Home | Fun Places to Fly | Aviation Events | News | Learn to Fly | Aviation Videos | Web Design | Membership | Sign In Flight Planner courtesy of NavMonster.com From: To: Advertise   Airport Search | Link to Us! | Advertise | Jobs! | Trip Calc | Weather | Contact   Aviation News! The Latest News From AOPA - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association: No user fees, tax hikes in long-term FAA bill No user fees. No increase in avgas or jet fuel taxes. General aviation pilots can celebrate what wasn't included in the long-term FAA reauthorization bill. The House and Senate ironed out details on a four-year FAA reauthorization bill Jan. 31, paving the way for a full vote in both houses before the latest short-term funding extension expires Feb. 17. Highlights of the bill indicate that GA fared well. Bank of America helps member buy LSA After achieving his dream of learning to fly, AOPA member Carl Houghton wanted an airplane of his own. When it came time to investigate financing, he made some inquiries into AOPA's Aircraft Financing Program. LightSquared tests offer 'no practical solution' AOPA is calling for the Federal Communications Commission to revoke LightSquared's conditional approval to develop a mobile-satellite network. A technical committee has concluded that the transmissions pose intractable interference problems for aviation navigation and other uses of GPS. The Latest News From Aero-News Network: Canadian Teens Send Lego Man To FL800 Viral Video Drawing Massive YouTube Views One of the latest viral videos on YouTube was created by two high school seniors from Canada, who were inspired by edge-of-space projects using weather balloons. Their video shows a Lego man holding a small Canadian flag as he climbs to 80,000 feet, high enough to clearly see the blackness of space and the curvature of the Earth. Since the video's posting on January 25th, it's attracted over two million views. Bell Helicopter Delivers 4,000th Commercial Product From Canadian Facility Air Medical Holdings Gets Milestone Aircraft Bell Helicopter has delivered the 4,000th commercial product since it began production at its Mirabel, Canada, facility 25 years ago. During a small ceremony at Bell Helicopter's facility in Mirabel, long-time customer, Air Medical Group Holdings (AMGH), took delivery of the 4,000 aircraft - a Bell 206L4. LightSquared Fights On In Battle For FCC Approval Sprint Nextel Has Given The Company Another Six Week Extension LightSquared has until mid-March to resolve its issues with the FCC over its proposed 4G broadband network under an extension of its deal with Sprint Nextel. The move comes after a 30 day extension was granted to the company at the end of 2011. Approval of the service from the FCC is a condition of a 15 year agreement between the wireless provider and the start up broadband company. The Latest News From AVweb: Question of the Week: Crash Pilots as Criminals? A New Hampshire pilot is facing manslaughter charges in the death of his daughter after the twin he was flying without a multi-endorsement crashed in Massachusetts. Are there circumstances where pilots should face criminal action?Plus: Last week, we asked AVweb readers about the proposed weight limit increases for light sport aircraft; click through to see the breakdown of answers. American Wants To Slash 13,000 Jobs About 400 pilots are affected by sweeping layoffs proposed by American Airlines as it tries to emerge from bankruptcy. In a plan unveiled Wednesday, the airline announced it will lay off 13,000 employees, about 15 percent of its workforce, cancel unprofitable routes and retire old inefficient aircraft. "We are going to use the restructuring process to make the necessary changes to meet our challenges head-on and capitalize fully on the solid foundation we've put in place," CEO Thomas Horton said in a letter to employees. The employees have a different take. DOT OIG: FAA Faces Controller Shortage Southern California, Atlanta, Chicago and New York were identified as areas that face the risk of having too few controllers as veteran controllers retire, according to a report (PDF) by the Department of Transportation. The FAA anticipated the problem, but efforts to train new recruits have seen too many fail to qualify for work at high-traffic facilities. To complicate matters, the report says those high-traffic facilities have seen attrition rates above the national average and many hold high numbers of controllers eligible to retire. The reportconcluded that "the Nation's most critical air traffic control facilities are facing significant staffing shortages" that "could lead to potential risks to their daily operations."The FAA has a different opinion and has issued a statement. The Latest Aviation News From Google RSS Feed: Aviation International News Trip-Speed App Hastens Charter Approvals Aviation International News by Matt Thurber The Trip-Speed app notifies an aircraft owner immediately of the opportunity for charter, facilitating the process and maximizing revenue. Trip-Speed is a simple iPhone app that helps aircraft owners and management firms communicate ... Daily Mail Indian takeaway owner spends £5000 on aircraft fuselage for curry house reception Daily Mail By Rob Cooper A teenage curry house owner has spent £5000 on a second-hand aircraft fuselage which was used in The Da Vinci Code, to display in his reception. But 18-year-old Aleem Gaffer's plan to spruce up his restaurant backfired when he realised he ...  