WASHINGTON, D.C. – The FAA has relaunched its $500 ADS-B rebate program.
According to FAA officials, the agency is making $4.9 million available for rebates, which will fund 9,792 ADS-B Out installations. [Read more…]
EAA receives $1 million for young pilots’ flight training
EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — A new Experimental Aircraft Association program will provide up to $10,000 each for an initial class of 90 to 100 young people who are pursuing flight training, thanks to the Ray Foundation of Naples, Florida.
The Ray Foundation has provided $1 million to fund the Ray Aviation Scholarship Fund. The scholarship program will be managed by EAA and administered through its chapter network.
EAA chapters will be responsible for identifying youth for the Ray Aviation Scholars program and mentoring them through flight training. [Read more…]
Piper launches apprenticeship program
VERO BEACH, Florida — Piper Aircraft is launching an accredited apprenticeship program in cooperation with Indian River State College in response to the increasing demand for high quality manufacturing employees.
The two-year program, which will officially start in the summer of 2019, will initially begin with 10 individuals and grow to 20 apprentices by the second year. [Read more…]
Video: NTSB warns pilots and mechanics about worn fuel selectors
The National Transportation Safety Board has issued two Aviation Safety Alerts — one for pilots and one for mechanics — warning of fuel starvation and loss of engine power from worn fuel selectors.
The safety alerts come after the NTSB investigated several recent accidents where worn fuel selectors contributed to the cause of the accident.
A companion video (below), featuring aircraft investigators discussing the safety issue, has been posted on the agency’s YouTube Channel. [Read more…]
Alsim opens new location in Florida
Alsim has expanded its presence in North America with a new joint Alsim/Cirrus Aviation demonstration center and simulation lab at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport in Florida.
The new facility contains Alsim’s latest simulation products, including the AL172 and AL250. [Read more…]
Unleaded fuels testing not expected to be complete until 2020
In an update from the FAA on the Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative (PAFI), which is the agency’s quest for an unleaded avgas, FAA officials now say the completion of testing of the new fuel isn’t expected until mid-2020. [Read more…]
Homebuilt accident rate drops to new low
In 2017, pilots of experimental amateur-built (E-AB) aircraft were involved in fatal accidents at a lower rate than has ever been recorded, according to the 2017 General Aviation and Part 135 Activity Survey (GA Survey). [Read more…]
A modern-day milestone for CAP
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. – A save on the afternoon of Sept. 30, 2018, off the southern tip of Florida has given the Civil Air Patrol a new record for lives saved in a fiscal year — 155, as credited by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC).
Virtually all of those saves – 147, or 95% – occurred with the support of CAP’s National Cell Phone Forensics Team.
The organization totaled 154 saves in fiscal 1983 and again in fiscal 1994, surpassing 100 in 16 of the previous 51 years. Before that, saves weren’t reported annually. [Read more…]
Aerospace industry has $24.8 billion impact on South Carolina economy
South Carolina’s aerospace industry cluster is one of the largest in the state, according to a study released by the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness.
The study finds that there are more than 350 aerospace companies operating in the state that, together, employ 54,881 people, creating a $24.8 billion economic impact. [Read more…]
LSA weight limit changes still years away
Experimental Aircraft Association Chairman and CEO Jack Pelton revealed that the FAA is going to increase the weight limit for light-sport aircraft to 3,600 pounds at the AOPA’s Regional Fly-In, but EAA officials are now advising the general aviation community that there’s “much work to be done” before this becomes reality.
The proposed weight limit change is just part of current discussions between EAA and the FAA before any broad MOSAIC — Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certificates — rulemaking — and those discussions are still in the formative stage, according Sean Elliott, EAA’s vice president of advocacy and safety.
“There are numerous ideas that have emerged from discussions regarding MOSAIC, which began more than two years ago as informal conversations between EAA and FAA,” he said. “One area that emerged was how to help LSA fulfill its full potential. While weight-limit changes are one possibility, a specific number such as 3,600 pounds is something that is still very much in the exploratory stage.” [Read more…]