“Congratulations! It’s an airport!” With these words Marjy Leggett, AOPA Airport Support Network volunteer for Vista Field Airport (S98) in Kennewick, Wash., let pilots know that their efforts to keep the airport open worked.

On Monday, March 8, commissioners for the Port of Kennewick, the airport sponsor, voted unanimously to keep the airport open. The airport is run by the port for the city of Kennewick under a long-term lease that expires in 2020. City officials had been exploring the idea of closing the airport and redeveloping the 92 acres that make up the airport property.

Read More→

A career in aviation isn’t limited to being a pilot, flight attendant or mechanic. Dozens of girls ranging in age from 13 to 19 learned what their options are during the annual Women Fly event at the Museum of Flight in Seattle March 5.

The event, part career fair, part college fair, is designed to let the girls gather information about potential careers from mentors and college officials.

The day consisted of workshops and a panel discussion with women in aviation from all over the world. At the end of the event the girls lined up to have their programs signed. Here a young visitor collects the signature of Michelle Bassanesi of Italy. Bassanesi, a flight instructor, is the founder of Aviation and Women in Europe.

For more information: MuseumOfFlight.org.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FAA is forecasting that key airspace safety and efficiency modernization efforts will play a vital role in spurring long-term sustained growth in air travel and the nation’s overall economic health.

The forecast, which comes after a short-term period of slow growth in aviation activity, underscores the need for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) and continued investment in airport infrastructure projects, officials said upon releasing it March 9.

“A safe, efficient and vibrant aviation system is vital to our nation’s economic health,” said Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. “We must find long-term solutions that will keep the U.S. aviation industry competitive and moving forward into the future.”

Read More→

Want to check out almost any airplane ever built in the world? Then check out this Virtual Aircraft Museum, which includes information on hundreds of aircraft, as well as aircraft manufacturers, cockpits, the basics of flight and more.

The GA industry needs to keep communicating the value and benefits of business aviation. That’s the message conveyed today by Robert Stangarone, vice president, corporate communications, Cessna Aircraft Co., at the British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA) Annual Conference.

“Everyone in our industry should consider themselves ambassadors,” he said. “Business aircraft are used in so many valuable ways and have truly become essential to the global transportation system. We need to take every opportunity to spread that message to the world.”

Read More→

Tom Gunnarson (right), outgoing LAMA president, created the new Burke Trophy and is seen here presenting the permanent trophy to Larry Burke. Burke Trophy recipients will receive a plaque.

The Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association (LAMA) is now taking nominations for the first annual Lawrence P. Burke Trophy. The trophy gets its name from Lawrence “Larry” Burke, who co-founded the organization in 1982 and nurtured it through the ultralight aircraft phase and into the time of Light Sport Aircraft.

Read More→

A long-planned new terminal for Page Field Airport (FMY) in Fort Myers, Florida, got the nod Monday, March 8.

According to a story at News-Press.com, Lee County commissioners OK’d a $16.1 million construction budget for the complex at the general aviation airport’s northwestern quadrant. It will include a 22,613-square-foot passenger terminal, a 24,000-square-foot multi-use hangar, a fuel farm, a parking lot and a new entrance road. Groundbreaking is slated to begin later this month or early April, with the complex scheduled to open next summer 2011.

Emerging new aircraft types, such as Very Light Jets (VLJ) and Cruise-Efficient Short TakeOff and Landing (CESTOL) aircraft, have the potential to positively affect the efficiency and capacity of the NextGen Air Transportation System, according to research recently completed by Sensis Corp. and its project team.

Under a NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate contract, “Integration of Advanced Concepts and Vehicles into the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen),” the team analyzed the impact of five advanced vehicles in NextGen scenarios. In addition to a CESTOL vehicle, the team investigated Large Commercial Tiltrotor Aircraft (LCTR), an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), a VLJ and a Supersonic Transport (SST). NASA is currently evaluating the data and recommendations that were generated by the project.

Read More→

A team from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is conducting a three-day mission to Haiti to assess the status of the aviation infrastructure in the country following the Jan. 12 earthquake and to recommend a course of action for reconstruction and assistance, according to a report at AvStop.com.

From March 9 to 11, ICAO officials will assess airport and air navigation facilities and services, flight operations, and aircraft handling, according to the report, which notes the team also will review assessment reports prepared by the FAA, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the military of the United States.

Big South Fork Airpark, an aviation and equestrian community adjacent to the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area 50 miles north of Knoxville, Tenn., has completed Phase 1 of its development, with developers saying properties are now available for sale.

Read More→