Now open at Meadows Field Airport (BFL) in Bakersfield, Calif., is Bakersfield Jet Center by Loyd’s Aviation. The FBO, formerly called Loyd’s Aviation, is in a new location at the airport, with expanded operations. A remodeled ramp accommodates more and larger aircraft, creating 3.5 acres of parking space. Loyd’s Aviation began the renovation of the […]
Icon A5 completes high-performance water testing
Icon Aircraft has completed a series of hydrostatic and hydrodynamic tests on the Icon A5 amphibious Light Sport Airplane. The tests verified the basic hull performance for typical seaplane operations, as well as expanding the envelope into higher winds, rougher sea states, and advanced maneuvering. “The A5 is a pure sport seaplane, engineered to handle […]
NTSB expands accident reports online
The National Transportation Safety Board now releases all accident investigation public dockets to the NTSB public website, NTSB.gov, beginning June 1, 2009, in accordance with the NTSB Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Improvement Plan. The move serves to further bring the NTSB into compliance with a number of legislative and executive mandates aimed at improving […]
Social networking for pilots
PilotJourney.com has added a social networking site to its website. At the social networking site, which works just like other popular sites, such as Face Book and MySpace, pilots can meet online to develop friendships and even plan flights together. Membership is free. PilotJourney.com also has added Airplanes for Sale classified ads to its site. […]
Pennsylvania grants $3 million for airports
Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell announced June 1 that the commonwealth will provide nearly $3 million to 16 airports for safety improvements and facility maintenance. “Airports are important assets that can attract new business and create jobs,” Rendell said. “We are making the smart investments necessary to increase economic vitality and facilitate the more than […]
CAF B-25 flies again after 28-year restoration
A North American B-25N Mitchell World War II bomber returned to the skies on May 31 after a 28 year restoration by volunteers of the Commemorative Air Force aviation museum in Mesa, Arizona. Named “Maid in the Shade” in deference to its extended stay inside the museum’s hangar, the aircraft lifted off the Falcon Field […]
Jet fuels from plants could be certified soon
Jet fuels derived from algae, camelina and jatropha — plants that pack an energy punch, are not eaten as food and do not displace food crops — could be approved and replacing petroleum fuels in commercial flights as early as next year, a Boeing executive said yesterday, according to a May 29 Greenwire report by […]
Overnight curfew for NY airport discussed
New York congressional members want the Federal Aviation Administration to consider an overnight curfew at the Westchester County Airport, Newsday reported on June 1. The airport currently asks airlines and private jets to refrain from flying between midnight and 6:30 a.m. voluntarily, but some flights still take off or land during those hours. Reps. Nita […]
Planemakers challenged to find unleaded fuel option
The elimination of lead from automotive fuel long has been hailed as a top environmental achievement, but finding a replacement for the leaded aviation fuel used in tens of thousands of piston engine aircraft has proven to be much more difficult, wrote The Wichita Eagle’s Molly McMillan on May 30. Eventually, the Environmental Protection Agency […]