“If your destination is less than 100 miles you drive. If it is more than 500 miles you take an airliner. If it is someplace in between, you take it.” — John Telfeyan, senior engineer for the roadable airplane — AKA a flying car — under development by Terrafugia, Inc. “We have one on order. […]
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First jet flight made on biodiesel: Around the world flight is next, company says
Aviation history was made earlier this month when an L-29 jet trainer flown by Carol Sugars and Douglas Rodante completed the world’s first jet flight powered by 100% biodiesel fuel, over the high desert near Reno, Nevada. The flight was backed by the partnership of Green Flight International and Biodiesel Solutions. The former was founded […]
New name for Virginia Fly-In
The 10-year-old Virginia Regional EAA Fly-in has changed its name to the Virginia Regional Festival of Flight. The name change results from an Experimental Aircraft Association directive that the independent status of all regional fly-ins be made very clear to the public, according to organizers. The 2008 Virginia Regional Festival of Flight will be held […]
Congressional impasse on FAA funding holds AIP grants hostage
The fall-out from the Congressional impasse on the pending FAA Reauthorization continues. That’s because grants from the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) cannot be released by FAA officials until the legislation is passed — or Congress gives FAA officials “contract authority,” which would allow them to start parceling out the grant money to airports. “A continued […]
MIT creates oil-repelling materials
Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have designed a material that can repel oil. According to researchers, the materials could be used to help protect parts of airplanes that are vulnerable to damage from being soaked in fuel, like rubber gaskets and o-rings. “These are vulnerable points in many aerospace applications,” said Robert Cohen, […]
BRS logs 208th life saved
A pilot experiencing a probable control surface failure deployed a Ballistic Recovery Systems whole aircraft parachute at Laurel, Maryland, near Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5, becoming the 208th save documented by the use of the parachutes. The plane, a Slipstream Genesis, a fabric and fiberglass homebuilt, “rolled over on its back and headed straight down,” […]
Financial woes at Adam Aircraft: Company lays off 300employees as it tries to raise more capita
Adam Aircraft laid off 300 people in January in what is described by company officials as a “strategic adjustment.” The company, based in Englewood, Colo., manufactures the A500, its distinctive centerline piston twin, and is in the process of certifying its VLJ, the A700. A few days after the layoffs, Adam Aircraft President Duncan Koerbel […]
Quest makes first Kodiak delivery
Quest Aircraft delivered its first Kodiak to officials from Spirit Air on Jan. 25, in a presentation at Quest’s headquarters in Sandpoint, Idaho. Spirit Air, which plans to use the Kodiak for flights into the Alaska wilderness and Idaho back country, and for commuter and small package runs, was the lead commercial customer for the […]
Northwest Aviation Conference celebrates 25 years
The Northwest Aviation Conference and Trade Show celebrates its silver anniversary this month. Part trade show and part educational conference, the show is slated for Feb. 23-24 at the Puyallup Fairgrounds near Tacoma, Wash. The 25th anniversary event boasts a variety of seminars, including certificate renewal clinics and lectures on several topics, such as avionics […]