Recent Updates

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 […]

Blade, an app that makes it easy for travelers between New York City and the Hamptons to book helicopter rides, is partnering with Uber, the car-service app, this week. The Blade service enables users to either book a seat on a scheduled flight or “pick the time you want to fly and crowdsource your own […]

The FAA is still grappling with “unresolved technological, regulatory, and privacy issues” that make it unlikely it can integrate unmanned aerial systems into the National Airspace System by the September 2015 deadline, according to a report (PDF) this week from the federal Transportation Department inspector general’s office. The deadline was set by Congress in 2012. […]

Our weekly review of what to do in aviation on SocialFlight uncovered numerous Independence Day fly-ins and events-starting at the top with a fly-in at the nation’s highest airport. Our review was made easier and more encompassing by SocialFlight’s substantial upgrade to its free website which now allows users to customize the events they want […]

The first production HondaJet made its first flight last Friday and the company calls it “another milestone toward aircraft certification and entry into service in 2015.” The aircraft took off from Piedmont Triad International Airport, flew for 84 minutes, and got as high as 15,500 feet and as fast as 348 knots. It will be […]