News

A Congressional candidate in Los Angeles is asking celebrities to plant their carbon footprint somewhere besides Santa Monica Airport. Democrat Marcy Winograd is suggesting Van Nuys. The candidate for the 36th District has sent letters to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, actors Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise and John Travolta and director Stephen Spielberg asking them to take […]

No question that 2009 was a bleak year for the U.S. economy, but some GA manufacturers made positive progress in the global market. Pilatus, based in Switzerland, had the best year ever for its PC-12 NG turboprop, delivering 100 copies worldwide. “Achieving 100 deliveries in a single year is a significant milestone for Pilatus and […]

It took six years of effort, but the FAA has upgraded its traffic flow management system (TFMS) to make it more effective for general aviation flights, NBAA said this week. Prior to the upgrade, general-aviation flight plans submitted to the Flight Service FS21 system more than three hours before departure were held and weren’t transmitted […]

It looks like a collaboration between Yves Rossy and the Martin Jetpack with a little Buzz Lightyear thrown in, but NASA says its Puffin “personal flying suit” could someday whisk its occupant from a standing start to 30,000 feet on 60 horsepower of battery power. The device uses two rotors to vertically lift and then […]

An Oregon company says it’s received a patent for online flight planning. FlightPrep says the patent was originally filed in 2001 and was finally awarded Dec. 29, 2009. “FlightPrep’s Online Planner is recognized for the ability to display charts and routes interactively from data stored on an Internet server. The invention cites the ability for […]

Search and rescue crews worked into the night Saturday, searching for a plane that they’re not sure crashed in the mountains near Stanford, Calif. Confused early reports appear to suggest that two distress calls were made: one, pre-crash via radio; the other, post-crash through 911. In one of those communications, the caller stated that the […]

Boeing’s latest 747, the 747-8, has new computer systems that “may allow the exploitation of network security vulnerabilities resulting in intentional or unintentional destruction, disruption, degradation, or exploitation” of critical systems, according to the FAA. In short, the FAA is making sure that Boeing addresses the possibility that the jets, which can be configured to […]

74-year-old Teddy Ernest Mayfield has been ordered by a U.S. District Judge to pay a $2,000 fine and not to “operate, construct or repair aviation equipment” without permission after piloting an aircraft 26 years since the last time the FAA revoked his certificate. The flight took Mayfield from Eugene to Independence, Ore. According to a […]

From preflight briefing to IFR cancellation, the PIC faces a boatload of Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM). Helping, or hindering, are countless FARs and AIM suggestions. Count how many you can handle with this quiz. Take the quiz. More Brainteasers

click for larger image Piper Aircraft says it’s going back to its roots with a Czech-built light sport aircraft it’s calling the PiperSport. In its first appearance at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Fla. today, the company unveiled the aircraft, which was previously sold as a SportCruiser by Czech Sport Aircraft. The two […]