Stephen Pope

The first production Cirrus Vision Jet is scheduled to receive a coat of paint and full interior after making its inaugural shakedown flight in Duluth, Minnesota, on May 5. Next, the SF50 will be be handed over to Cirrus Flight Ops to help develop the Vision flight training program ahead of FAA certification, expected soon. […]

The FAA has started testing a drone detection system in New York airspace as it seeks high-tech ways to track down “rogue” drones around airports. The FAA and its government, industry and academia partners have joined forces to evaluate the drone detection technology at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Over the last two years, the […]

First-quarter aircraft shipments figures released by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association point to an industry still being buffeted by economic headwinds nearly eight years after the Great Recession of 2008. All fixed-wing aircraft segments posted declines compared with last year’s first quarter numbers, as reported GA airplane billings dropped 9.5 percent by value to $4 […]

The Purdue Research Park Aerospace District in West Lafayette, Indiana, announced a partnership that will make the university a sales, maintenance and training center for Italy’s Tecnam, a maker of general aviation piston airplanes. “There is a tremendous challenge of pilot scarcity in U.S. aviation. One of our most important endeavors is to train and […]

JetAviva, the Austin, Texas-based light jet sales and training specialist, has reached an agreement to buy Kansas Aircraft Corp., a Kansas City-area piston aircraft and turboprop sales broker, creating one of the country’s most formidable light aircraft resale firms. KAC, a former Cessna authorized dealer, was purchased three years ago by Tim and Dianne White, […]

The FAA announced the formation of an advisory committee to guide it on the integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the national airspace, a group that will be led by Intel CEO Brian Krzanich. The committee will help the FAA finalize hotly anticipated regulations for the commercial operation of drones in civil airspace, which […]

Specialized flight training has long been part of the typical transition process for pilots moving up to ever-faster and more capable airplanes. A rash of fatal SR22 crashes in 2012, however, forced Cirrus Aircraft to go back to the drawing board and completely rethink its approach to training. Nothing was out of bounds, from the […]

It’s a great name for an optionally piloted airplane. FLARE, the Flying Laboratory for Aeronautical Research, will take to the skies soon as part of an Italian aerospace research center project that will transform a Tecnam P92 two-seater into an unmanned, or at least unpiloted, test bed. Italy’s civil aviation authority has signed off on […]

Ahead of a public hearing on the FAA’s proposal to overhaul decades-old light aircraft certification rules several general aviation groups are signaling their strong support for the changes that aim to spur innovation, cut costs and improve safety. A coalition of general aviation groups encouraged the FAA in a joint letter to finish work on […]

In-flight connectivity provider Gogo successfully completed the initial phase of flight testing for its Gogo Biz 4G service ahead of the rollout of the faster air-to-ground network next year. During a four-hour flight-test sortie last week aboard the company’s Challenger 600 testbed, multiple 4G streaming video and streaming audio sessions were conducted simultaneously on a […]