News

Click to view full-size image An auction in Manhattan on April 13 will feature an annotated checklist used to power down damaged parts of Apollo 13, other space memorabilia and a complete 93-year-old Curtiss MF flying boat. The auction by Bonhams will be held on the 40th anniversary of the oxygen tank explosion that nearly […]

Cirrus Aircraft has gone to court to stop a former supplier from allegedly telling other suppliers that Cirrus is headed for bankruptcy. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune Cirrus filed suit Thursday against Grand Rapids, Mich.-based L-3 Communications and also claims L-3 has been encouraging other suppliers to stop doing business with Cirrus. Cirrus wants […]

FAA chief Randy Babbitt was in Washington Thursday to explain why the FAA wants $1.14 billion for fiscal 2011. The administrator defended the request to the Transportation and Housing and Urban Development subcommittee, explaining that the move to NextGen involves a “complex series of programs” and inter-related initiatives. If granted, the funding would be a […]

The Federal Court of Canada has backed flight attendants who refused to work a flight because they believed the pilot was suicidally depressed. It’s not clear if the attendants, as part of the ruling, would have to tell passengers on the flight about their motivation to deplane. The court challenge arose when four Air Canada […]

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has updated its guide explaining the required electronic Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) used by pilots flying into the U.S., with consideration given to suggestions from EAA. The new guide clarifies certain requirements first published in 2008 and adds instruction designed to help pilots deal with real-world complications […]

The on-again, off-again, on-again, four-plus-one place Seawind 300C has received its flight permit, flown over Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Canada, and is heading for certification, according to company chief, Richard Silva. The aircraft is marketed by Seawind as both “the world’s most versatile land plane” and “the world’s fastest seaplane.” Flight testing will be performed by the National […]

Two F-35B Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) test jets flew six times on Wednesday, March 10, above Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., clearing the way for the program’s vertical landing tests. One aircraft, flown by test pilot Graham Tomlinson, was a Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant of the Lockheed Martin design. It flew […]

New Zealand’s Martin Aircraft Company says it has signed a $12 million joint venture with an “international aircraft company” that aims to make the Martin Jetpack a commercially available product, but details remain unresolved. The partner is yet unnamed, but would be licensed to manufacture Martin Jetpacks only in its native country (also yet unnamed). […]

Copilots for commercial flights carrying passengers would be required to have at least 800 hours of flight time under a measure passed by the Senate Tuesday. Current rules require only 250 hours. The 800 hours must include experience working in multiple-pilot environments and training in handling adverse weather and icing conditions. If the legislation becomes […]

It’s now easier for U.S. pilots to fly their light sport aircraft into Canada, EAA said this week. Transport Canada now will treat LSAs the same as experimental aircraft. Previously, TC required U.S. pilots of LSAs to call ahead and receive authorization to fly in Canada, obtain a validation form to keep in the aircraft, […]