News

According to the folks at Cessna, you may not have to buy a new airplane to qualify for the tax benefits of bonus depreciation in 2009 — upgrades such as new avionics, which add value to the aircraft or increase its lifespan, may qualify. The company added a note that it can’t give tax advice, […]

When a Turkish Airlines 737-800 crashed short of the runway in Amsterdam last week, killing nine people, it was one of those relatively rare accidents where no apparent cause was readily discernible. But on Wednesday, Dutch Safety Board investigators said a faulty radio altimeter fed misinformation to the autopilot. The altimeter registered that the airplane […]

In California on Tuesday, Marine officials held a news conference to explain their findings in the December crash of an F/A-18 that killed four people on the ground. The officials blamed “a series of well-intentioned but incorrect decisions” by the pilot and his advisors. Nine people were reprimanded and four were relieved of duty. The […]

Remos aircraft announced this week that it has issued a Mandatory Safety Directive to owners to ensure that proper checks are made to secure the aileron controls when extending folded wings. A preliminary NTSB report of a fatal accident in January found that the left aileron quick fastener had not been secured prior to takeoff. […]

Recall last summer that we reported on a new proposed replacement for 100LL that would be both cheaper than avgas and have higher octane. While we don’t yet know about the cheaper part, the FAA’s initial testing has revealed that Swift Fuel has a slightly higher octane than 100LL and has excellent resistance to detonation, […]

Bombardier has reorganized its U.S. business jet sales force to reflect its business model in the rest of the world. Instead of representing one of the company’s three business jet models — Learjet, Challenger and Global — salespeople will now look after all three lines. “The change in the U.S. sales force mirrors the current […]

With Eclipse Aviation facing Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation — a court hearing is set for today, March 4 — and all operations closed, owners of the little jets are left with plenty of questions, and the FAA attempted this week to answer some of those most frequently asked. Question number one, naturally, was this: Can […]

A review by the FAA about what the word “current” really means in a regulation regarding maintenance of multiengine turboprops and turbine-powered aircraft is good news for owners and operators, AOPA said this week. The legal interpretation arose from a question regarding whether an aircraft operator is obliged to comply with the maintenance standards that […]

We’re used to reporting the first flight of new aircraft designs, but this week, Gulfstream announced the first simulated flight of its G650 bizjet — a less satisfying milestone, perhaps, but nonetheless significant. “This achievement demonstrates the successful integration of numerous cockpit systems, including those designed by Gulfstream and those provided by our suppliers,” said […]

As the North American and European aviation industries retrench and regroup, the worldwide economic crisis seems to have missed China, at least as far as investment in aviation projects is concerned. Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) announced today that it is investing $3 billion in three projects in the Beijing area that would seem […]