Julie Boatman

Change is afoot for the light sport aircraft class as the rules governing it—and its rough equivalents in the EU—adapt to fit the future. One change lies in the EU’s last EASA Basic Regulation for lightweight aircraft, which now allows for 600 kg “ultralight” or UL aircraft (akin to an LSA’s 1,320 lb limit) to […]

The pause or cessation of at least one major airline cadet program in the EU has left several large aviation academies informing students in the program of the significant costs to transition over to a different MPL or ATPL course. Other flight training organizations see opportunity in the midst of a rapidly changing industry. With […]

Those interested in pursuing a career in aviation outside of being a pilot—or as a complementary track to widen their skill set and employability—may want to consider one in the aircraft electronics field. With a range of potential jobs in the offering, from engineering to avionics installation and maintenance, there may be something worth investing […]

The fourth test article in Gulfstream’s G700 development program made its first flight on October 2, adding to the fleet that will advance the model towards certification. The initial flight, which clocked 1 hour, 56 minutes, took the platform to an altitude of 41,000 feet and reached a speed of 0.89 Mach. The airplane’s primary […]

Textron Aviation announced on October 5 the FAA type certification of the upgrades to its Becchcraft King Air 300 series—the King Air 360 and 360ER—paving the way for deliveries to begin. The 360 and 360ER feature autothrottles from Innovative Solutions & Support that ease pilot workload in most phases of flight, including takeoff, climb, cruise, […]

In a normal year, Honeywell has released its annual Global Business Aviation Outlook in a kickoff event at the National Business Aviation Association’s Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition. This year, the team at Honeywell delivered an advanced briefing to Flying ahead of the forecast’s debut on October 6. In that briefing, the tempered optimism stood […]

And then there were three: Textron Aviation continues apace with its flight test program on the twin turboprop, the Cessna SkyCourier, adding a third test article to the pre-production fleet. The aircraft, P2 in company parlance, made its first flight on September 28, 2020, in Wichita. That initial flight, led by pilots Todd Dafton and […]

A US Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II crashed after the pilot ejected, following a collision with a Marine KC-130J Hercules tanker during refueling in a military operations area (MOA) near the Naval Air Facility El Centro in California. The KC-130J landed in a field near the Jacqueline Cochran Airport in Thermal (KTRM), with the eight […]

Garmin launched its new D2 Air GPS smartwatch for pilots, which includes multiple tools for planning and in-flight use. Serving to connect seamlessly between a pilot’s flying life and ground-based existence, the D2 Air features weather, direct-to navigation, airport info, flight logging, and a pulse oximeter. The watch displays in several time zones (including Zulu […]

Embraer announced on September 28 that it had secured Brazilian ANAC and FAA approval for its synthetic vision system (Synthetic Vision Guidance System) upgrade to the Collins Pro Line Fusion flight deck on its Praetor 500 and 600 business jets. The manufacturer is the first to obtain such approval. SVGS operates independently of the enhanced […]