News

A NASA investigative board has found that an “elementary design flaw” is the most likely reason for the loss of the Genesis, which smashed into the Utah desert Sept. 8. Four switches, intended to signal the capsule to open its parachutes, were installed upside down, according to the board’s preliminary report. The parachutes didn’t deploy […]

Popular Science magazine has named Diamond Aircraft’s new DA42 Twin Star one of the top 100 tech innovations for 2004. Other selections include the 2005 Lotus Elise, the twin Mars Exploration rovers and the AGM-158 joint air-to-surface standoff missile.

In a simpler time, when a young man could bring dreams to life with imagination, drive and a little cash, twin brothers Joe and Howard Funk dreamed of flying. They realized those dreams in a succession of gliders and powered aircraft that many now consider classics. Joseph B. Funk died peacefully early in the morning […]

Actor Bruce Willis is offering to donate a part of some property he owns in Camas County, Idaho, for construction of a new airport. Willis made the offer at a meeting of the Friedman Airport Authority last week, saying he’s concerned about safety at the current airport. It’s estimated a new airport will take about […]

The Essco Aircraft Co. is doing its part to help the Yankee Air Museum at Willow Run Airport near Detroit. In October the museum lost nearly everything in a devastating fire. Fast-thinking volunteers kept the museum’s three airworthy World War II era aircraft, a B-17, a B-25 and a DC-3, safe from the flames. However, […]

Another actor, John Travolta, is also making headlines after buying a $10 million Zeppelin from the Neiman Marcus catalog. Travolta, who owns a Boeing 707 and a Gulfstream bizjet, was quoted as saying he “had to have one” of the Zeppelins.

How would you like be part of an expedition to find Amelia Earhart? Do you want it enough to pay $80,000 for the privilege? That was the minimum bid for an Amelia Earhart Adventure Silver Package and Hawaii trip for one, put up for bid on eBay by Nauticos, a company that specializes in deep […]

A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report notes that “the small size, lack of fuel capacity, and minimal destructive power of most general aviation aircraft make them unattractive to terrorists.” Called “General Aviation Security: Increased Federal Oversight is Needed but Continued Partnership with the Private Sector is Critical to Long-Term Success,” the report concludes that […]

If you visit Stanton Airfield (SYN) in southeast Minnesota, you may think you’ve stepped back in time. The airport, created in 1942 to provide primary flight training for Carleton College students preparing for military enlistment, has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The privately owned, public use airport, once known as Carleton […]