News

Does it make sense that pilots need a third-class medical to fly even the smallest GA aircraft, while drivers can get a license to drive vehicles that weigh much more without a checkup? David Wartofsky doesn’t think it makes sense at all, and he has petitioned the FAA to reconsider its rule. Wartofsky, the owner […]

Researchers at Purdue University in Indiana have agreed to work with Swift Enterprises to test the company’s unleaded aviation fuel, the university said this week. Recent tests at Purdue used six aviation piston engines including a Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD, the highest-octane-demand engine currently manufactured, and a 65-octane Ranger L-440 built in 1933, which is one of […]

A few more details have emerged about Cessna’s experimental single-engine turboprop. According to airworthiness (PDF) and registration (PDF) records provided by Plane Fax, the presumed N-number of the aircraft, N350CE, is indeed an experimental aircraft intended for research and development and banned from flying over developed areas except for during takeoff and landing. The R&D […]

A financial Catch-22 is at the root of the market logjam stalling new business jet sales, according to analyst Brian Foley. Manufacturers keep saying they won’t start selling healthy numbers of new aircraft until the glut of used planes is cleared. And while there are plenty of customers anxious to snap up the many bargains […]

JetSuite Air, a new charter company headed by former JetBlue exec and staffed with ex-JetBlue pilots, is trying to apply some of the lessons they learned with the budget carrier to the bizjet charter market. The company, which began flying last year (it started life as Magnum Jet four years ago and had planned to […]

Emivest Aerospace, manufacturer of the SJ30 light jet, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week. The economic slump has led many customers to cancel or delay their orders, CEO Anthony Power said in court papers. The company, based in Dubai, was formed about two years ago when Emirates Investment and Development Corp. bought an […]

The NTSB this week held a two-day forum to examine safety issues related to code-sharing agreements between major airlines and regional carriers. “We have investigated many accidents in which passengers bought tickets on a major carrier and flew all or part of their trip on a different carrier — one that may have been operating […]

Hawker Beechcraft gave notice to the next 350 workers to be laid off on Friday, and set a timeline for at least 800 more to follow by next August. Also, top executives have collectively invested $6 million in the company and have agreed to take a 10 percent pay cut, according to the Associated Press. […]

The Reader’s Digest version of how pilots and flight attendants perceive their jobs (and their customers) has hit newsstands and we hope this isn’t the condensed version. The magazine said it polled 17 airline pilots for “50 Secrets Your Pilot Won’t Tell You” and 13 confidences kept by flight attendants. FAs got to expand their […]

The FAA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have inked a five-year agreement to develop aviation fuel from agricultural and forestry waste. The program will study the availability and fuel-refining potential of a variety of biomass sources. “Under the partnership, the agencies will bring together their experience in research, policy analysis and air transportation sector […]