News

January 14, United States Air Force Special Tactics personnel were on the ground controlling airport operations at Toussaint L’Ouverture International, Haiti, but the ramp area was already saturated with 44 aircraft, forcing a temporary closure. The airport operates a control tower, two fuel trucks and one 9,974-foot runway. The control tower was rendered useless by […]

As the enormity of the earthquake disaster in Haiti becomes more clear, relief agencies are shifting into high gear to try and prevent further suffering and death in the impoverished country. And while government-sponsored relief and the Red Cross will lead the charge, there are ways that individuals can help. Venice, Fla.-based Agape Flight is […]

Houston air traffic controllers now are beginning to use the satellite-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system to more efficiently and safely separate and manage aircraft flying over the Gulf of Mexico, where radar can’t reach, the FAA said on Tuesday. “This is a significant, early step toward NextGen,” said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, in a […]

Jason Krul, one of several pilots with the Mission Aviation Fellowship based in Haiti, was home with his wife, Willemien, and their two-year-old son, Jason, on Tuesday afternoon when the earthquake struck. “I remember hearing what sounded like a heavy dump truck drive past on our street,” Willemien wrote in their blog the next day. […]

Hawker Beechcraft Corp. said on Wednesday its new Beechcraft King Air 350i twin turboprop has been certified by the FAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency and deliveries have already started. “With the new King Air 350i, our customers are benefiting from the same fuel efficiency and mission flexibility expected from a King Air, while […]

Coming up next week, the Living Legends of Aviation, a group of famous pilots, astronauts, entrepreneurs, and others involved in the world of flight, holds its 7th annual event to honor those who have made significant contributions to aviation. On Jan. 22, in Beverly Hills, Calif., John Travolta will present awards to actor Tom Cruise […]

Conflicting reports were flying on Wednesday about an alleged multimillion-dollar deal between Piper Aircraft and Czech Sport Aircraft, which builds the SportCruiser LSA, one of the more popular models in its segment. A local business daily in the Czech Republic reported that Piper was preparing to get into the LSA market, and the story was […]

Two flight training companies and their owners are being sued (PDF) by Wachovia Bank, which is alleging fraud in the alleged improper disbursement of student loans. As we reported last May, a number of students were caught in the middle of their training when Jet University abruptly closed. Now, some of those students are either […]

As the domestic aircraft market remains flat, manufacturers are looking offshore to bolster sales and Cirrus Aircraft’s sales force is getting that message this week. The company’s 65 sales executives are in Duluth for a week of meetings and since 35 of them cover other countries there’s a global perspective to the meeting, punctuated by […]

Washington State aircraft owners are getting ready to fight a new tax that could add hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year to their fixed costs. State Sen. Cheryl Pflug told the Washington Pilots Association that a citizens’ commission on tax preferences has recommended a 1 percent yearly excise tax based on the value […]