“The condos will just have to go somewhere else.” — FAA Administrator Marion Blakey at AOPA Expo talking about the FAA’s position on airport closures. “I’m buying it!” — Alan Klapmeier, the co-founder of Cirrus Design, commenting on the 3,000th Cirrus to roll out of the factory. His brother, Dale, flies the 1000th, while Patty […]
News
Bowerman Field on endangered airports list: Washington’s Port of Grays Harbor wants out of the airport game
Is there a difference between making plans to close an airport and asking the FAA to release a sponsor from the covenants on its deed? That’s what the users of Bowerman Field (HQM) in Hoquiam, Wash., want to know. Last month the news that the Port of Grays Harbor was seeking a way to be […]
Diamond chooses ATP for D-JET training
Diamond Aircraft has tapped Airline Transport Professionals (ATP) to provide initial type ratings and recurrent training in the D-JET. ATP, which has locations around the country, has purchased 20 D-JETs and five Diamond Flight Training Devices (FTDs). Diamond will deliver ATP’s first D-JET in July 2009, about one year after starting delivery of production aircraft. […]
A Warhawk Resurrection: Warhawks Inc. makes grand debut with award-winning P-40
Aircraft restoration is very much a niche market. One of the newest shops to open is also geared to one of the most beloved warbirds. Warhawks Inc., in Granite Falls, Minn., is dedicated to the restoration of Curtiss P-40 Warhawks. The company made its debut on the warbird scene at EAA AirVenture this summer with […]
GAMA welcomes new members
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) recently approved three new members: Eclipse Aviation, based in Albuquerque, N.M., which received the type certificate for its Eclipse 500 Very Light Jet in September and immediately went from being an aircraft developer to a manufacturer; San Antonio-based Sino Swearingen, manufacturer of the fast and long-legged SJ30-2 business jet; […]
‘Texas Raiders’ finally gets a hangar of its own: B-17 could be back in the air by next summer
Being on a waiting list for hangar space doesn’t do your aircraft any good while it’s sitting out on the ramp exposed to the elements. Finding indoor space is particularly difficult when your airplane is 75 feet long and has a 103-foot wingspan. Members of the Gulf Coast Wing of the Commemorative Air Force know […]
NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System celebrates 30th anniversary
NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) recently marked its 30-year anniversary. The confidential reporting system is widely used by pilots to identify potential safety hazards. Established under a memorandum of understanding between NASA and the FAA, the system collects, analyzes and responds to voluntarily submitted aviation safety incident reports to reduce accidents and improve safety. […]
Rotex kills V-6 engine project
An innovative engine being watched with eager anticipation by pilots and airframe manufacturers has been scrapped by Rotax, a division of Bombardier Recreational Products. The liquid cooled REV V-6 will reach certification this month, according to a BRP-Rotax statement, but will not be manufactured and marketed. Neither is the technology for sale, said Luc de […]
AmSafe’s airbag saves 5 lives
AmSafe, Inc., a provider of restraint products to the aviation markets, has confirmed the successful deployment of its AmSafe Aviation Inflatable Restraint system, which saved five lives in three separate accidents in the last four months. The accidents occurred in Wisconsin, Switzerland and Brazil. The restraint system is built directly into the seatbelts so that […]