NEXRAD 'Age Indicator' Can Be Misleading

The NTSB on Tuesday issued a Safety Alert to warn pilots using in-cockpit FIS-B and Satellite Weather display systems that the NEXRAD "age indicator" can be misleading. The actual NEXRAD data can be as much as 20 minutes older than the age indication on the display in the cockpit. If misinterpreted, this difference in time can present potentially serious safety hazards to aircraft operating in the vicinity of fast-moving and quickly developing weather systems.

Safety Study Conducted At Request Of Local Residents

The results of two FAA safety inspections show that Helicopter Adventure, a helicopter tour company which recently began operations in Myrtle Beach, SC, is safe. The agency conducted one safety study before the company opened for business, and another one at the request of people who live near the heliport.

Security Officials Able To Listen In On Passengers', Other Conversations

International passengers arriving at the Ottawa Airport will soon be subject not only to video surveillance, but also to enhanced audio monitoring of their conversations. The Canada Border Services Agency has nearly completed an upgrade of the video monitoring system in some areas of the Ottawa Airport, including the primary inspection area for arriving international passengers. And the upgrades include new microphones designed to pick up individual conversations in the area.

WWII Female Spitfire Pilot Was Also A Cover Girl

ANN has learned that Maureen Dunlop de Popp, who had flown Spitfires, Hurricanes, and Lancaster bombers during the Second World War, passed away recently at the age on 91 in Britain.

Three S550 Models Among The Airplanes Completed In Recent Months

Completing several of the most active months in the company’s history, Sierra Industries delivered three major Citation modifications to customers in June 2012.

New Sikorsky Becomes The Eighth Aircraft In The Fleet

HeliFlite said Monday it has expanded its fleet with the addition of a Sikorsky S-76B helicopter. The HeliFlite fleet features a complement of five Bell 430 and two Sikorsky S-76B executive helicopters.

Will Go On Trial Next Year

The Obstruction of Justice trial for Canadian hang-glider pilot Jon Orders will not take place until next year, according to officials in British Columbia. Orders was flying the aircraft from which Lenami Godinez-Avila fell during a tandem flight, resulting in her death.

Airplane Reportedly Lost Power Just After Takeoff

A pilot from Texas was able to walk away from an accident in which the Piper Cub he was flying lost power just after takeoff from McIntosh airstrip in Montgomery County, OH, and went down in a homeowners vegetable garden.

Passenger Was Told To Button Up Her Shirt, Or Miss Her Flight

A woman checking in for a Southwest flight in Las Vegas headed to New York says that her pleasant conversation with an airline worker took an unexpected turn when the airline employee told her to button up her shirt or she would not be allowed to board her flight.

AD NUMBER: 2012-11-12

PRODUCT: Model AW139 helicopters.

AD NUMBER: 2012-12-09

PRODUCT: Boeing Model 717-200 airplanes.

AD NUMBER: 012-12-11

PRODUCT: Bell Helicopter Textron Canada (Bell) Model 206, 206A, 206A-1, 206B, 206B-1, 206L, 206L-1, 206L-3, and 206L-4 helicopters, with Aviation Specialties Unlimited, Inc. (ASU), Night Vision Imaging System (NVIS) lighting modified by Supplemental Type Certificate SR01383SE (STC).

AD NUMBER: 2012-12-04

PRODUCT: Certain Boeing Model 737-300, -400, and -500 series airplanes

HAI's Boss Talks Rotor-Politics

HAI was started by a small group of helicopter operators in 1948 as the Helicopter Council which quickly morphed into the California Helicopter Association. The name has since changed to the Helicopter Association of America to Helicopter Association International in 1981. The goals established in 1948 are still the goals of the association having grown with the industry and the inclusion of Associate and Individual members. HAI's stated mission is, "To provide its members with services that directly benefit their operations, and to advance the international helicopter community by providing programs that enhance safety,

Message: 'GA Pilots Are Not Learning From ... Deadly Mistakes'

The NTSB opened a two-day forum on GA safety in Washington, D.C. Tuesday morning. The forum, titled, "General Aviation Safety: Climbing to the Next Level," was designed to address emerging safety issues in the general aviation (GA) community.

Family Of Six Fatally Injured When PC-12 Went Down

The NTSB has released its preliminary report for an accident which occurred June 7th resulting in the fatal injury of a family of six. The family was returning from a vacation in the Bahamas to Kansas in the airplane when it went down in a swamp in central Florida.

Forsees 24,000 Business Jet Deliveries, 12,800 Regional Airplanes Over Next 20 years

Bombardier Aerospace has released its annual 20-year forecasts for the business and commercial aircraft markets during a pre-Farnborough media event, held at its headquarters in Dorval, Québec, that was simultaneously webcast. As the business and commercial aircraft markets continue to recover from the industry downturn, indicators are mixed, yet trending positively. New aircraft orders are supported by continued demand from developed markets and growth potential in emerging markets, which are expected to play an increasingly important role in the global aviation marketplace. Operators industry-wide remain focused on fleet optimization and aircraft efficiency as fuel prices and en

Pilots Will Relate Stories About The Deployments Of Their Airframe Parachutes

BRS Aerospace will be hosting a testimonial forum at the upcoming EAA Air Venture Oshkosh. The session will be held on Friday, July 27th, 1130 CDT at Forum Pavilion 06.

Steve Saint Was Testing An Experimental Wing

The designer of the Maverick Flying Car, which uses parasail technology to lift the vehicle, was injured last week while reportedly testing an experimental wing mounted to a rolling test stand.

Looking To Settle A Strike Which Began In April

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) on Monday accepted an invitation from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) to meet with Lockheed Martin and federal mediators in Dallas/Fort Worth, TX to explore settlement possibilities for the strike that began on April 23, 2012.

C-17 Highlights The Event With Kids At The Controls ... On The Ground Of Course

Officials at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum held the annual "Become a Pilot" family day June 16, in Chantilly, Va. More than 45 aircraft were on display as the museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, including two A-10 Thunderbolt IIs and a C-17 Globemaster III, which had its cargo bay and flight deck opened to the public.

"General aviation safety is not just an exercise of our responsibility as the Safety Board. This is personal. The status quo is not acceptable. We need to break through the plateau and bring the accident rate down significantly." Source: NTSB Chair Deborah A.P. Hersman.

An approach system permitting simultaneous Instrument Landing System approaches to airports having staggered but parallel runways.

Pilots N Paws

The  site is intended to be a meeting place for those who rescue, shelter or foster animals, and pilots and plane owners willing to assist with the transportation of animals.