The NTSB this week released preliminary aviation accident statistics for 2012, showing that Part 121 commercial airline operations remained fatality-free, and general aviation accidents were virtually unchanged. In the general aviation segment, the number of total accidents was 1,470 in 2011 and 1,471 in 2012. Fatalities decreased slightly, from 448 to 432, and the accident rate per 100,000 flight hours declined from 6.84 to 6.78. On-demand Part 135 operations showed improvement, with decreases across all measures, the NTSB said. Read More

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The company is not currently building airplanes, but Mooney had a presence at AirVenture 2013 to recognize the 60-year anniversary of the M20 and two pilots who set records in Mooneys, and to say the company isn't going anywhere. The company says it is still working to support the roughly 7,000 aircraft it produced that are still in service and says it "continues to discuss new investment opportunities with interested parties." Mooney's CFO, Barry Hodkin, said, "Nobody is quitting on the Mooney brand. It's among the most respected aviation brands in the world." Read More

Pilatus has chosen a Chinese company, Beijing Tian Xing Jian Yu Science Co., as a partner for expanding into the Chinese market, the company said on Wednesday. "We believe that a partnership with a local sales partner is the key to success [in China]," said Markus Bucher, CEO of Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. "Assisted by our joint venture partner... we will achieve our goal of establishing the Pilatus brand in China." The PC-12 and the Pilatus Porter PC-6 are "optimum" aircraft for Chinese buyers, added Oscar Schwenk, Pilatus chairman. "China has many small airfields with short runways -- our aircraft are ideal for operating in and out of them." An initial contract to supply a total of 50 PC-12s and PC-6s has been signed. Read More

The 787 that was damaged in a fire in Paris recently can be repaired, but the exact procedure for fixing the damage is unclear and may prove costly, according to The Seattle Times. Although the fire blackened and damaged the composite structure, it didn't burn all the way through the skin, the Times said, but the skin will nevertheless need to be replaced, and "repairing the damaged Ethiopian Airlines jet will clearly be a major challenge for Boeing’s engineers." Depending on how big the damaged area is, it may be cheaper and easier for Boeing to replace the entire aft fuselage section, rather than install a large patch that would require extensive testing to prove its soundness to the FAA. Composites World called the effort "possibly, one of the largest composite repair projects in aerospace history." Read More

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In an update issued Tuesday afternoon, the NTSB said the captain of a Southwest Airlines 737 that landed nosewheel-first at New York's LaGuardia Airport on July 22 had taken over control from the first officer "at a point below 400 feet" as the jet approached for landing. It was the first time the two pilots had flown together. The first officer had flown into LGA before, including six flights in 2013, and it was the second arrival for the captain, who had acted as the monitoring pilot both times. The nose gear collapsed on the runway, causing substantial damage to the airplane. All 150 onboard were evacuated and eight people were treated for injuries. "At this point in the investigation, no mechanical anomalies or malfunctions have been found," the NTSB said. "A preliminary examination of the nose gear indicated that it failed due to stress overload." Read More

At the traditional wrap-up news conference at Oshkosh on Sunday afternoon, EAA Chairman Jack Pelton said this year's show succeeded in meeting its main objectives. The number-one objective, he said, was to have a safe AirVenture, and that was accomplished. The second major success was to have an airshow at all, given the challenges posed when the FAA declined to pay the expenses for air traffic controllers, and sent EAA a bill for almost $450,000. The third challenge was to provide an entertaining airshow, despite the lack of military participation. "Most of you will agree we exceeded that expectation," Pelton said. EAA also said it had a record number of vendors at the show, many of whom reported robust sales. Read More

At AirVenture, we talked to Aerocross Systems' Tam Pho about a new product the company is introducing. It's essentially a wearable HUD, consisting of a pair of lightweight glasses with a primary flight display projected directly in front of the eye. Pho says the system is designed to be practical and affordable. Read More

Anyone who's made the annual EAA pilgrimage to pre-sequestered Oshkosh understands the excitement of scanning for traffic while listening with rapt attention to ATC. You can maintain that razor's edge year-'round by acing this quiz.

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In Brainteaser Quiz #185 we asked, "What's the silliest aircraft name you've heard?" And our readers rose to the challenge. See what silliness there is in the sky. Read More

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