Stephen Pope

Dassault Aviation, seeking for a way to revive its ambitions in the super-midsize category after the cancellation of the Falcon 5X development program last year, yesterday introduced the Falcon 6X, a new 5,500-nm twinjet that is due make its first flight in early 2021 and begin deliveries in 2022. Dassault has selected Pratt & Whitney […]

If the stylized dragonfly in its new logo didn’t tip you off, the disappearance of the word “helicopter” from its name should provide an ample clue that Bell Helicopter – or just Bell, we should say now – recognizes that its future lies well beyond the boundaries of rotorcraft like the ubiquitous Hueys and JetRangers […]

As economic conditions continue to improve globally this year, buyers are holding firm to purchase expectations that should see between 4,000 and 4,200 new civil helicopters delivered in the next five years, according to Honeywell’s latest forecast released on the eve of Heli-Expo in Las Vegas, which opened its doors this morning. In its latest […]

When we think of drones we tend to conjure images of miniature quadcopters flitting across the sky. That’s what makes the new FLYOX Mark II amphibious cargo drone so unusual. First, the thing is massive, with a ramp weight of 8,800 pounds and a 35-foot wingspan. It’s also the only drone we know of that’s […]

Year-end delivery numbers released yesterday by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association paint a mixed picture of an industry still struggling to regain the market ground it lost in the turmoil of the 2008 economic recession. Still, bright spots in the report included sales of new business jets, which were up slightly, a welcome increase in […]

Textron Aviation is no longer selling the Cessna TTx, bringing to an apparent close production of the sleek high-performance piston single that originally drew its inspiration from a kitplane and grew into a fully Part 23 certified model that for a time was considered one of the best light airplanes in the world. Textron Aviation […]

The market for new Part 23 and Part 25 general aviation airplanes has yet to see a return to the brisk sales levels recorded before the 2008 financial crisis, but slow deliveries can be blamed at least in part on the encouraging fact that many buyers say they are merely waiting for certification of new […]

Honda Aircraft has notched its biggest order yet, signing a deal with Wijet, a European air-taxi provider, for 16 HondaJets to upgrade its aging business jet fleet. Honda Aircraft made the announcement at the Singapore Airshow being held at Changi Exhibition Centre, where the HondaJet is making its first-ever appearance. Wijet is a French air-taxi […]

Piper Aircraft received an order for 152 training aircraft from Fanmei Aviation Technologies, the manufacturer’s dealer in China, making the deal the largest single order for training airplanes in the company’s history. Fanmei Aviation Technologies is a subsidiary of Sichuan Fanmei Education Group Co., a leading provider of aviation education in China. The seven-year purchase […]

When we first came across a video last week of a drone’s dramatic encounter with an airliner, like a lot of people we assumed it was fake – or at least impossible to verify as real. Now, the FAA confirms to Flying it is taking the video very seriously, and members of the drone community […]