and more » Sugar Grove family sues over plane crash Chicago Sun-Times Both men in the plane, Gary Bradford, 37, of Hollywood, Fla. and his passenger Drago Strahija, 32, of Lake Worth, Fla. were killed. 01/24/2010 A Sugar Grove family has filed suit against the pilot's widow and the owner of a plane that crashed on their ...  and more » Jetcraft anticipates growth in Asia's pre-owned business aircraft market Sacramento Bee "We believe that there is a very compelling trend taking shape in Asia beyond the short-term opportunities," continues Jahid Fazal-Karim, Co-Owner and Board Member, Jetcraft Corporation. "As the number of new business aircraft based in Asia begins to ...  and more » AVweb GA Groups Welcome FAA Funding Bill AVweb AOPA said, "General aviation pilots can celebrate" -- the bill left out user fees and doesn't increase taxes for avgas or jet fuel. The bill makes it possible for the government to create an incentive program to help GA pilots equip for NextGen, ... No user fees, tax hikes in long-term FAA bill AOPA Pilot  all 37 news articles » GA input sought in Reno-Tahoe survey AOPA Pilot “The airport authority now recognizes the importance and value of general aviation operations,” said Bill Dunn, AOPA vice president of airport advocacy. “In fact, the authority website now states that the Reno-Tahoe region thrives from the many general ...  and more » LightSquared tests offer 'no practical solution' AOPA Pilot By Dan Namowitz AOPA is calling for the Federal Communications Commission to revoke LightSquared's conditional approval to develop a mobile-satellite network. A technical committee that analyzed test data has concluded that the transmissions pose ...  and more » AOPA Pilot (blog) User Fees – The Safety Angle AOPA Pilot (blog) The politics of this can and should be handled by AOPA but the potential safety ramifications are real and should not be left out of the calculus. The stated plan by the government is that a $100 per flight segment would only apply to turbine powered ... Alaska Dispatch Aviation poised to bring Alaska big business in 2012 Alaska Dispatch It won't be news to most that aviation is big in Alaska. It's a common talking point for Alaska's members of Congress that more than 80 percent of Alaska's communities lie off the road or ferry system, accessible only by air. Alaska's 2011 Airport and Aviation Report Released KTVA CBS 11 News Alaska  all 2 news articles » West Star Aviation Named Grand Junction Business of the Year The Leading Aviation Industry Resource for News, Equipment and Grand Junction, CO, February 1, 2012- West Star Aviation has been named Business of the Year by the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce. The announcement was made on Friday, January 24 th , at the annual awards banquet held at Two Rivers Convention ...  and more » East African Aviation Security Agency Struggles for Fund AllAfrica.com By Chris Agabi, With Agency Report, 2 February 2012 The East Africa civil aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency is striving to replace its troubled equal contribution funding mechanism with a new 'equitable' one based on aviation activities in ...  and more » Washington Times Agreement on US Aviation Bill to End Stop-Gap Efforts BusinessWeek 1 (Bloomberg) -- House and Senate lawmakers ended more than four years of standoffs by reaching agreement yesterday on a four-year, $63.6 billion US aviation bill that keeps current funding levels and speeds development of new air-traffic technology. Congress closes in on 4-year aviation funding deal Washington Times Airlines may get US help for navigation upgrades Reuters Rockefeller Hails Wins For West Virginia Aviation In FAA Deal WVNS-TV  CAPA - Centre for Aviation - AVweb - AOPA Pilot  all 37 news articles » AVweb Bliss Named AVweb Publisher AVweb By AVweb Staff Aviation industry marketing and communications veteran Tom Bliss has been named Publisher of AVweb, effective immediately. Bliss, who is a 2200-hour commercial and instrument-rated pilot and owner of a Cessna P210, has operated Bliss ... AVweb Hawker Beech Ramps Up Fight With Air Force AVweb In a podcast interview with AVweb he said his company has sold hundreds of aircraft to the Department of Defense and it has never handled a bid in the way the LAS competition was dealt with. He said the DOD constantly changed bid criteria and processes ... Embraer faces challenge on Super Tucano contract South Florida Business Journal (blog)  all 10 news articles » AVweb Red Tails: Hollywood Didn't Want to Fund Because of Black Cast AVweb Related content: AVWeb's Mary Grady's podcast interview with actor Marcus Paulk, who plays one of the airmen in Red Tails. “It's exactly like Star Wars. I wrote the first script and tried to get it to work. The story is too big and too wonderful to get ...  