News

A Transportation Department Inspector General (IG) report dated June 18 found “serious security lapses” in systems that the FAA uses to store pilots’ personal information, including medical data. Information collected from roughly 465,000 current medical certifications is just the tip of the iceberg. The IG says the FAA’s Internet-accessible Medical Support System (MSS) holds records […]

Sportair USA has announced itself as the U.S. importer and distributor of a new LSA, the iCub, which it touts as a “classic taildragger” that starts under $100,000 and includes a “panel mounted iPad aviation information center.” The iPad comes loaded with software that includes the WingXpro7 GPS-enabled terrain-aware moving map, ForeFlight Mobile HD and […]

The FAA Wednesday approved use of an unmanned Predator B aircraft out of Corpus Christi to patrol the U.S. border with Mexico along the 1,200 miles between El Paso and Brownsville, Texas. Flights could begin as early as Sept. 1. The flights add to Texas’ aerial drone coverage approved in May that began June 1, […]

In 2009, CLEAR, a service that once allowed members fast access through security checkpoints at certain airports, closed without notice (but with its clients’ payments); now, new owners are mounting a comeback. The company once provided security screening that expedited transit for its roughly 200,000 patrons by providing them with special kiosks at about 20 […]

EAA AirVenture 2010 is just over a month away, so if you’re going, now is a good time to be making plans, especially since early-bird discounts on advance tickets expire June 30. This year’s big event has plenty of new features, a salute to veterans with lots of rare warbirds, plus of course the usual […]

The Federal Communications Commission took the general aviation world by surprise when it said in a recent report it will prohibit the sale or use of 121.5 MHz emergency locator transmitters and require the use of 406 MHz units, a rule that could take effect as soon as August. Most of the 220,000 or so […]

Terrafugia Inc. has been granted an exemption from the FAA (PDF) that allows the company a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds for its Transition roadable aircraft, 110 pounds above the usual limit for LSAs. The extra weight will make it easier for the designers to comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards, which require […]

British Airways nine-month-old experiment with a business jet-style service between the convenient London City Airport and JFK has apparently been successful enough that the airline is considering similar service to Boston, Chicago and Washington. The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation says BA is reporting 75-percent loads on the New York route, which harkens to the […]

A bipartisan bill to extend bonus depreciation on aircraft purchases has been introduced in the Senate and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association is rooting for its passage. The bill was introduced by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., and ranking member Chuck Grassley. Bonus depreciation allows aircraft buyers to depreciate their purchase 50 percent […]

Cessna CEO Jack Pelton has been necessarily concerned about a shortage of customers in the past 18 months but he’s shifted his gaze to a new threat on the horizon and that’s a shortage of pilots. Pelton told the Aero Club of Washington (PDF) this week that the FAA estimates the number of student pilots […]