Search Results for: main turbo systems

When Piper announced its new PiperJet at the National Business Aviation Association’s 59th Annual Meeting and Convention last October, it promised to create a whole new category of personal or business airplane. With an expected top cruise speed of 360 knots, IFR range of 1,300 nm, an operating ceiling of 35,000 feet, and all of […]

From the beginning the FAA has treated jets differently. In almost every area of certification the standards for jets have been more stringent than for propeller-driven airplanes, and one of those jet standards had been a requirement for two pilots. That rule remained in force until 1977 when Cessna won approval for single-pilot operation of […]

Whenever I’m around a Pilatus PC-12, either standing on the ramp, or inside the cockpit or cabin, I am dazzled by the size of this turboprop single. The wingspan is more than 53 feet. The tail is 14 feet above the pavement. And the cabin is as roomy as some midsize business jets. The PC-12 […]

The best way that I can think of to describe Cessna’s new light jet Mustang is that it is, in all respects, a Citation. That means it has pleasant and predictable flying qualities, uncomplicated and robust systems, good payload and range, and it delivers on all of the promises Cessna made when it introduced the […]

“Columbia 2536 Tango is cleared to the I69 airport, direct Hagerstown VOR, then as filed, maintain 4,000, departure on 134.15, squawk 0510.” I have gotten that same route clearance many times in my P210 and to take the measure of the new Columbia 400 I would run it out and back over this familiar 320-nm […]

I have been studying general aviation accidents for almost 50 years and it is amazing that over all this period of time we have lost eight, plus or minus a few, IFR airplanes to thunderstorms each year. It’s amazing because when I started there was little or no radar information on thunderstorms available, where now […]

With a crop of very light jets (VLJs) in development it’s interesting to look back at another would be revolution in airplane design, the Lear Fan. In the late 1970s inventor and promoter Bill Lear conceived a turboprop airplane that would have twin engines driving a single propeller mounted on the tail. The airplane was […]

My Dad, a renowned research doctor, used to argue that the human gene pool has reached its zenith and is on the decline. He’d cite the recent efforts at promoting intelligent design, ignoring global warming, preventing stem-cell research and the disavowal of science in general. Maybe I’m a pessimist, but I’m beginning to wonder if […]

There are two important measurements of turbine engine power output. The one published in basic specifications, and tossed around when pilots get together to talk, is the takeoff power rating. And that’s important. But a more difficult to define, and equally important, measure of turbine enginepower is how much is available at useful cruise altitude. […]

The Beech King Airs owe four decades of success to having the best mix of cabin comfort, performance, excellent flying qualities and famous reliability. The new C90GT keeps the comfort and wonderful flying feel that pilots love and deliversa lot more performance. It can’t catch the light jets, but it has dented their speed advantage […]