and more » Air Conditioning For LSAs AVweb "I wanted air conditioning and I was told it wasn't available so I decided to find it myself," he told AVweb. The answer came from a Colorado company that put together a 22-pound system that will fit most light sport and experimental aircraft. EAA lays off almost 30 employees as part of restructuring effort Appleton Post Crescent EAA spokesman Dick Knapinski said the net loss of jobs once staff is hired is expected to be 10 to 15 jobs. He said EAA will provide transition support and outplacement resources to those laid off. He said some of the employees were offered severance ... EAA Restructures to Reach New Audience WBAY EAA announces major reorganization, leadership changes AOPA Pilot EAA MOVES TO STRENGTHEN ORGANIZATION FOR CONTINUED GROWTH The Leading Aviation Industry Resource for News, Equipment and  AVweb - FOX19  all 15 news articles » 1157th Receives Sendoff on Saturday WBAY The first send-off for the Oshkosh-based 1157th Transportation Company is Saturday at 11 AM at the EAA Eagle Hangar in Oshkosh. The soldiers will train for about a week at Camp Shelby in Mississippi before going to Kuwait. The unit will provide base ... 1157th sendoff ceremony set for Saturday Fox11online.com  all 18 news articles » AOPA Pilot Weight Increase For LSAs? AVweb By Russ Niles, Editor-in-Chief The FAA has opened "a dialogue" about increasing the maximum weight for Light Sport aircraft as a safety measure, Rod Hightower, the president of EAA said Thursday. In answer to a question following a speech at the Light ... EAA announces dramatic expansion of education programs AOPA Pilot  all 3 news articles » Kestrel Aircraft deal comes with risk to taxpayers Duluth News Tribune “Certification is a horrible bureaucratic monstrosity,” said Jim Campbell, CEO of the Aero-News Network, which covers the aircraft industry. “It's incredibly arduous and phenomenally expensive.” Even if Kestrel's planes are approved for sale by the FAA ...  and more » TG Daily Experimental aircraft marks a paradigm shift in warfare Nashua Telegraph By WJ HENNIGAN LOS ANGELES – The Navy's new drone being tested near Chesapeake Bay stretches the boundaries of technology: It's designed to land on the deck of an aircraft carrier, one of aviation's most difficult maneuvers. What's even more remarkable ... New drone has no pilot anywhere, so who's accountable? Los Angeles Times Autonomous military drone raises accountability questions The Verge The Next Generation of Military Drones May Not Be Controlled by Humans The Atlantic Wire  all 19 news articles » Wis. National Guard Plans Send-Off Ceremonies WISC Madison The first ceremony is scheduled for Saturday morning at an Experimental Aircraft Association hangar in Oshkosh. The proceeding will honor about 130 members of the 1157th Transportation Company. The troops have been preparing to deploy to Kuwait, ... 1157th getting ready for training, mission unclear Green Bay Press Gazette  all 18 news articles » Aerial show may start early for Super Bowl XLVI The Banner-Graphic The local airport has only three employees, Layne, his son Jacob and Doug Miller, so volunteers from the local Aviation Board, Putnam County Airport Appreciation Days group and the Experimental Aircraft Association will be helping out.  and more » Experimental Aircraft Association, Freeport Pilots Association hold holiday ... Freeport Journal-Standard By Sara Glafcke The Freeport Pilot's Association, Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 475 held its holiday diner and monthly meeting on Jan. 19 in Lena. After a buffet dinner, EAA chapter officers Jon Staben, Betty Mickel and Larry Lyons were ... Moller International Develops Two New Light-Sport Skycars MarketWatch (press release) ... and the Aerobot® line of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) announced today the completion of the initial design phase for two new Skycars which may qualify under the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) category.  and more » Trinidad Guardian Ewatski on leased aircraft: Cheaper and effective in fight against crime Trinidad Guardian Fiscal prudence is what led the police service to award a contract to the T&T Air Support Co Ltd (TTASC) to supply two light sport aircraft to help in crime-fighting. This was the explanation given by acting police commissioner Jack Ewatski in a ... Acting T&T Top Cop defends flight on aircraft; paid to sharpen pilot skills Stabroek News Flying, my hobby Trinidad News  all 9 news articles » Rowley has doubts over reply by PM Trinidad Guardian Rowley also said Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs must explain why he awarded a contract for $900772 to the T&T Air Support Company to use a light sport aircraft for surveillance. He also said that even though Deputy Commissioner Jack Ewatski was on a ...  and more » WISC Madison An airplane in your garage? CNN A pilot myself, I was interested in taking advantage of the new Sport Pilot and Light Sport Aircraft Rule that the Federal Aviation Administration created in 2004 to lower the barriers to entry to personal aviation for both pilots and manufacturers. Terrafugia Transition: A hefty price for aircar of the not-so-distant future Dscriber  all 36 news articles »