Search Results for: Citation X

__Flight level 280 in a TBM 850 was just perfect for us coming out of Peachtree in Georgia, headed down to cozy North Perry Airport near Fort Lauderdale in south Florida. On a really long trip we could have climbed up to FL 310, lost a few knots, saved a few gallons per hour and […]

In the last five years, a new crop of small light jets (I promise not to call them VLJs, or very light jets) has entered the marketplace. Aircraft such as the Cessna Model 510 Mustang, Embraer Phenom 100, and yes, the Eclipse 500 are now out there in the hundreds, and they have carved a successful market niche, albeit not the one envisioned by some observers. These airplanes are designed to be flown by single pilots and its fair to ask whether or not our training and safety model for these airplanes will be up to the task. The record so far looks good but we need to look below the surface for the entire story. We should be looking at a cohort of airplanes that are destined for an excellent safety record, if we assume they will reflect the record of previous turbojet models certified for single-pilot operations.

At about 1841 Pacific time, the airplane sustained substantial damage during a gear-up landing. The solo commercial pilot was not injured. Visual conditions prevailed and an IFR flight plan was filed for the Part 135 on-demand cargo flight. The pilot later said he aborted his first landing attempt due to strong winds. He stayed in the airport traffic pattern. During his second landing attempt, he was just about to flare when “things didnt feel right” and he aborted that landing.

In a move that has sent shockwaves through the industry, Textron has parted ways with the highly respected chairman and CEO of its subsidiary Cessna Aircraft, Jack Pelton. The news was announced on Cessna’s Twitter feed and in a Textron news release on Monday afternoon. Pelton had earlier in the day sent a farewell internal […]

Rockwell Collins’ Pro Line Fusion next-gen avionics system has earned FAA TSO approval, the first and biggest step toward putting it in the cockpits of new bizjets. The system represents a huge leap for Collins, which has in Fusion created a scalable, fully digital upgradable suite that is certain to be the basis for numerous […]

The lingering recession continues to make life difficult for airplane manufacturers, and Wichita giant Cessna Aircraft is no exception. Revenue at Cessna rose about 26 percent in the first quarter compared to the same period last year, but low production and delivery levels contributed to an operating loss for the quarter of $38 million. On […]

Cutting-edge turbine engine technology is changing the face of aviation — and making the world a much smaller place. Here’s how.

(April 2011) TAKE A CLOSE LOOK at the inner workings of a modern turbofan engine and you’ll be glimpsing mankind’s ultimate triumph over that most fundamental of untamed ancient natural elements — fire. The science behind basic turbine engine design, after all, represents simplicity at its minimalist best: A single moving part compresses the air […]

(April 2011) SINCE ITS INTRODUCTION in 1998, Garmin’s remarkable GNS 430 navigator and its larger GNS 530 companion have become the de facto standard in aftermarket aircraft avionics. And no wonder: In the various iterations, the multifunction panel-mount units serve as a moving map, a navigation receiver, a communications transceiver, a GPS (and, later, WAAS) […]

Fresh on the heels of its tour de force announcement at the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) show in Reno last week of the GTN 750 and GTN 650 panel-mount touch-screen navigators, Garmin released details at the show of its G2000 flat-panel touch-controlled avionics suite. The package will be installed at the factory in new airplanes. […]