News

A pending deadline that would make it difficult to find aircraft that could legally be used for ultralight training will probably be extended or discarded by the FAA, EAA said this week. When the sport pilot rules were developed several years ago, the FAA allowed the use of two-seat ultralight E-LSA trainers only until Jan. […]

Jinggong General Aviation Co., a Beijing-based company that is the sole dealer for Cirrus Aircraft in China, will move to the small Huanghua airport about 150 miles outside the city and upgrade it for use as a flying club to help promote the growth of private aviation, China Daily reported this week. Although GA has […]

Click for larger version The last time a sitting president vacationed on Martha’s Vineyard was during the pre-9/11 Clinton years, so when plans were laid for next week’s visit by the Obama family, the extent of the flight restrictions was a bit shocking to local pilots. “This is the most restrictive TFR we’ve seen,” said […]

At least six individuals listed by the FBI as possible terrorists also were listed in the FAA database as pilot certificate holders as of this June, according to The New York Times. After the Times questioned the TSA about the situation, the FAA suspended all six certificates. The Times had received the list of names […]

Barring any last-minute changes, the assets of Eclipse Aviation will be sold on Thursday, Aug. 20, to Eclipse Aerospace, a new company founded by two Eclipse E500 owners. Eclipse Aerospace put in a bid of $40 million with a federal bankruptcy court earlier this month, and since no other qualified bidders had surfaced by a […]

The results are in. From the thousands of AVweb readers (new and old) who entered our drawing during the lead-up to EAA AirVenture, we’ve picked three at random to receive brand-new AV8OR handheld GPS units from Bendix/King by Honeywell. The winners are: Many thanks to everyone who took a moment to enter the drawing, and […]

The FAA has issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (PDF) that would require a broad spectrum of aviation businesses, from repair stations to airlines, to implement formal “safety management systems” that document the safety procedures throughout the operation. The International Civil Aviation Organization defines an SMS as “systematic approach to managing safety, including the […]

Embraer says it’s on track to certify its Phenom 300 light jet by the end of the year. The fifth prototype flew for the first time on Aug. 8 and it’s likely to become a familiar sight on the airshow and trade show circuit since it has the fully developed BMW-designed interior. Its predecessors are […]

Click for larger images Michael Dacre, 53, was killed on Sunday in Malaysia as he was attempting to fly the prototype of the Jetpod, a jet-powered STOL aircraft. Dacre, who had designed the airplane, was the managing director of Avcen, the London-based company that was developing it. The Star, of Malaysia, reported that Dacre taxied […]

The FAA has convened a New York Airspace Working Group that will review current operating procedures in the VFR corridor over the Hudson and East Rivers and recommend safety improvements to FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt by the end of next week. FAA air traffic and safety experts will make up the panel. They will solicit […]