With a stroke of the governor's pen on May 16, Nebraska joined a growing list of states proclaiming support for - and recognizing the value of - general aviation, including the jobs and other opportunities flying creates.
Over the last century, general aviation airports have evolved from unpaved strips to a vital network of aviation hubs that contributed $38.8 billion to the economy in 2009, says a new FAA study.
Following several recent incursions into restricted areas in Arizona, AOPA is joining with the Air Force to raise the awareness of pilots of the flight-planning needs, and collision avoidance and situational awareness requirements of flying in or near airspace shared by military and civilian aircraft.
AOPA's new television-style webcast, AOPA Live This Week, created by Executive Producer Warren Morningstar and hosted by "AOPA Pilot" Editor in Chief Tom Haines, offers a comprehensive look at the week in general aviation.
On August 27, 2006, Comair Flight 5191 crashed during an attempted takeoff from the wrong runway at Lexington's Blue Grass Airport, killing all 49 aboard, save the co-pilot, James Polehinke, who has now become the subject of a documentary. A Chicago film maker will feature Polehinke in the movie "Sole Survivor," which creates accounts of the lives of people who became sole survivors of commuter aircraft crashes. It will be released this fall. Polehinke was at the controls of Comair's CRJ-100 as it sped into the grass off the end of the airport's shorter, narrower Runway 26. It had been cleared for the twice as wide and twice as long Runway 22. Polehinke awoke from a coma after the crash to learn he had facial fractures, a complex fracture of the pelvis, two fractures of the spine, and broken bones in his left leg, right foot and right hand. The film may show that wasn't the worst of it.
Redbull Wednesday shared video of one of its latest sponsored adventures -- five wingsuit skydivers joining up with and maintaining formation with two sailplanes in a dive over Austria. The team flew two aerobatic LET L-13 Blanik sailplanes and just to complicate things the lead flew inverted and one skydiver formed up inbetween the inverted and upright glider. The skydivers and gliders came together in formation at roughly 12,000 feet. The sailplanes wore wingtip mounted smoke canisters and one skydiver wore one on an ankle. The trick of the task was mating airspeed and descent rates and this time all members performed flawlessly. Check the video after the jump.
Troubled by decreasing volume in a flat aviation economy, Mattituck Services, one of the northeast's longest-established engine shops, will close at the end of May, according to Continental Motors. Some of the 23 affected employees will move to Continental's Fairhope, Alabama facility, which offers similar services on overhauls and factory service.
Virgin Atlantic will allow six cell phone calls at a time on its London-New York flights. Is that a plus or minus for you?Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers what kinds of cars they drive; click through to see the breakdown of answers we received.
There are a number of "catches," but Virgin Atlantic passengers will soon be able to make cell phone calls on the airline's flights from London to New York, the airline announced this week. No passengers will be allowed to have their phones powered up for takeoff or landing, and only six people will be allowed to talk at once. Each one will pay international roaming rates for the call and must have access to either Europe's Vodafone or O2 carriers, or the U.S.'s T-Mobile. By year-end, the service should be available on as many as 20 of the carrier's aircraft flying 10 routes. Virgin Atlantic isn't the first to offer the service, but don't expect U.S. carriers to follow suit soon.
Also: Mama Bird Johnson, Lights out For LightSquared, New Cessnas and LearJets, Nextant 400, ACJs, MLX770 Certs, and Aero-Cat-tastrophe! The FAA has just released a report called 'General Aviation Airports: A National Asset', which was compiled following an 18-month study to capture the many diverse functions of general aviation (GA) airports. The first customer-built example of the new Onex single-place, folding-wing, aerobatic sport aircraft has flown for the first time. Bill Fisher of Jackson Tennessee flew his AeroVee powered, standard gear Onex on Thursday, May 10th. Bill received the fourth Onex kit sold by Sonex Aircraft, shipped on August 5, 2011. An Arizona court said it will allow a lawsuit against Australian kitplane manufacturer Jabiru Aircraft Company to go forward despite the fact that its headquartered on the other side of the planet. The Arizona state Court of Appeals said that because Jabiru clearly understood that its kits were being sold in the U.S. through a dealer and distribution network, the lawsuit could go forward in Arizona. By all accounts, Evelyn "Mama Bird" Johnson was an amazing woman. Born just six years after the Wright Brothers first flew, "Mama Bird" learned to fly when she was 34 years old and wound up logging over 57-thousand-six-hundred hours ... or about 6-and-a-half years ... of flight time.
One Hundred Percent Screening Will Be Required As Of December 3, 2012 The TSA announced Thursday it has set a deadline for passenger air carriers to conduct 100 percent cargo screening on international flights bound for the United States. Beginning December 3, 2012, all cargo shipments loaded on passenger aircraft must undergo screening for explosives, fulfilling a requirement of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act.
Race Officials Offer Preliminary Details About 2012 Race Prep ANN has received the following statement from Airventure Cup Race Organizers in regards to the 2012 Airventure Cup Race: Over the past week, there have been many posts on social media sites and web forums regarding the 2012 Airventure Cup Race. This statement is meant to clarify and correct some of the statements that were made, as well as provide the public with information regarding the fate of this year's race. Last week, we were contacted by EAA officials announcing they would no longer support air racing, including the Airventure Cup. This move was a shock to us as much as it was the rest of the aviation community and we are still in the process of evaluating our options to continue the race. However, in an effort to clarify some of the misinformation that was shared in the public forums, we would like to offer the following facts...
Steel Workers Union Alleges Problems With Pinnacle's DIP Financing The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York has granted final approval to Pinnacle Airlines Corp. for $74.3 million in debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing. The funding is being provided by Delta Air Lines.
