Turboprops

Textron Aviation announced Thursday that with the stroke of a pen, it had passed an important milestone in the progression of its latest King Air models—the 260 and the 360/360ER—with the certification of both under EASA. The approval means that customer deliveries of the workhorse turboprop can begin across Europe. “EASA certification begins a whole […]

As I stood on the Textron Aviation ramp in Wichita, Kansas, for my first look at the company’s new turboprop flagship, the King Air 360, I slipped back in time to a different era and form of transportation: cars (muscle cars as they called them). My pal Lennie had just bought a brand-new, fire-engine-red Chevrolet […]

Textron Aviation has completed the initial ground-test runs of the GE Aviation Catalyst engine on the Beechcraft Denali at one of the company’s facilities in Wichita, Kansas. The clean-sheet design Catalyst was put through its paces to determine its baseline operational status and fuel system functionality. The powerplant’s interface with the avionics and electrical system […]

GE Aviation’s Catalyst engine will be the company’s first, all-new clean sheet turboprop engine in 50 years, according to the company’s website. It borrows many technologies from GE’s big engine business to create a full-authority digital engine control (FADEC) turboprop that—if it lives up to expectations—is certain to give Pratt & Whitney Canada’s venerable PT6 […]

Piper Aircraft introduced its new interim president and CEO John Calcagno at EAA AirVenture on Monday, July 26, and Calcagno expressed enthusiasm for his new role at the legendary manufacturer after 11 years as its CFO. “It goes without saying that I’m honored to be here at Piper Aircraft,” and he went on to stress […]

When Textron Aviation first announced the single-engine turboprop Denali in 2015, it was assumed the aircraft would be branded as a Cessna product. On July 20, Textron Aviation announced the new turboprop will become the single-engine aircraft under the Beechcraft brand family with the King Air 260 and 360/360ER as part of the company’s high-performance […]

Epic Aircraft announced on July 15 that it had received the type certificate from the FAA for its next generation version of the E1000, the GX. The E1000 GX—which replaces the original E1000—features the updated Garmin GFCTM 700 automated flight control system and a Hartzell 5-blade composite propeller. The GFCTM’s advanced altitude and heading reference […]

In April, the Los Angeles Unified School District reopened for in-person classes for the first time in more than a year. With 660,000 students and 63,000 staff at more than 1,300 schools, LAUSD comprises the second largest school district in the country. One of LAUSD’s requirements for reopening was access to rapid and extensive COVID-19 […]

Explorer Aircraft, an offshoot of Aero Engineers Australia, has once again launched efforts in the US in pursuit of FAA Part 23 certification for its utility turboprops. The 500T—a 10-seat-plus-pilot high-wing airplane—made its first flight in 2000, and the 750T—a stretched version powered by the Pratt & Whitney PT6A-60A at 750 hp—will purportedly meet the […]

What aviation aficionado hasn’t watched the iconic 1986 hit movie Top Gun, the story of Maverick, a US Navy F-14 pilot portrayed by actor Tom Cruise? In an early scene with co-star Anthony Edwards, the pair is walking among a bevy of parked F-14s when Maverick’s overcome with the need to yell, “I feel the […]