News

The first official meeting of the Senate General Aviation Caucus, co-chaired by Senators Mark Begich (an Alaska Democrat) and Mike Johanns (a Nebraska Republican) took place Thursday, Jan. 28, composed of 23 members. The meeting addressed the role that GA serves in the U.S., and how the concerns of the GA community could be elevated […]

The FAA now believes a radio call from someone who claimed to be a passenger aboard a small plane that (he alleged) impacted mountains near Stanford University actually originated from a handheld transceiver in a downtown neighborhood, according to a local ABC affiliate. ABC7 of San Francisco says their source heard a recording of the […]

A rare 1929 Hamilton Metalplane, which was expected to sell for about $1 million, went to the highest bidder for just $710,000 at an auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., last week. The aluminum airplane is No. 22 of only 29 that were built, and it’s the only one in flying condition. The collector who made the […]

The leaders of several of general aviation’s main advocacy groups came together this week to discuss the challenges expected in the year ahead, set priorities, and commit to cooperation. At a leadership conference hosted by the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) in San Antonio, Texas, on Tuesday, NATA President James Coyne joined AOPA President Craig […]

Disasters tend to ebb from the headlines after a few weeks, but in Haiti, where the devastation is widespread and the desperate need for help persists, general aviation continues to play a major role in the response to the Jan. 12 earthquake. In the immediate aftermath, private pilots were widely advised that the best way […]

The Vision jet is the highest priority at Cirrus Aircraft, CEO Brent Wouters said in a webcast on Wednesday, but as of now, there is no timeline for its completion. “When will it be done? We don’t know,” Wouters said. “It’s a function of cash flow … We will get the program done as soon […]

Since 1960, nobody has beat USAF Col. Joe Kittinger’s record for jumping from 102,000 feet and landing safely with a parachute. Now Col. Kittinger is helping a Red Bull team to break that record, with skydiver Felix Baumgartner hoping to set four world records in a single jump. The team plans to send Baumgartner aloft […]

In the Jan. 18 edition of AVwebFlash, we ran a story headlined “Flight 1549-Inspired Tow Plane Crash Lands Near Hudson.” Based on reader input and our own reflection, we’ve decided the headline is misleading and doesn’t reflect the events of that day, which included a successful off-airport landing with no damage to the aircraft. The […]

Financial publications are reporting that Steven Udvar Hazy has left the chairmanship of International Lease Finance Corp. after parent company, government-supported insurer AIG decided against selling ILFC, the largest aircraft leasing company in the world. Hazy co-founded the company and sold it to AIG during better times. With AIG under government supervision, thanks to an […]

ADIZ-like restrictions have been imposed for private aircraft traveling to the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada next month. All private aircraft heading to Vancouver will have to land in a “gateway” airport before going to Vancouver. Thorough security screenings and searches will be done at the gateways and the aircraft must go […]