All Entries in the "News" Category
Allen And Rutan’s Spaceship Launcher
It wasn't enough that they won the Ansari X prize, or that they going to start hauling rich folks to the edge of space, now Paul Allen and Burt Rutan have formed a new venture to eventually carry cargo and people into orbit.
To do it, Allen and Rutan have announced they're behind a gigantic new [...]
New Eyes For CHP Planes
Soloy Aviation Solutions of Olympia, Wash. says it has completed outfitting the first of two of the California Highway Patrol's Cessna 206 aircraft with the company's complete tactical officer station and delivered it to the CHP.
Utilizing the C-206's high wing location, Soloy's STC wing mounted hardpoint is readily adaptable for the forward looking infrared (FLIR) [...]
Reno Racers Announce ‘Blue Ribbon’ Panel
In a press conference to discuss the future of the National Championship Air Races, the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) announced Jan. 4 the formation of a Blue Ribbon Review Panel "to study the event."
The panel will review any possible changes or modifications that could be made to enhance the level of safety established by [...]
Boeing Leaving Wichita, More than 2,000 Jobs Lost
More than 2,160 workers will lose their jobs and end Boeing's presence in Wichita following the company's announcement Dec. 4 that it will close its defense plant in Wichita by the end of 2013.
The company said in November that it was studying whether to close the Wichita facility, which specializes in modifying commercial aircraft for [...]
Congress Restores BARR Program
Pilots can again protect private data about their aircraft's movements from being publicly released, the FAA announced Dec. 2, responding to provisions of a recent law.
Congress had effectively restored the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program by overwhelming vote in November, in a Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill.
Privacy advocates in Congress and [...]
Older Cessna? Get It Checked
Is your Cessna C-150/152 or Skyhawk getting along in years?
Cessna is a little worried about it and launched an initiative to educate owners about new required inspections for the 145,000 single-engine aircraft in the 100- and 200-series that were built between 1946 and 1986.
The supplemental procedures were added into the service manuals this month [...]
GAN Editor Dies
Captain Thomas French Norton, 77, former senior editor of General Aviation News of Tacoma, Wash. died Dec. 2.
The cause was complications following heart surgery, the newspaper reported. Mr. Norton was well-known in aviation circles for his encyclopedic knowledge of aircraft.
He joined General Aviation News' parent company Flyer Media in 2001 as editor of the now-defunct [...]
Who Will Replace Babbitt?
Who will President Obama nominate to be the next head of the FAA following the resignation of Administrator Randy Babbitt after his arrest for allegedly drunk driving Dec. 3?
The most likely? Nobody.
So goes the thinking in Washington, with media pundits noting that Obama hasn't had any success with his last two nominees (an [...]
Former FAA Administrator Dies
Former FAA Administrator J. Lynn Helms died on Dec. 11 at his home in Westport, Conn. He was 86.
The cause was cardiopulmonary failure after several bouts of pneumonia, said his daughter Carole Helms Reichhelm.
Mr. Helms, a decorated pilot who left the Marine Corps as a lieutenant colonel in 1956, became president and chief [...]
EAA Joins Boy Scouts
EAA and the Boys Scouts have entered into an agreement that is designed to help young people "discover and explore opportunities in aviation, including orientation flights in general aviation aircraft," the EAA said.
Those opportunities will be primarily focused through the Scouts' Learning For Life's Aviation Exploring program, a hands-on program that exposes young people [...]
