News

The FAA has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (big PDF) that would impose extra icing certification requirements on Part 25 (transport category) aircraft that weigh less than 60,000 pounds and would also amend rules for larger aircraft. The rule has been in the making since the 1994 icing-related crash of an ATR 72 in […]

Labor politics continues to prevent passage of the FAA’s funding reauthorization. The Senate passed its version of the bill some time ago but the House remains stalled on a provision that would make it easier for FedEx employees to unionize. The House voted Tuesday to extend the current funding authorization of the FAA for a […]

If you’re talking to air traffic controllers this week, you’re going to hear some new directions from ground control: starting Wednesday, June 30, “taxi to” will no longer be used when issuing taxi instructions to an assigned takeoff runway. Controllers are now required to issue explicit instructions to cross or hold short of each runway […]

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 […]