787 diverts to MSY en route from IAH to EWR

A United Airlines flight en route to Newark from Houston Tuesday morning was forced to make an emergency landing in New Orleans because of a mechanical issue with the plane, a brand-new 787 Dreamliner. (www.seattlepi.com) More...

Mooney Factory Tour (Pictures)

Pictures from a tour of Mooney's Kerrville, TX factory from September 2012. (www.flickr.com) More...

What Happens When the Approach Isn’t Clear?

Before the first instrument flight lesson, even the greenest candidate for an instrument rating knows that the most basic goal when flying by reference to instruments is to avoid hitting anything (or anyone). We accomplish this task by maintaining position awareness based on IFR certified instruments, maintaining constant contact with ATC, and operating only in protected airspace. This airspace is protected by a variety of rules and regulations for minimum weather standards, distances, and… (www.faa.gov) More...

Overcoming Go-Around Hesitation

A 727 was approaching Ketchikan, Alaska, high and fast. Despite several warnings from the copilot, the captain elected to continue the visual approach. The airplane landed long and fast on the slush-covered runway, and the captain quickly deployed the spoilers and thrust reversers and applied maximum braking. (www.flyingmag.com) More...

Microburst at KCHD Flips Planes

Nearly a dozen planes have been flipped over and heavily damaged after a microburst at Chandler Municipal Airport. The storm brought 60 mile an hour winds to the small airport near Loop 202 and Cooper Road just before 9 p.m. on Tuesday. 10 planes were damaged during the storm. Most were flipped over, pushed into other planes, or pushed into airport fences. (www.abc15.com) More...

NORAD pilots talk flight restrictions, intercepts with civilian pilots

"PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - Sometimes you need pilots to talk to pilots. Working under this premise, three pilots from North American Aerospace Defense Command, the binational U.S. and Canadian military organization charged with intercepting aircraft that violate temporary flight restrictions, attended the AirVenture air show in Oshkosh, Wis., July 23 - 29, to talk face-to-face with general aviation pilots on how to avoid TFRs and what to do if they're intercepted." (www.norad.mil) More...

Take The Pain Out Of Business Travel. Fly Yourself.

The Cirrus and the Cessna Corvalis TT are part of a new crop of small planes that offer a smarter way for corporate travelers to make the short trips that can take hours on commercial aircraft, this feature says. "For trips under 600-800 miles, it can beat airline times by a huge margin; and on 100-200 mile flights, you’ll be in close competition with corporate jets for performance and a big winner on efficiency," Mark Patiky writes. (From AOPA Aviation eBrief) (www.forbes.com) More...

FAA Plans Possible Tower Closures to Cut $600 Million

To prepare for the possibility of a budget sequestration on March 1, 2013, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is making plans to reduce its expenditures by approximately $600 million for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2013. Some busier facilities include: LVK, SAC, SQL, ISM, LAL, OPF, ORL, NEW, HXD, CLL, SGR and OSH. (www.faa.gov) More...

Gunman holds up CanJet flight 918 at MBJ (Montego Bay)

Canadian charter flight from YHZ (Halifax) was held up a gunman at MBJ (Montego Bay) demanding to go to Cuba (http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/04/20/jamaica.security/). Passengers were let off, but 5 crew members are still being held hostage. Also see CanJet's statement: http://www.canjet.com/en_travel_advisory.aspx?ID=20 (www.ctv.ca) More...

FAA Updating Flight Check Aircraft for NextGen

Flight crews, composed in large part of military veterans, are tasked with verifying each new instrument procedure is safely clear of obstacles, is flyable; that the obstacles are marked accurately, that lights and localizers alike are functioning within design limits. They are the last link in a long chain of collaborators who create and deploy the procedures and systems that make instrument flight possible, safeguarding millions of passengers and pilots. (www.aopa.org) More...