Pia Bergqvist

Italian airplane maker Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecnam is celebrating its 65th anniversary with the introduction of yet another light sport airplane, this one with “superlative performance.” Named after the company’s first production design, the Tecnam Astore will be unveiled at Aero Friedrichshafen, Germany, at the end of April. While few details regarding the Astore have been […]

Eclipse Aerospace announced this week that it has started up the engines on the first production Model 550 very light jet, the new version of the Eclipse 500, production of which ceased when Eclipse Aviation was forced into bankruptcy in November 2008. The two Pratt & Whitney PW610F engines that power the Eclipse 550 collectively […]

The FAA has signed off on night VFR operations for Yakima, Washington-based CubCrafters’ CC18-180 Top Cub. Several modifications were made to the airplane to meet the FAA requirements, including the addition of glare shields, fuel sight gauge lighting, instrument illumination and backlit placards. Some interior surfaces have been finished with non-reflective black and the taxi […]

Hopes for bringing a B-29 Superfortress named Doc back to life grew stronger this week as several business leaders in Wichita came together to form a non-profit organization called Doc’s Friends. The organization took ownership of the Superfortress, which was rescued by aviation enthusiast Tony Mazzolini and a group of historians who found the airplane […]

On March 7 the SpaceX Grasshopper, a vertical takeoff and landing vehicle currently in development at the company’s McGregor, Texas, facility, completed a nearly 263-foot leap and hovered at that altitude for about 34 seconds before landing at the center of its launch pad. In addition to landing on its target, SpaceX said the Grasshopper’s […]

Unless action is taken by Congress in the next few weeks, budget cuts that result from the much talked about sequestration may have a devastating effect on the National Airspace System, the FAA is warning. On April 7, the agency could close as many as 238 control towers around the country, including some at busy […]

Static wicks are long, thin extensions that are often attached to the outboard trailing edges of wings and horizontal and vertical stabilizers to dissipate the static electricity that can accumulate in flight. Because these protrusions are not easy to see, it’s easy to walk into them, and when you do they’ll often be damaged. But […]

OEMs and show organizers at Heli-Expo this week appear to be on cloud nine as the helicopter industry continues on a strong growth path. More than 13,000 people pre-registered for the show this year, and, by Thursday morning, Helicopter Association International reported more than 20,100 attendees, breaking the attendance record for the sixth consecutive year. […]

One of the most surprising announcements coming out of Heli-Expo this week was the introduction of a new turbine version of the Bell 47 — the 47GT-6 from Scott’s-Bell 47 — a company that also refers to itself as SB47. The new version of the 1940s bubble-canopy helicopter design will be based on Bell’s 47G-3B-2A […]

Sikorsky has many reasons to celebrate at this year’s Heli-Expo in Las Vegas with the 90th anniversary of the company and impressive order announcements valued at more than $800 million. On the first day of the show, Sikorsky announced an order from Houston-based Bristow Group for up to 26 S-76D helicopters used for offshore oil […]