On March 29, 2001 a series of operational and instrument approach procedural errors led to the crash of N303GA, a Gulfstream III, just 2,400 ft short of the approach end of Aspen-Pitkin County Airport (ASE)’s Runway 15 while attempting to complete the VOR/DME C circling approach. Eighteen people, including three crewmembers lost their lives in the accident.
Pilot certification in the United States
April 23, 2008 - 12:50pm
Even under ideal circumstances, hiring pilots for a corporate operation is arduous. But when there’s a shortage of qualified pilots, the situation becomes even more difficult. Add in a slumping economy and stir in a liberal measure of the September 11 turmoil that has planted hordes of airline pilots on the street looking for work, and the decision about whom to hire can be overwhelming to even diehard aviation department managers.
March 31, 2008 - 7:17am
Two violations of the Washington, D.C., air defense identification zone (ADIZ) within a week last month prompted two general aviation organizations to remind pilots to refamiliarize themselves with the restricted airspace.
On March 5 the pilot of a King Air allegedly canceled IFR at 14,500 feet. He might have thought he was above Class B airspace and clear of restricted airspace, but the ADIZ extends up to 18,000 feet.
March 31, 2008 - 5:37am
The FAA has outlined in a new information for operators (InFO 08008) the ICAO English language proficiency requirements, which took effect last month. The ICAO Annex 1 standards require all licensed pilots, as well as flight engineers and flight navigators operating internationally as required crewmembers, to hold an airman certificate with a language proficiency endorsement.
February 26, 2008 - 5:46am
General aviation manufacturers enjoyed another record-breaking year last year, with billings totaling $21.9 billion, up 16.5 percent from the previous year, and worldwide shipments reaching 4,272 airplanes, up 5.4 percent. For the first time ever, shipments of jets exceeded the 1,000-per-year milestone, climbing to 1,138 last year.
January 16, 2008 - 9:08am
WESTLAND HELICOPTERS GAZELLE AH-MK1, EAST HAMPTON, N.Y., NOV. 8, 2002–The 1974 Gazelle (N911XW), a former British Army helicopter registered in the Experimental category, was destroyed at about 11:25 p.m. EST when it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Hampton, N.Y. The pilot, William Smithers, 35, of Sag Harbor, N.Y., was lost at sea and is presumed dead.
January 11, 2008 - 9:16am
Suppose your aviation medical examiner (AME) gives you the little piece of paper that proclaims to the FAA that you are fit to fly, but the paperwork never reaches the agency’s Aeromedical Certification Branch in Oklahoma City. Are you legal? Are you liable? While certainly not routine, the situation has cropped up more often than one might think.
December 28, 2007 - 5:16am
Last month Congress passed and President Bush signed legislation that raises the mandatory retirement age for U.S. airline pilots from 60 to 65. That means that pilots at or near age 60 will not have to wait for the FAA to complete its cumbersome rulemaking process.
November 27, 2007 - 8:53am
After denying requests for an extension of the comment period on proposed new rules involving U.S. border crossings by general aviation aircraft, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency reversed course last month and extended the comment period until December 4.
October 31, 2007 - 11:34am
While AOPA seeks an extension on the comment period for new security rules for private aircraft arriving and departing the U.S., NBAA released the “U.S. Customs and Border Protection Guide for Private Flyers” on its member Web site.
