FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt today dedicated the new $72.6 million air traffic control tower and radar approach control at Memphis International Airport (MEM). “This tower is a symbol of the FAA’s commitment to aviation safety and modernization of the air traffic control system,” said Babbitt. “Our future success depends on keeping our airport infrastructure healthy […]
News
Hummelbird takes flight
By RAEANN SLAYBAUGH When you see it coming, you might think your eyes are playing tricks on you. Do they even make airplanes that small? Ted Dearing of Chandler, Ariz., does. And he does it well. Weighing less than most motorcycles — and delivering up to 50 miles per gallon — his 340-pound, Volkswagen-powered Hummelbird […]
Recreational Aviation Foundation names executive director
Following a nationwide search, the board of directors of the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) have named Carl Hicks as its first executive director. Truly a recreational pilot, Hicks, 58, of Gig Harbor, Wash., received his private pilot license in August 1975, and has several thousand hours of flight experience. After retiring from his first career […]
Celebrating 100 years of soaring
NASA’s Langley Research Center has partnered with the First Flight Foundation and other organizations to celebrate Soaring 100 — the centennial of Orville Wright’s historic, world record glider flight of Oct. 24, 1911. His nine minutes and 45 second flight started the sport and science of modern soaring. The Oct. 21-24 event will be at […]
Air Zoo program lets kids explore birds
On Saturday, Oct. 22, visitors to the Air Zoo in Kalamazoo, Mich., will have the chance to learn all about birds and how they fly at this month’s Super Science Saturday: Natural Flyers. Each 30-minute presentation (at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.) will feature fun facts about these high-flying creatures. Kids will have […]
Tough summer for GA
This past summer was a tough one for GA. Between June and September, 195 people lost their lives in 114 fatal accidents, reported FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt at the AOPA Aviation Summit. “The summer of 2011 has been an especially painful time,” he said. “I am still very troubled by the number of fatal accidents […]
New fuel won’t be a drop-in replacement
Unleaded alternative to 100LL still years away After 20 years of searching, it’s become obvious there will not be a drop-in replacement for 100LL. That’s the word from key members of the Avgas Transition Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC), who gave an update on the committee’s progress at this year’s AOPA Aviation Summit. “One of the […]
Shakeup at Piper
Simon Caldecott has been appointed the new interim president and CEO of Piper Aircraft, Inc., effective immediately. One of his first actions was to call for a review of the PiperJet Altaire program. Caldecott joined Piper in 2009 and is the former Vice President of Operations responsible for Manufacturing Operations, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality and Supply […]
Managing the transition to glass
Glass cockpits are replacing more and more analog panels in GA. The transition to glass is the subject of a recent Business Aviation Insider online extra. It delves into the differences between glass and analog and how GA pilots can prepare. Check it out here.