News

Following the March 12 crash of a Sikorsky S-92 helicopter off the coast of Newfoundland that killed 17 people, both the U.S. and Canada are reportedly considering temporarily grounding the fleet. Some 90 S-92s are in operation throughout the world and though a cause of this month’s crash has not yet been determined, investigators have […]

Williams International announced Friday that it has completed “extended testing” that burned 2,000 gallons of “coal-based alternative fuel” in a Williams FJ44-3 gas turbine engine. The test engine endured 118 cycles and 21 hours of operation and “performed extremely well,” showing performance numbers that were “identical” to its Jet-A burning counterparts, according to the company. […]

The FAA Thursday drastically reduced the number of aircraft affected by an emergency airworthiness directive it issued Tuesday from about 2,715 aircraft to about 50 helicopters registered in the U.S. The earlier AD had required emergency inspection of some 2,715 Bell 206, 407 and 427 models. (Bell 206 and 407 helicopters are the company’s bestselling […]

A Cessna spokesman says the company may have to reconsider the delivery schedule for the 162 Skycatcher after the second crash of a prototype Thursday. The pilot, who was doing unspecified flight test maneuvers, pulled the ballistic parachute, which deployed and he was uninjured in the incident. Photos show the aircraft ended up inverted, likely […]

Officials in Montana found a Cessna 180 flown by Sparky Imeson, author of the Mountain Flying Bible and he died in the crash. The plane had been missing since Tuesday afternoon. Imeson was reportedly alone aboard the airplane, and his last known radar position was about 18 miles north of Bozeman, Mont., at about 2:23 […]

Since charitable contributions have been sinking across the board, and the endowment funds that many nonprofit groups depend on have shrunk, we expect that the challenging economy will be a major topic of discussion at the upcoming Air Care 2009 national conference, scheduled for April 17-18 in Kansas City, Mo. Leaders of volunteer pilot groups […]

The Aero Friedrichshafen aviation show coming up in Germany April 2-5 will feature an E-Flight Expo showcasing aircraft with electric motors and other alternative propulsion systems, but if you can’t make it there, another opportunity is coming up soon on this side of the pond to catch up with all the latest advances. The 2009 […]

The Transportation Security Administration has created a new position for a general aviation liaison, and named Juan Barnes to the post. Barnes will be available via e-mail to address the public’s concerns about security measures that impact GA operations. AOPA says questions may be submitted to Barnes via the e-mail address TSAGeneralAviation@dhs.gov. AOPA will automatically […]

The FAA has given up on an effort to mandate enhanced crew-rest rules for airline pilots flying legs over 16 hours long, according to a recent report in The Wall Street Journal. The FAA had proposed new rules that would have allowed some pilots on such legs, which require two crews, to work more than […]

Timing is everything, and VLJs are the right product for a recession, claim, well, VLJ salesmen. Cyrus Sigari of JetAVIVA and Randall Sanada of Jet Alliance claim the exodus from big business jets is filling the seats of the smaller aircraft. “It is still cool to own a VLJ,” Sigari told the San Fernando Valley […]