Terrafugia, developer of the Transition Roadable Aircraft (also known as the Flying Car), officially received a grant of all of the special exemptions it had requested from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Terrafugia’s Transition is the first combined flying-driving vehicle to receive such special consideration from the Department of Transportation since the Federal […]
New algorithm could prevent midair collisions
The FAA has mandated that by 2020, all commercial aircraft — and small aircraft flying near most airports — must be equipped with a new tracking system, ADS-B, that broadcasts GPS data, providing more accurate location information than ground-based radar. In anticipation of the deadline, the FAA has also charged MIT researchers with leading an […]
Wanted: Buyer for bankrupt Commander Premier
Officials at Commander Premier Aircraft Corporation, which recently filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code, sought to clarify its situation, noting the company is actively seeking a buyer or a partner to help it emerge from bankruptcy. Commander Premier, and its operating subsidiary CPAC, Inc., filed petitions in the Tyler, Texas, […]
Museum’s B-17 goes on display
On June 30 The Museum of Flight’s rare, Boeing B-17F returned to a place in the sun. The aircraft has been undergoing restoration for 20 years, and was last on extended display at the Seattle museum in 1999. It now can be seen on the lawn in front of the museum’s east entrance. Its restoration […]
Irony is Congress lecturing on financial stewardship
Ironic: A member of Congress lecturing the FAA Administrator on financial stewardship. From Tuesday’s (July 5) edition of The [Tacoma, WA] News Tribune: “We need to see a realistic strategy for funding NextGen,” she [Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.] told FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt at a May hearing. “To date, the FAA has filled its budget […]
FAA and NATCA reach agreement on fatigue recommendations
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) have reached an agreement on fatigue recommendations that were developed by a joint FAA-NATCA working group that was established under the 2009 collective bargaining agreement. “The American public must have confidence that our nation’s air traffic controllers are rested and ready to […]
Clear Gas debuts in California
With the clock ticking down on an impending lawsuit aimed at producers and sellers of leaded avgas in California, a new company, Clear Gas, formed in May by a group of pilots in the Merced area, will deliver lead-free, ethanol-free autogas to airports, marinas, race tracks and all off-road appplications in California in amounts as […]
Grandparents Camp visits GMU
There’s a neighborhood near South Carolina’s Greenville Downtown Airport (GMU) full of grandparents who host their grandkids for a week during the summer. That’s why the residents of The Cliff at Glassy formed a Grandparents Camp, which recently visited GMU. More than 50 people from the neighborhood visited the airport “so they could have fun […]
Hall of Fame extends reservations deadline
Due to a surge in interest fueled by recent news of several high-profile participants, The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) has extended its deadline for the public to purchase seats to its two upcoming annual celebrations. The original deadline of last Friday, July 1, has been extended to Saturday, July 9, for anyone wishing […]