Also: Hartzell/Red Bull, GA Coalition, Aero-Calendar, Commemorative Air Force, Sarah Brightman To ISS, Hot Air Balloon Endurance Record

The pilot of a single engine Cirrus SR22 aircraft that was being ferried across the Pacific Ocean reportedly ran into fuel transfer problems short of the Hawaiian Islands, Sunday and realized that he was going to come up short--and notified the Coast Guard. Subsequently, the pilot ultimately ran out of fuel some 253 miles northeast of Maui, Hawaii and deployed the BRS-designed parachute recovery system to ditch the aircraft. Troy Bradley and Leonid Tiukhtyaev departed Japan for the United States in a gas filled balloon named the Two Eagles on Saturday, January 24. Their plan is to cross the Pacific to the West Coast of the North American continent, but where they will reach North America depends on the winds aloft. When first reports emerged yesterday that a small Quadcop

Fourteen Associations Sign Letter To FAA Administrator Michael Huerta

A coalition of 14 General Aviation advocacy groups has sent a letter to the FAA calling on the agency to even more closely with the industry as the January 1, 2020 deadline for equipping with ADS-B Out (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast) approaches. Cost and available options remain significant stumbling blocks for owners and operators.

Airports With Consistent Delays Need NextGen And Runway Improvements

The third edition of an FAA report on long-term airport capacity needs concluded that the FAA and airport operators must rely on NextGen technologies and procedures as well as runway improvements to address future airport capacity constraints. The Future Airport Capacity Task (FACT3) report identified airports that are at risk for significant delays and congestion through 2020 and 2030.  

Appreciates Efforts To Provide Greater Consistency In That Regard

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) issued a statement welcoming two developments last week in the effort to provide greater consistency in regulatory interpretation: a U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on the issue and the concurrent release of a detailed FAA plan to implement recommendations resulting from Section 313 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012.

Expands UAS Resources For Members

In recognition of growing interest in the use of small unmanned aircraft systems (s-UAS), and concerns about their safe operation within the National Airspace System (NAS), the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) recently joined with other aviation advocacy groups and industry partners in support of the “Know Before You Fly” educational initiative to provide prospective users with the information and guidance they need to fly UAS safely and responsibly.

Greek F-16 Down During Training Exercise, Several On The Ground Killed

An Hellenic Air Force F-16 has gone down in Spain during a NATO training exercise, according to senior military officials.

A World Record Sky Dive Attempt Will Be Part Of EAA Airventure Oshkosh 2015, With An International Team Of Top Sky Divers

The Skydiving Hall of Fame based in Fredericksburg, Virginia, will organize the 108-person jump team for the record attempts sanctioned by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), which is the official organization that maintains the world’s aviation-related records.

Both Airplanes Ran Out Of Fuel, Total Of Five People Rescued

The U.S. Coast Guard had a busy day Sunday in Hawaii, with two airplanes running out of fuel in separate incidents, forcing them to ditch in the Pacific Ocean. In total, five people were rescued from the two incidents.

New Proposal Allows More Control By Individual Pilots And Their AMEs

More than a year of work focusing on the FAA’s sleep apnea policy has brought considerable revisions to the agency’s original draft that would have forced costly sleep studies on pilots even if they had shown no symptoms of the disorder.

Also: Airborne Unlimited Under The Weather (In More Ways Than One), House GA Caucus, New CubCrafters Boss, NAB Featuring UAVs, House Checks FAA Cert Processes, FAA Goes Off On Sleep Apnea... Again

A quick caveat... Ashley is REALLY under the weather and the entire ANN crew is traveling this week/scattered all over the known universe... which required some highly imaginative substitute tomfoolery to take Ashley's place for a day or two. So Jim Campbell steps in, where he's stuck in the middle of a snowstorm in the boonies of Indiana, in a hotel room with really lousy net access. But, as always, we persevered (ANN's specialty--no matter how great the odds). The results are acceptable, but let's just say that Ashley will NEVER have to worry about Jim competing for her job. With luck, we can get her back to work in a day or two and quit subjecting you to that ugly Jim guy...