Ownership

When the original Eclipse jet was certified, back in 2005, the FAA approved the airframe for a 10,000-hour lifetime, and last week, the owners of Eclipse Aerospace said the FAA had agreed to double that. “An actual Eclipse jet was subject to the movements, loads, and fatigue that would normally be experienced over more than […]

Waco Classic Aircraft Corporation has unveiled the first conforming new-productionGreat Lakes2T-1A-2, culminating a project that launched a couple of years ago.The open-cockpit two-seat tandem biplane features a Lycoming AEIO-360 180-HP engine, fuel injection, and a Hartzell propeller. It’s fully aerobatic, and sells for about $245,000. The first three aircraft for customers are already in production, […]

A new rule proposed by the FAA this week would permit aircraft to land at airports with zero visibility using an Enhanced Flight Vision System. The proposal also would allow commercial operators to dispatch aircraft when the destination airport is forecast to be below minimums, and would establish training and proficiency criteria for pilots. An […]

A new two-seat personal aircraft program announced by a former Air Force pilot and inspired by military fighter jets is winning attention on the internet, which, so far, is the only place the aircraft, the Saker S-1, exists. In announcing the aircraft, program leader Sean Gillette said the jet will have: a 0.95 Mach cruise, […]

Van’s Aircraft has delivered its first ready-to-fly aircraft and it seems like there will be a lot more to follow. George Longino took possession of his Signature Series RV-12 S-LSA at Van’s Aurora, Ore., manufacturing plant on May 31. He flew it back to his home near Dallas with a transition training pilot. Van’s did […]

Robust demand for Gulfstream’s new ultra-large-cabin G650 jet is driving a hiring surge in the company’s Greenville, Wis., plant, which has added about 60 new jobs so far this year and plans to fill 30 to 40 more positions in the next few months. General manager Gregory Laabs told the Appleton Post-Crescent the company has […]

When I was at Aero in Germany in April, one of the head-turner airplanes there was a scale P-51 Mustang LSA proposed by FK Lightplanes. See a video about it here. The reaction to this was interesting to watch and once again demonstrates how pilots love to complain about lack of innovation and then bitch […]

The insurance market for older pilots isn’t as grim as it once was. Stick with the same company, fly often and get recurrent training. The insurance market cycle has come a full 180 degrees from where it was in 2003, from very hard to very soft. The number of insurers competing for every GA insurance […]

Residents in the urban neighborhoods that surround busy Santa Monica Airport in southern California have complained about operations there for years, citing noise, air pollution, and the danger from plane crashes, and now the city has approved new landing fees that not only more than double the fees for transient flyers, but also now apply […]

Surf Air, which aims to offer private air travel in PC-12s among four California cities for a flat monthly fee, has received FAA approval to start flying. Flights will start June 12, with service between San Francisco, Monterey, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles. The company also said it has closed on a round of funding […]