News

The folks at Piper Aircraft have been upbeat about the economy, projecting a 75-percent gain in sales this year, but that optimism stumbled a bit on Monday when the company announced it will shut down for a week in August to save money. The brief hiatus “will leave us with our current workforce intact,” Steve […]

What’s the best birthday gift for a 102-year-old? Whatever she wants — and Myrtle Carroll wanted to go for a ride in one of the little airplanes she enjoys listening to from the porch of her home near the Platte Valley Airport and Vintage Aero Flying Museum in Fort Lupton, Colo. Carroll had only been […]

The Senate has unanimously confirmed John Pistole, President Barack Obama’s nominee, as the next head of the Transportation Security Administration. The post has been vacant for about a year and a half, and two previous nominees failed to win confirmation. Pistole, a former deputy director at the FBI, was seen as “bulletproof” when his nomination […]

Worried about lack of progress in finding a replacement for 100LL avgas, the Malibu/Mirage Owners and Pilots Association and other owner groups have asked AOPA to step in and ask the FAA to approve accelerated fuel-testing procedures. In a report to the group’s members, M/MOPA’s Jon Sisk said AOPA President Craig Fuller has been asked […]

There haven’t been a lot of new aircraft introduced at AirVenture Oshkosh in recent years but a French company says it will have the soon-to-be-flying prototype of its unconventional canarded pusher design at the big show. Cobalt Aircraft Industries will unveil the Co50 at a news conference at AirVenture July 28. The aircraft will compete […]

On March 13, 2010, the Diamond DA40 piloted by Joseph Kirkbow flew low enough over Crystal Beach, Texas, to snag a fishing line, snap a fishing pole and blow off a man’s hat, twice (on separate passes), according to the FAA. The FAA says in its subsequent emergency revocation order that witnesses saw the pilot […]

The FBI says it’s perfectly normal for agents to call air traffic control towers and ask that aircraft be diverted for safety reasons. Whether or not they’re towing banners over a major golf tournament mocking its marquee player is irrelevant, the Bureau claims. It was confirmed on Friday that the FBI agent made the call […]

Space scientists say that solar storms are on the rise and do cause problems for satellite-dependent systems like GPS and ADS-B. So, if you’re wondering if there’s anything to worry about, the short answer is, “yes,” but there are caveats. Scientists at NASA’s heliophysics division and NOAA’s space weather prediction center told AVweb the storms […]

The Commemorative Air Force’s (CAF) B-29, dubbed FIFI, is scheduled to take flight later this month, retaking its crown as “the world’s only flyable B-29” after four years on the ground, CAF announced Friday. The flight is planned for 8 a.m., Tuesday, June 29, 2010, out of the CAF Airpower Museum, at Midland International Airport, […]

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 […]