According to the Aircraft Electronics Association second-quarter 2015 Avionics Market Report, total sales exceeded $1.1 billion in first six months of 2015. Sales during the second-quarter months of April, May and June rose 3.1% compared to the first three months of the year, according to the report. However, there was an 8.5% decrease in year-over-year sales compared […]
News
Back to the drawing board for Pilot’s Bill of Rights 2, Ex-Im bank
A post at Aviation International News Online notes that the recent approval of a three-month extension of the highway reauthorization bill late last week dimmed hopes for renewal of the Export-Import Bank’s charter before its funding runs out on Sept. 30. At the same time, backers of the Pilot’s Bill of Rights 2 (PBOR 2) […]
FAA passes 1,000 RPA exemptions
The FAA has granted 1,008 exemptions to unmanned aircraft operations. Companies and individuals from a broad spectrum of industries are taking advantage of the Section 333 exemption process, according to FAA officials. Many of the exemptions the FAA has issued allow aerial filming for uses such as motion picture production, precision agriculture and real estate photography. […]
Lockheed Martin deploys RPA traffic management system
As remotely piloted aircraft — also known as Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and drones — take to the skies, it is essential for safety that RPA operators and pilots are aware of each other. To help provide this shared situational awareness, Lockheed Martin has deployed the first components of a UAS traffic management (UTM) system that […]
Carpenter Avionics appoints new director of sales
SMYRNA, Tenn. — Carpenter Avionics has named Rick Januszewski director of sales. Januszewski has built a successful 35-year aviation career in roles as director of sales, business development and regional sales manager. He is also a member of the board of directors for Aviation Technical College in Georgia.
Video: TF-X excites the masses
A Terrafugia video posted to YouTube on July 20, 2015 has garnered more than one million views in just two weeks. It is easy to see why. The TF-X is Terrafugia’s “vision for the future of personal transportation.” “The TF-X will be a four-seat, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) hybrid electric aircraft that makes flying easier and safer […]
The last link: Dealing with the loss of a friend
By AMELIA REIHELD. “Oh, $%*@# !….” Waking up to the news that he had lost another friend to an aviation accident was not a good way to start the day for Tom Bush (CDR, USN, ret.) This latest tragic mishap claimed pilot number 21 in his own necrology of civilian and military pilots he had […]
GA shipments continue to fall
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The latest figures from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) show that airplane shipments fell 9.1% to 1,015 for the first half of the year, while billings dropped 4.6% to $10.4 billion, compared to the same period a year ago. Rotorcraft shipments also decreased, from 502 to 447, and billings were down an estimated 16.8% to […]
Work continues on Windecker Eagle restoration
MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Sporting a new engine, new cowling, new gear, fuel tanks, avionics, and awaiting a new interior and fresh paint, the only Windecker Eagle in the world is headed for airworthy status again — after a half century of neglect. The restoration, a project commissioned by Wei Hang, a Chinese entrepreneur, is bringing back the […]