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January 01, 2014

Aero-News Year In Review 2013: General Aviation

Huerta Is Confirmed As Administrator, Congress Passes The Small Aircraft Revitalization Act, And Textron Buys Beechcraft For Christmas

There were some significant developments in the world of General Aviation in the year just past. Congress finally made it easier to have airplanes and parts certified, and the last stand-alone legacy American aircraft manufacturer was bought up by a corporate conglomerate ... but it will stay in U.S. hands. Along the way, there was a new FAA administrator and new DOT Secretary confirmed by the Senate, and auto gas made the trip to Oshkosh, where the EAA was forced to pay a hefty fee for air traffic control services. Here are just a few of the stories that were significant to GA in 2013.

Builders Said They 'Just Ran Out Of Time'

They just ran out of time. A group building a replica of the Benoist XIV Flying Boat for a re-enactment of the first scheduled "airline" flight on January 1st was not able to get the airplane ready for the flight Wednesday morning, so a Hoffman X-4 mullet skiff was scheduled to make the flight instead.

Cessna Conquest Makes The First Commercial Passenger Flight After Receiving CBP Approval

In a sign that relations between the U.S. and Cuba may be thawing, the first commercial passenger flight between Key West in Florida and Havana, Cuba in 50 years made the 90 mile trip Monday with nine passengers on board.