Japan has opened Tokyo Haneda Airport to international general aviation flights via 16 slots per hour, available between 11 p.m. and 5:59 a.m. daily. Outside those times, international flights will have to land at other designated airports to clear customs and procedural requirements before being permitted to fly to other destinations within Japan. Applications should be filed by the 15th of the m more

A Mitsubishi MU-2 crashed into a car dealership April 15 at about 3 p.m. near San Juan, Puerto Rico. The sole-occupant pilot and one person on the ground were killed. The twin turboprop, N45BS, was registered to Maxfly Aviation of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and was being operated by Crucian International Airlines. According to the NTSB, the aircraft was midway through the second orbit of a holding pat more

A St. Louis-area maintenance facility is finalizing flight-test data required to support a Sabreliner 65 reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM) compliance package. Avmats of Chesterfield, Mo., expects to receive group certification in October for Sabre 65s. The RVSM package includes replacement of the jet’s Collins ADC-80K air-data computer with new dual Collins ADC-87A air-data computers. T more

Raytheon Aircraft Services in the UK has received RVSM group approval for Hawker 700s. The company is now seeking FAA approval. For older Hawker 700Bs requiring the replacement of mechanical altimeters with digital equipment and an air-data computer (ADC), the mod costs approximately $123,000. For later 700s, which require only the ADC installation and other modifications, the cost falls to about more

Surgut, Siberia-based TyumenAviaTrans (TAT) is scheduled to take delivery of a Gulfstream IV-SP in August and operate it on behalf of the owner, “one of the oil companies based in Tyumen,” according to the airline. The airline said it will become the first of its type to operate in Russia. TAT already operates three corporate-configured Mi-8 helicopters, and it also operates 19 other helicopte more

Global Express simulator training will be launched late next year by FlightSafety International. FlightSafety Simulation in Tulsa, Okla., is currently manufacturing an FAA level-D simulator that will be delivered to an as yet to be decided FlightSafety training facility “most convenient” for Global Express customers. Currently, all factory-authorized simulator training for the Global Express i more

More than 10,000 young people received their introductory airplane rides in the first three months of this year, the strongest three months in the history of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Young Eagles program. Launched in 1992, the program’s goal is to provide airplane rides for one million young people (aged eight to 17 years) before the 100th anniversary of powered flight on Dec. 1 more

General aviation continues to make some, albeit slow, progress towards regaining at least limited access to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) with the announcement by a top Transportation Security Administration (TSA) official that the agency hoped to publish the required security procedures this month.

Lee Longmire, director of civil aviation security for TSA, said at an more

Pan Am International Flight Academy (PAIFA) and Saab Aircraft of America signed an agreement to jointly develop maintenance training courses for North and South American operators of the Saab 340 twin turboprop. Courses, available on demand, will be held at the customer’s location or at PAIFA’s regional airline training centers located in Dulles, Va., and Minneapolis. The first program, a two- more

So called “showstoppers” insurance, a form of business interruption coverage, will likely help NBAA recover some of the expenses and lost revenue the association incurred when it postponed last year’s annual convention from September and moved it to December. The NBAA Convention has always been covered under showstoppers insurance, but this is the first time the association is making a claim more