News

Could your airplane save your life? Long-time test pilot Jim Stewart is convinced the design of the prototype Sport-Jet, a composite and aluminum four-place single-engine jet, saved his life. The prototype crashed June 22 on takeoff from Colorado Springs Airport. Preliminary reports from the NTSB point to wake turbulence as the cause of the accident. […]

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has once again earned the top ranking in the annual “America’s Best Colleges” guide published by U.S. News & World Report magazine. In the category of “Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering Programs” at schools where the highest degree is a master’s, Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus took first place, followed by the U.S. Air Force Academy […]

Have deployments of whole-airplane parachutes become old hat? That’s what Larry Williams, president of Ballistic Recovery Systems (BRS), a leader in the industry, is wondering. The company just learned about saves 189 and 190 a few months ago. Good news to report, right? Except company officials were a little puzzled about how to report the […]

The Virginia Regional EAA Fly-in and Expo, slated for Sept. 30-Oct. 1, celebrates its 10th anniversary this fall. Plans are to focus on educational activities. To give pilots flexibility to arrive and depart when they want, there will be no airshow this year, according to organizers.

Back in 1996, Ash Vij was a student pilot on a solo flight, heading his Cessna 172 to the practice area. But something just didn’t feel right. “I started feeling uncomfortable,” he remembers. “So I turned around and headed back to the airport.”After landing, he took the plane to the mechanic. “It was due for […]

Diamond Aircraft has expanded its sales network, naming Columbia Aircraft Sales in Groton, Conn., as the exclusive distributor for Diamond aircraft in New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Diamond also has expanded the territory of Premier Aircraft Sales, its distributor for Florida, Alabama and Texas, to Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Eastern […]

Adding airbags to your airplane is really a no-brainer. So says Yvonne Tillyer, director of sales for AmSafe Aviation, which produces seat belts and inflatable restraints for GA, commercial and military customers. “The technology is there for our cars, so why wouldn’t you want it in your airplane?” she asks. “It should be standard practice […]

Important renovations and upgrades are in store for Florida’s Kissimmee Gateway Airport (ISM), now that the FAA has awarded a $609,000 grant to pay for two key projects. The first will be rehabilitation of Taxiway A where it leads to the main runway. The second will widen Taxiway B, which gives access to runway 06/24. […]

Comp Air Inc. announced Aug. 28 that it would give away new Chevy Aveos to buyers of selected models of its airplanes.The first taker called three days later, according to Ron Lueck, owner of the Merritt Island, Fla.-based company. “He called from Miami and said he wanted to be the first,” Lueck said, “and he […]