General Aviation
News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
UAS Groups Prod DOT on Remote ID Rule
DOT and FAA urged not to delay rulemaking covering remote identification requirements (ID) for unmanned aerial systems.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Reliable Robotics Flies Unmanned Cessnas
Gaining experience with unmanned aircraft should give Reliable Robotics a leg up on the race to bring new technologies to market.
Charter & Fractional
Eco Helicopters Launching Urban Air Mobility Operations
Eco Helicopters is laying plans to launch a fleet of electric-powered helicopters for charter flights in southern California.
Rotorcraft
Omni Introduces Airbus H175 To Brazil
Omni Taxi Aereo will be the first operator for the Airbus H175 super-medium helicopter in Brazil.
Rotorcraft
Bell 505 Fleet Hits 50,000 Flight Hours
The fleet of more than 260 in-service Bell 505 Jet Ranger X light single turbine helicopters has accumulated more than 50,000 flight hours.
Rotorcraft
Hill Unveils HX50 Helo Interior
HX50 helicopter interior designed to mirror that of a premium luxury automobile.
Finance, Taxes, Insurance
Helo Lessor LCI Partners With Sumitomo Mitsui Finance
LCI and Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing have agreed to establish a joint-venture helicopter leasing business.
Accidents
Bryant's Widow Names Helo Flight Broker in Suit
The operator of the fatal flight that killed Kobe Bryant, OC Helicopters, has been added to the defendant list.
Avionics
FAA Certifies AV-30-C Multi-mode Instrument
Owners of certified light aircraft can now replace older electromechanical instruments with uAvionix's new AV-30-C multi-mode instrument.
Maintenance and Modifications
NASA Selects Airbus HCare for H135s
NASA has signed a $15 million HCare Infinite maintenance agreement with Airbus Helicopters.
Avionics
AFV Adds Another Company to Aviation Stable
AFV Partners' purchase of Seattle Avionics signals a new level of competition in the aviation chart data market.
Rotorcraft
Wind Could Rescue Offshore Helicopter Industry
Study predicts $166 billion investment in U.S. offshore wind by 2035.
Covid Crisis Spurs $2B Plunge in 1H20 Genav Billings
All sectors of general aviation experienced a downturn in the first half of 2020, according to statistics released by GAMA.
Rotorcraft
HAI Looks To Reboot Safety Accreditation Program
The Helicopter Association International (HAI) is looking to reboot its Accreditation Program of Safety (APS) later this year.
Rotorcraft
Airbus H160 Pioneers Flight Control Safety Features
The Airbus H160's full-time automatic flight control system makes the pilot's job much easier.
Maintenance and Modifications
Foresight MX HUMS Approved for AStars
GPMS has received FAA Supplemental Type Certification approval for its Foresight MX health monitoring system on the Airbus AS350.
Government Watchdog Questions FAA's BasicMed Oversight
The DOT Office of Inspector General recommended that the FAA improve its processes for verifying BasicMed eligibility and safety monitoring.
Maintenance and Modifications
Erickson Acquires Type Certificate for Bell 214
Bell has begun type certificate (TC) transfer for the model 214ST and B/B1 helicopters to Erickson.
Rotorcraft
Tokyo Government Evaluating Leonardo AW609 Tiltrotor
Tokyo’s Metropolitan Government is evaluating the Leonardo AW609 tiltrotor to deliver service to Ogasawara island.
Maintenance and Modifications
Review of the Depstech WiFi HD Wireless Borescope Camera - AIN Gadget Central
Review of the Depstech WiFi HD Wireless Borescope Camera - AIN Gadget Central
Rotorcraft
MD530F Helicopter Gets Gross Weight Increase
MD Helicopters has received FAA approval to increase the MD530F’s max gross take-off weight from 3,100 to 3,350 pounds.
Turtles Fly Too Completes First U.S. West Coast Mission
Two pilots launched a mission to transport an endangered sea turtle from Seattle to San Diego.
Accidents
Kobe Crash Copter Company Blaming ATC
Island Express Helicopters is blaming the fatal crash of its S-76 on air traffic controllers.
Accidents
NTSB Illuminates Pilot Performance in AW139 Fatal
The Leonardo AW139 crashed on July 4, 2019 shortly after lifting off from a private helipad in the Bahamas.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
U.S. Agencies Issue Advisory on Drone Mitigation
A new advisory issued jointly by four U.S. federal agencies provides "legal landscape" on drone mitigation technology.
Rotorcraft
K-Max Leaps From Unmanned to Autonomous Operations
Near Earth Autonomy and Kaman Aerospace have developed an intelligent autonomy system for the K-Max helicopter.
Security
FAA To Evaluate Drone-mitigation Technology
The FAA will evaluate at least 10 drone mitigation technologies/systems at its William J. Hughes Technical Center in New Jersey.
Rotorcraft
Hill Helicopters Developing Turbine Light Single
UK-based Hill Helicopters has unveiled a new light turbine single helicopter design, the HX50.
Aircraft
Airbus Delivering New Fleet of H125s to U.S. Customs
Airbus Helicopters has delivered the first of 16 new H125 helicopters uniquely configured for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Avionics
G1000 NXi Certified in Piper Meridian
Garmin is now offering the G1000 NXi avionics upgrade for the Piper Meridian single-engine turboprop.
