Every year, the folks at Sporty’s take a look back at the year and identify trends they’ve seen developing in general aviation. So, what’s on their list this year? ADS-B Out reaches a tipping point? It’s a much-maligned rule, but thousands of pilots are finally starting to understand what ADS-B is all about. Many are flying […]
FAA kicks off RPA public awareness campaign
Santa Claus may travel on a reindeer-powered sleigh, but he’s expected to deliver a ton of high-flying remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) this week to teenagers and other amateur aviators, which is making for an anxious yuletide season at the FAA, according to a report in The Washington Post. On Monday, the FAA and the RPA industry kicked […]
Final conforming Vision jet takes flight
DULUTH, Minn. — Cirrus Aircraft reports the maiden flight of the third and final conforming flight test aircraft, C-Two (C2), in its Vision SF50 personal jet program. The initial flight of C2 marks the latest milestone for the Vision jet program as C2 now joins C0 and C1 in FAA flight testing and certification activities. C2’s […]
Turbulence destroys King Air
Aircraft: Beech King Air. Injuries: 2 Fatal. Location: Amarillo, Texas. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The accident happened during an IFR cross-country flight. The 1,650-hour pilot, who held an instrument rating, was in contact with air traffic control during the flight. The controller cleared the plane to flight level 210 and gave the pilot […]
Picture of the day: Solo over the mountains
Joshua Boyd submitted these two photos from his recent solo cross country over the Smoky Mountains in a Piper Archer.
One dicey noise flap
A flying buddy emailed me about the big noise flap at East Hampton Airport near the tip of New York’s Long Island. In fact, I’ve been watching since The New York Times covered it this summer. Now, with federal grant assurances set to expire Dec. 31, there may be a tricky crossroads ahead for general […]
Making sure homebuilts are not forgotten in ADS-B mandate
Officials at the Experimental Aircraft Association report they are in ongoing discussions with the FAA to ensure that experimental amateur-built owners are not forgotten as the FAA looks toward the Jan. 1, 2020 mandate for equipping aircraft with ADS-B avionics. Historically, builders and owners of experimental aircraft have been able to install avionics that meet the performance […]
Mooney wins Chinese approval, makes first delivery
Mooney International is set to deliver the first M20TN Acclaim Type S aircraft with a Chinese National Registration, (“B” number), to its owner in China at the end of December. Mooney officially received the Validation of Type Certificate (VTC) issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on Dec. 9. This allows Mooney to […]
Klatt wins top airshow award
The International Council of Air Shows (ICAS) has awarded Air National Guard Lt. Col. John Klatt the airshow industry’s top award for showmanship. Klatt, owner of Owatonna, Minn.-based John Klatt Airshows, earned the Art Scholl Memorial Showmanship Award, which recognizes his commitment to the ideals of airshow entertainment. Best known for his performances in his […]