban yard […]

A bill Friday signed into law by President Barack Obama contains provisions “that are critical to the recovery of the general aviation manufacturing industry,” GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce said in a statement issued the same day. The president’s signature Friday afternoon has made the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act […]

The Future of Aviation Advisory Committee Wednesday urged the government to help pay for the cost of installing ADS-B equipment … in airliners and business jets. The group suggested operators could match federal aid with commitments such as lowered emissions. That option may be most palatable for carriers, because lowered emissions are a byproduct of […]

Air traffic controllers are among the highest-paid U.S. government workers and may find themselves exempt from a federal employee pay freeze proposed by the Obama administration. The U.S. employs about 15,500 controllers who earn an average of $136,000 per year. Those controllers last year negotiated a contract with the FAA that provides raises of at […]

AOPA and Jeppesen, two of the largest players in the online flight planning business, say a patent obtained by FlightPrep doesn’t affect their products and they are not willing to discuss it. In a statement released Wednesday, AOPA says it will not meet with FlightPrep to discuss the patent and it will be business as […]

Fifty years ago, Dec. 16, the midair collision over New York City of a United Airlines DC-8 and a TWA Super Constellation became the worst aviation disaster to date; it’s since brought regulatory change and today it will be recognized, again. The crash killed 128 people on both aircraft and six more on the ground. […]

Oil prices reached a record $147.27 per barrel in 2008 and that helped cripple some airlines; now, the U.S. is considering new rules that would curb speculative trading on commodities and Delta Air Lines is among those urging strict limits. General counsel to Delta, Richard B. Hirst, wrote the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) saying, […]

Of all the possible careers out there, being a commercial pilot is one of the 50 best choices, according to a recent report by U.S. News. The list was based on data from the U.S. Labor Department, showing which occupations are likely to add jobs at an above-average rate over the next decade, while also […]

Boeing’s Phantom Ray unmanned airborne system took a ride aboard NASA’s 747 shuttle carrier on Monday, for a 50-minute test flight, marking the first time the 747 has carried any aircraft other than the space shuttle. The flight was a shakedown prior to moving the drone from St. Louis, Mo., to Edwards Air Force Base, […]