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Scaled Composites said in a statement Aug. 19 that the "mechanical problem" with the left gear was a “minor incident.” WhiteKnightTwo was on its thirty-seventh test flight and has flown since December 2008.

Spanish race pilot Alejandro (Alex) Maclean, one of the few elite pilots of the Red Bull Air Race, was killed while practicing near Madrid for an airshow. The Red Bull Air Race season ended several weeks ago.

German carmaker BMW is making no secret of its desire to eliminate general aviation operations at the Fuerstenfeldbruck airport. The company wants to use the airport as a test track and close the 9,000-foot-long runway.

The FAA recommended Swift Enterprises proceed with further testing of its unleaded aviation gasoline this week after endurance tests produced some encouraging results and identified areas for further research.

AOPA Airports is a tremendous member benefit, and access will continue for free online to AOPA members. However, some pilots still prefer a hard copy of the directory in the cockpit or to browse through at home. For those members, AOPA will print a limited number of AOPA Airports in book format, available by order.

After the nose gear on a Cessna 402C failed to fully retract after takeoff, Cessna officials released a special airworthiness information bulletin with temporary revisions to the model's pilot’s operating handbook.

Aviat's Husky can now fly with a three-blade MT prop, according to Flight Resource, a Wisconsin firm that obtained an STC for the new prop it claims is lighter, smoother, quieter, and offers more ground clearance than the metal two-blade props.

With the prospect of a transition to an unleaded avgas on the horizon, many prospective aircraft buyers are taking a renewed interest in what's under the cowling. AOPA President Craig Fuller met with officials at Teledyne Continental Motors in Mobile, Ala., Aug. 18 to get a firsthand look at the engines and discuss how the manufacturer is planning for an unleaded future.

The National Aeronautic Association and Air Care Alliance will honor volunteer pilots who helped with the Haiti relief effort in the wake of the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake with the 2010 National Public Benefit Flying Awards on Sept. 16 during the "Above and Beyond" ceremony at the U.S. Capitol.

AOPA has examined its e-mail TFR alert process and has worked to make the process more efficient. The association will no longer send e-mail alerts of TFRs initiated on weekends and will not maintain a separate listing of textual notams. Members will continue to receive e-mail TFR alerts during the work week.

Cessna Aircraft managers will lay off 75 workers on the Mustang entry-level jet at Independence, Kan., due to softness in Mustang orders. An air taxi company in Europe canceled a large order.

AOPA Weather Version 2.0 launched on Aug. 12. Thanks to feedback from members, several enhancements to the application have been made since its launch. AOPA also has created a Weather 2.0 tutorial video to assist members in the transition from the previous version.

Quest Aircraft, maker of a single-engine utility turboprop aircraft, has slowed production to match the uncertainty both in the economy and in the banking industry where aircraft loans are made.

Two sonic booms startled Seattle-area residents Aug. 17 when fighter jets rushed to intercept an airplane that had violated the presidential TFR - a dramatic reminder of the importance of checking notams.

The period of amnesty for pilots who failed to disclose their antidepressant use on past airmen medical applications is nearing its end.

Cincinnati-based Aviation Research Group/U.S. reports that July 2010 business flying was up slightly from June 2010 levels. In all, flying increased by 0.6 percent over the previous month.

Pilots who join the newly formed Catalina Aero Club will be able to land on the California island as often as they like for a year without paying the $20 landing fee. The membership is $150 per year.

More than 60 flight students from China have been given a reprieve, thanks to Denton, Texas-based US Aviation. The students previously had been left without a school after Wright Flyers Aviation in Hondo, Texas, closed.

L-3 Avionics Systems has received FAA certification for its all-in-one standby attitude instrument with a backup power source.

Recent accidents involving Cirrus Aircraft have led to the company and the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association asking all owners to take recurrent training.