News

Reliance on automated systems may be eroding the flying skills of pilots, contributing to about 60 percent of the accidents reviewed by an FAA research team, the Wall Street Journal reported last week. FAA researcher Kathy Abbott presented the preliminary results of the FAA study at an aviation safety conference in Milan. Operating flight-control computers […]

A coalition of six Vancouver-area aviation businesses is suing the Canadian Ministry of Transport for lost business resulting from the flight restrictions imposed during the 2010 Olympic Games. Mike Skrobica, of the Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC) announced the suit at ATAC’s annual meeting in Vancouver on Monday. He told AVweb the companies are […]

A crew of 42 aboard a 787 Dreamliner on a test flight Tuesday afternoon evacuated safely via emergency slides at Laredo, Texas, after the pilots reported smoke in the cabin while on approach to the airport. “We have decided to not fly the other planes until we better understand the incident,” a Boeing spokeswoman said, […]

Images captured Monday evening near Los Angeles “could be a test firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile,” speculated former Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Ellsworth, but at least one other source offered a more mundane explanation. Multiple news sources reported Tuesday that the Pentagon and other military sources “can’t explain” the images. On Tuesday that […]

More than 70 aviation business leaders met with key political, policy and financial experts this week at the National Air Transportation Association 2010 NATA Aviation Business Roundtable. The two-day event provided a forum to discuss a number of issues affecting the aviation community, including the results of the mid-term elections, the economy, jobs, taxes, safety […]

The Transportation Security Administration has imposed some new rules on air cargo, effective this week, in response to the recent attempt to ship explosive devices into the U.S. from Yemen. Janet Napolitano, secretary of Homeland Security, said no air cargo will be accepted from Yemen or Somalia. In addition, no high-risk cargo will be allowed […]

Air Canada must re-hire two pilots who were forced to retire at age 60, according to a ruling this week by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. However, the tribunal stopped short of extending the ruling to apply to all Air Canada pilots. “It’s good news, bad news, definitely,” said Susan Eng, vice president of advocacy […]

In the first nine months of 2010, general aviation shipments were down 15 percent compared to the same time period last year, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association reported on Tuesday. Pete Bunce, GAMA president, said despite the decline from 1,588 units last year to 1,357 units this year, he believes the longer-term outlook for GA […]

AOPA’s annual Summit runs Thursday through Saturday this week in Long Beach, Calif., featuring a long list of events and industry updates. The main hall hosts about 500 exhibits, and the schedule includes programs and speakers for new pilots, seasoned fliers and enthusiasts. A variety of social events and fundraisers are planned, including a Friday-night […]

Owners of 36,000 Cessna aircraft will be required to add more steps to their inspections of seat rails to ensure they are secure, the FAA said in a notice of proposed rulemaking released this week. The proposal applies to 18 models, including the 150, 152, 172, 182, and 210 single-engine aircraft, as well as several […]