Troubled times continue at Commander Aircraft Co., as the Bethany, Okla.-based company is set to be liquidated. After two failed attempts to find saviors for the bankrupt company, Commander’s December 2002 Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing has been converted to a Chapter 7 filing by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware. All operations at the company […]
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Pilots say it’s time for a tower at Frederick
The time has come for a control tower at Frederick Municipal Airport (FDK), say airport manager Charles Abell and a lot of pilots at one of Maryland’s busiest airports. The tower proposal isn’t the only thing on Abell’s wish list. Public meetings about updating the airport’s master plan have elicited discussions of additional hangars, improved […]
WASP Marianne Beard Nutt dies at 84
Marianne Beard Nutt, a member of the WASP class of 1943, died Jan. 16. Nutt developed a passion for aviation when she was 7, after seeing Amelia Earhart. She did not have the money for flying lessons and was told girls could not be pilots. Nevertheless, she learned to fly, working odd jobs at an […]
Reach out and touch — your airplane
You live in the South, so icing isn’t a problem, right? Wrong, as this winter’s Arctic blasts demonstrate. Wing icing has been in the news a lot, lately, and pilots should be paying attention regardless of where they live. On Dec. 29, the National Transportation Safety Board issued an Alert to Pilots concerning ice accumulation […]
Global Express XRS completes maiden flight
Bombardier’s new-generation Global Express XRS business jet has successfully completed its maiden flight. During the four-hour, four-minute flight, the bizjet reached an altitude of 47,000 feet and a maximum true airspeed of 518 knots (596 mph). The jet, which can fly 6,150 nm nonstop, is expected to receive its Certificate of Airworthiness shortly. Customer deliveries […]
American Lake seaplane base faces closure
The Washington State Department of Transportation Aviation Division and the Seaplane Pilots Association are trying to persuade city officials in Lakewood, Washington, to keep the seaplane base at American Lake open. The city notified the state of its intent to close the base last month. The owners of the handful of aircraft kept at the […]
Steve Fossett to launch round-the-world flight flight Salina, Kansas
Salina, Kan., may not be the center of the world, but it’s close enough for aviation adventurer Steve Fossett. The record-setting pilot plans to use the Salina airport for the beginning and end of his attempt to fly the first solo, non-stop, non-refueled circumnavigation of the earth. Fossett will fly Scaled Composites’ Model 311, a […]
Javelin jet maker attracts some big names to the executive payroll
When you spend a lifetime in one industry, it can be very difficult to retire. It certainly was for Horst Bergmann, who spent approximately 40 years at Jeppesen. He’s now capping off his career at Aviation Technology Group, Inc. (ATG), developers of the Javelin Executive Jet. Bergmann joined Jeppesen in 1963, right after he finished […]
2005 funding for NTSB increases
Congress recently passed legislation increasing the 2005 funding for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Congress appropriated $2 million above the requested budget for the NTSB and directed the agency to use the extra funds to hire additional accident investigators for its regional offices.