2005 was “The Year of the Light Sport Aircraft and the Sport Pilot Certificate.” The LSA rule was approved in September 2004 and by April 2005 FAA certification of aircraft was well under way. Among the first to get the nod were European imports qualifying as Special-LSAs, ready to fly models that can used for […]
ADIZ public meetings set
Two public meetings on a proposal to make the Washington, D.C., Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) permanent will be held this month. The meetings, scheduled by the FAA, also will be attended by officials from the departments of defense and homeland security. “This represents the first time since Sept. 11 that security officials and the […]
2005: A look back
Last year was one of triumph and tragedy as Mother Nature walloped the country from floods in Southern California that closed airports to the devastating triple threat of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. GA came to the rescue in all those situations, as pilots volunteered for countless rescue and relief missions. The Civil Air Patrol, […]
B-17 ‘Fuddy Duddy’ has a new home
The Wings of Eagles Discovery Center of Elmira, N.Y., has sold its B-17 “Fuddy Duddy.” The new owner is Martin Aviation, an aviation maintenance company based at John Wayne Airport in Orange, Calif. While details of the sale were not disclosed, museum officials said they were able to retire more than $3 million in debt […]
Excel-Ket to set up shop in Oklahoma
The new year will see Excel-Jet Ltd. relocating from Colorado to the Oklahoma City suburb of Guthrie. The company manufactures the single-engine Sport-Jet. Excel-Jet will set up shop in a 10,000-square-foot hangar at Guthrie/Edmond Municipal Airport (KGOK) in the next 90 to 120 days. It is estimated that when it is operational the facility could […]
Potomac reopens
Potomac Airfield (VKX) near Washington, D.C., has reopened. The Transportation Security Administration closed the airport in November, claiming Airport Manager David Wartofsky was not following TSA-approved security procedures established in 2002 for the three airports in the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). Wartofsky countered the measures that were used at Potomac went beyond the scope […]
StingSport carries airbags
SportairUSA’s StingSport now sports airbags. The LSA, which already features a Ballistic Recovery parachute system, now includes AmSafe Aviation Inflatable Restraints (AAIR).
Eclipse 500 certification slips
Certification of the Eclipse 500, scheduled for March, has been delayed until “late in the second quarter” due to what CEO Vern Raburn described as “supplier delays.” While no supplier was named, earlier discussions indicated that a key avionics source had fallen behind its planned production schedule.
Cessna’s Mustang heats up VLJ race
Cessna Aircraft Co. received a Type Inspection Authorization (TIA) in December from the FAA for its Citation Mustang, a significant step toward certification and first customer delivery in late 2006. TIA signals the FAA’s approval for the Mustang prototype to begin accumulating flight hours that will apply toward official certification.”Our goal for achieving TIA was […]