Hawker Beechcraft Corp. (HBC) and FlightSafety International hosted a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony Feb. 24 at the recently completed FlightSafety International Hawker Beechcraft Maintenance Learning Center. Located east of the approach end of HBC’s Runway 18 in Wichita, the new 44,000-square-foot Maintenance Learning Center features 10 classrooms, Graphical Flight-Deck simulators, composites and cabin […]
WingX 3.6 released
Hilton Software LLC has released WingX for iPhone Version 3.6, which adds CSC DUATS RADAR, Moving Map Airspaces, and Yelp Integration with the AOPA Directory. WingX 3.6 adds animated DUATS Weather Images and displays the route line and route identifiers. All DUATS operations, including filing flight plans, obtaining weather briefings, and viewing weather images, use […]
Poor maintenance leads to crash
This February 2008 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others. Aircraft: Piper Aztec. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Sterling, Kan. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with a […]
Ask Paul: Use it or lose it
Q: I am considering buying a plane with a Lycoming 540 factory rebuilt engine. TSOH is 50 hours. The problem is the engine was installed five years ago with a new turbo and the owner has not flown it much since, although it has flown a few hours recently. There is a lot of chatter […]
Zodiac report IDs several factors in crashes
Several factors, including a wing structure that does not meet ASTM standards for Light Sport Aircraft, are indicated as causes for Zodiac CH601XL and CH650 in-flight accidents, according to an FAA report released Feb. 22. The special report is the result of an investigation into the Zodiacs after a series of in-flight structural failures, which […]
Individual liability insurance now available
Evolution Insurance Brokers has introduced a new individual liability insurance product to the aviation industry, offering customized, one-of-a-kind, individual protection plans to pilots, aircraft owners, CFIs, aircraft maintenance technicians and others. Branded as Xinsurance.com, and called “Pilot Shield,” the new offering is not a substitute for traditional insurance, but rather fills the gaps of other […]
San Francisco pilot can sue feds for disclosing HIV status
A GA pilot from San Francisco, who hid his HIV-positive status for years out of fear of losing his license, can sue the government for disclosing his condition during a fraud investigation, a federal appeals court ruled Feb. 22. According to a story in the San Francisco Chronicle, while a federal judge dismissed Stan Cooper’s […]
NATA celebrates 70 years
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA). When NATA began in 1940, some of the issues critical to aviation then are not so very unfamiliar to us now – private aviation businesses in America were under attack from all sides, the unemployment rate was over 14%, tax rates had […]
The impact of the Austin crash on GA
Following the Feb. 18 crash of a Piper Cherokee into an Austin, Texas, office building, speculation grew regarding the consequences that Andrew Joseph Stack’s criminal act would have on general aviation. A story at AOPA.org, quotes Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), who has been vocal about GA security since the Austin incident: “Homeland Security Committee has […]