March 2016

Cirrus Aircraft officials had been hoping to deliver the first SF50 Vision jet by the end of last year, but the company said in January that schedule has stretched to sometime in the first half of this year. Mooney International Corp.s M10T proof-of-concept model completed its first flight, in December, from Chino Airport in California. The M10T, unveiled in 2014 at the Zhuhai Airshow in China, is aimed at Chinas flight training market, and will be manufactured there. The FAA launched its drone registry in late December, and within the first three weeks, about 180,000 drone users had registered. In the NTSBs annual list of most-wanted safety improvements for aviation, loss-of-control accidents repeated from last years choice for general aviation. Anticipating that Congress will consider changing how the FAA is funded in this years spring session, 15 general-aviation advocacy groups signed a letter in December asking the U.S. House to hear their real and long-standing concerns about the expected proposals.

Editorial Staff

Tuesday, February 02, 2016 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Cirrus SF50 Vision jet deliveries are delayed to the first half of this year due to ongoing testing and integration challenges with its whole-airplane parachute system.
The FAA launched its drone registry, with about 180,000 users registering within three weeks, though the Academy of Model Aeronautics urged its members to delay registration.
General aviation advocacy groups are actively protesting anticipated Congressional proposals to change the FAA's funding and governance model, fearing negative impacts on GA.
The NTSB reiterated loss-of-control accidents as its top safety improvement for general aviation, urging pilots to utilize training and new technologies.

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Cirrus Jet Deliveries Delayed

Cirrus Aircraft officials had been hoping to deliver the first SF50 Vision jet by the end of last year, but the company said in January that schedule has stretched to sometime in the first half of this year. Program Manager Matt Bergwall said the company was still working to complete the testing of its whole-airplane parachute. Testing of the ‘chute itself, including the ultimate load test, has been completed. “Now we just have to get it on the airplane,” Bergwall said. The system is challenging; no other manufacturer has put a parachute on a 6000-pound, 300-knot airplane, and the design of the aircraft requires the ‘chute to be stowed in the nose. “These are solvable problems,” Bergwall said.

First Flights For Mooney And Epic

Mooney International Corp.’s M10T proof-of-concept model completed its first flight, in December, from Chino Airport in California. The M10T, unveiled in 2014 at the Zhuhai Airshow in China, is aimed at China’s flight training market, and will be manufactured there. The carbon-fiber, fixed-gear aircraft has three seats and is powered by a Continental CD-135 turbo-diesel engine. Epic Aircraft flew the prototype of its E1000 turboprop, certified version, for the first time, in Bend, Oregon, in December. The company says it expects to certify the aircraft and start deliveries this summer.