News

One of the companies experiencing boom times is Columbia Aircraft, which surpassed its 2005 deliveries in the third quarter of this year. The Bend, Ore.-based company, which manufactures the Columbia 350 and 400, delivered 130 airplanes in the first nine months of the year, 16 more than the company delivered in all of 2005. “We’ve […]

Shipments of general aviation airplanes for the first nine months of this year showed a steady growth over last year, with 2,842 planes delivered, an increase of 18.9% over the same period last year, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). Even better news: Industry-wide billings were $13.2 billion, up 28.6 %. GAMA officials […]

It was the year of the jets at last month’s National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention. Not just any jets, either. The big interest was in VLJs, the Very Light Jets just now starting deliveries to customers. Oh, there were other airplanes at the convention and a lot of buzz surrounded them, but nothing to […]

Investigators with the NTSB say that a 13-knot easterly crosswind may have been a factor in the accident that killed Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor, Tyler Stanger, Oct. 11 when they crashed into a luxury high-rise apartment building in New York City. According to the NTSB, Lidle’s Cirrus SR20 was flying over […]

Mooney Aerospace Group, Ltd. is going private. The company, parent of the Mooney Airplane Co. in Kerrville, Texas, recently announced a merger with MAG Holding Corp, the holder of more than 90% of the outstanding stock of Mooney Aerospace. The remaining outstanding stock will be cancelled, with shareholders receiving 35 cents a share.

The FAA has just updated its free, on-line course, “A Pilot’s Guide to Ground Icing.” The course was created by a public-private partnership including U.S. and foreign government aviation agencies, companies, and educational institutions. Also available is “A Pilot’s Guide to In-Flight Icing.” Both courses are available on-line.

Aviation Technology Group (ATG), which is developing the Javelin jet, reports it has hit several milestones, including completion of a Preliminary Design Review, construction of cockpit and wing mockups, transonic wind tunnel testing, and initial tooling fabrication to support production of the conforming aircraft.

Both planes are in development. The D-JET, which graced the cover of our last issue, is expected to reach certification in 2008. Diamond officials call the D-JET a “personal light jet,” as opposed to a Very Light Jet. The single-engine jet is designed for the owner pilot who has about 500-700 hours and now flies […]

The power shift in Washington could mean good news for pilots. “This shift in power in the House changes the picture for us on the user fee fight,” said Phil Boyer, president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, “but it doesn’t mean we’ve won the battle. However, now we can be assured of a […]