Recent Updates

The FAA is about to begin the next step in its search for an unleaded general aviation fuel through the Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative (PAFI). The FAA announced today it has received nine replacement fuel proposals from producers Afton Chemical Company, Avgas LLC, Shell, Swift Fuels and a consortium of BP, TOTAL and Hjelmco, for […]

Dubai airline Emirates finalized a $56 billion order to buy 150 Boeing 777X jets today, firming up a commitment made last year, just weeks after scrapping an order with rival Airbus. The deal includes purchase rights for an additional 50 airplanes which, if exercised, could increase the value to about $75 billion at list prices, […]

The Thai Air Force extended the life of its fleet of DC-3s by decades with their conversion to Basler BT-67s. They’re used for everything from troop transport to making it rain. view on YouTube

Aviation sunglasses manufacturer Summer Hawk Optics is using crowdsourcing to help bring its latest line of headset-friendly sunglasses to market sooner rather than later. CEO Dean Siracusa said in a news release that the new glasses feature extremely thin temples (the part that goes over the ear) making them comfortable to wear under a variety […]

With the explosions from the 4th of July celebration finally subsiding, this video has gone viral on YouTube and I wonder if its going to ignite some post holiday explosions of its own. (Thanks to Edd Weninger for sending the link; the video popped up on numerous sites over the weekend.) First, the particulars. The […]

A train carrying Boeing aircraft fuselages and parts from Wichita to Boeing assembly plants in Washington State derailed in Montana late Thursday, dumping its expensive cargo in the Clark Fork River. According to King 5 News, the train was carrying six 737 fuselages and subassemblies for 777 and 747 aircraft. Photos credited to Kyle Massick […]

The U.S. military said it had grounded the entire fleet of 97 Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets until completion of additional inspections of the warplane’s single engine, built by Pratt & Whitney, according to a report by Reuters. The Pentagon’s F-35 program office, Air Force and Navy issued directives on Thursday ordering the suspension of […]

Given that aviation isnt the broadest topic in the world, publications that cover it have to repeat certain topics from time to time. These articles are sometimes called evergreens, because they can be revisited with a fresh perspective. One of these is the notion of personal minimums for aeronautical decision making. The theory is that […]

Although it should come as no shock but is nontheless sad news, the family of Louis Zamperini announced his death on Thursday after a long struggle with pneumonia. At 97 and given his life experience, Zamperini had a good long run indeed. Many World War II veterans of his era passed years, if not decades […]

Actor Harrison Ford, other Santa Monica Airport tenants, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and the National Business Aviation Association have filed a complaint with the FAA challenging the city of Santa Monicas position that the airport can be shut down in July 2015. The tenants say that in August 2003, $240,600 was added to […]