Recent Updates

The FAA said on Friday it has issued its first restricted category type certificates to two unmanned aircraft systems. The approval is “a milestone that will lead to the first approved commercial UAS operations later this summer,” the FAA said. The two systems are small — Insitus Scan Eagle X200 weighs about 44 pounds and […]

Federal prosecutors allege that a former military pilot who for the past eight months flew helicopters in the Syracuse, N.Y., area for Mercy Flight Central passed the company’s background check using a false name and did not hold proper FAA certification. John Dial allegedly went by the name Alex Coussirat when applying for his EMS […]

A 60-percent drop in deliveries for business jets meant a $203 million decrease in revenues for Cessna in the second quarter, compared to last year, parent company Textron reported last week. Cirrus reported income growth of 36 percent so far this year. Textron said Cessna delivered 20 new Citation jets in the second quarter, compared […]

Citing a shortage of qualified pilots, the U.S. Air Force has offered bonuses of up to $225,000 to active-duty aviators who re-enlist by September 30. The program requires a commitment of up to nine years. The purpose of the program is to retain highly qualified aircrew members at a fraction of the cost incurred to […]

Continental Motors announced today that it has bought the bankrupt assets of Thielert Aircraft Engines for an undisclosed sum. The deal has been in the works for several months and overnight makes Continental the volume leader in aircraft diesel manufacture. Continental and its parent, the China-based AVIC International, said that the management of Thielert would […]

Happy End might seem like an odd name for a pictorial book about plane wrecks but not just any wreck made the grade for German photographer Dietmar Eckell. The 96-page volume features a moody selection of photos of 15 wrecks, ranging from light twins to heavy piston transports, in remote locations from Papua New Guinea […]

BAE Systems recently demonstrated a system that provides helicopter pilots with situational awareness of their immediate surroundings while flying in zero visibility conditions. The company seeks to improve statistics that show more combat helicopters have been lost in Afghanistan to low visibility conditions than to enemy fire. The Brownout Landing Aid System Technology (BLAST) mixes […]

After a missed approach, the fuel condition of a Virgin-operated Boeing 737-800 with 91 aboard forced an emergency landing at a fog-shrouded alternate airport in Australia on June 18 that left the jet with 15 minutes of fuel remaining when it stopped, the ATSB said. According to the ATSB’s preliminary incident report, released Wednesday, the […]

Deer Trail, Colorado, is expected to vote August 6 on an ordinance that would sell hunting licenses and provide rewards to its citizens for destroying federal property if it appears overhead in the form of an unmanned aerial drone. The ordinance was drafted by town resident Phillip Steel. It states that Deer Trail will offer […]

According to the CDC, the weight of the average American has significantly increased since 1960 and that may be starting to have an impact on air medical transport providers, especially those that operate helicopters. The average weight for men aged 20-74 rose nearly 30 pounds over four decades ending in 2002, according a CDC report. […]