I recently stumbled upon a aviation forum, shinyjetsyndrome.com. Upon first look, it seemed perhaps a parody. After much thought however, I realized this is a reality of the profession today. As evidenced recently by the nations media, there are regional pilots out there earning $16,000 per year for their first year of service at some regionals. People are paying to occupy seats at some other places, where they should be compensated to sit in that very seat. Some blame it on de-regulation, other… Continue

They're fast, they're dinky, and soon they'll be coming to an airport near you. They are called personal jets.

Most are powered by a single jet engine small enough to fit in the trunk of the average passenger car. The engines most often chosen by the companies designing and building new personal jets are versions of the popular Williams FJ33 or FJ44 "fanjets" — the FJ33 line generates from 1,000 to 1,900 pounds of thrust and the slightly larger FJ44 family produces from 1,900 to 3,600 pounds of… Continue

PEGASUS ICE RUNWAY, Antarctica (AFPN) — A C-17 Globemaster III aircrew from McChord Air Force Base, Wash., performed the first known after-dark landing in Antarctica using night vision goggles on Sept. 11.

The McChord aircrew, consisting of active duty Airmen from the 62nd Airlift Wing and Reservists from the 446th Airlift Wing, verified the C-17's capability to access McMurdo Station, Antarctica, by landing in complete darkness using night-vision technology in combination with reflective cones… Continue

Continental Airlines expects the 15 new, fast, 74-seat Bombardier Q400 turboprops operating on its Continental Connection network from Newark to help reduce delays to its flights from the airport. In addition, the Q400 is some 30 percent more fuel-efficient than comparably sized jets on flights of 300 miles or more, according to the airline. Credit: Bombardier Aerospace
Continental Airlines expects the 15 new, fast, 74-seat Bombardier Q400 turboprops operating on its Continental Connection netwo… Continue

The first jet aircraft to be built by leading light-aircraft manufacturer Cirrus Design Corporation has made its first flight.

The single-engine Cirrus jet, which the company currently calls 'The-Jet', made its first flight at approximately 10 a.m. CDT on Thursday from the company's base at Duluth International Airport in Duluth, Minn. The flight lasted 45 minutes and Cirrus said afterwards that "the aircraft performed flawlessly."

Because of Cirrus Design's strong innovation and sales record… Continue