12/31/1969
Sitting governor earns helicopter rating
Besides beating political opponents into submission, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue is doing the same with air molecules.

12/31/1969
Insurance firm doubles hurricane relocation coverage
Aviation insurer AIG Aviation has announced that, effective immediately, it will increase the amount of its hurricane relocation coverage, from $500 to $1,000, for qualifying policyholders.

12/31/1969
FAA, Congress revisit Eclipse 500 certification
FAA inspectors are conducting a special certification review of the Eclipse 500 jet. The move is apparently in preparation for a Sept. 17 congressional hearing questioning the FAA's awarding of a type certificate to the company in 2006.

12/31/1969
Russian military action traps Epic prototype jet
Epic Aircraft of Bend, Ore., is experiencing firsthand the effects of the Russian incursion into Georgia.

12/31/1969
Cash-strapped Grob looks for options
Grob Aerospace, the German manufacturer behind the all-composite Grob SPn twinjet, has declared bankruptcy.

12/31/1969
Industry wants to see higher LSA sales
So how is the light sport aircraft industry doing? From a strictly quantity standpoint, registrations are moving at a pace of 500 per year in the United States.

12/31/1969
Small knowledge testing centers lose certification
Under a new FAA policy, roughly 120 CATS and LaserGrade testing facilities across the country have lost their knowledge test administration privileges because they gave fewer than 25 tests last year. AOPA has requested that the FAA reverse its policy and immediately reinstate the testing centers' privileges.

12/31/1969
FAA weighs sport pilot rule changes
With some four years of real-world experience behind it, the FAA is zeroing in on proposed changes to the sport pilot rule.

12/31/1969
ADIZ training requirement fraught with problems, AOPA says
Any pilot who flies VFR within 60 nautical miles of the Washington, D.C., VOR/DME must complete the FAA's one-time special awareness training online course or seminar by Feb. 9, 2009. The FAA's mandate for training stems from an effort to reduce the number of Washington, D.C., Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) incursions.

12/31/1969
Man rescued in desert is AOPA member's son
When John Kenny of Arizona read AOPA's story about the Husky pilot who found a man lying face down in Nevada's Black Rock Desert on July 23, he initially didn't realize he was reading the account of his son's rescue.