Aircraft Certification

Greensboro, North Carolina-based Honda Aircraft Company has achieved the final level of U.S. aircraft certification for the HA-420 HondaJet, snagging the coveted FAA Production Certificate for the light twinjet. The new approval allows the company to produce, flight test and issue airworthiness certificates to its HondaJets, a process that has previously required some involvement by […]

Piper’s M600 single-engine turboprop achieved FAA type certification last week, adding a new model to the Vero Beach, Florida, manufacturer’s lineup that features more power and improved avionics. The $2.853 million M600 features the same Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-42A engine as the Piper M500, but power has been boosted from 500 to 600 shp, […]

(function(d, s, id) { if (d.getElementById(id)) return; var js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = ‘//cdn4.wibbitz.com/static.js’; d.getElementsByTagName(‘body’)[0].appendChild(js); }(document, ‘script’, ‘wibbitz-static-embed’)); A startup company with the goal of meeting off-road accessibility with the freedom of flight just got the go-ahead from the FAA. SkyRunner announced this week that its flying all-terrain vehicle has earned S-LSA […]

The FAA has deemed the B-29 known as Doc airworthy, handing over the airworthiness certificate for the historic airplane, the first flight of which is “imminent,” according to restoration group Doc’s Friends in Wichita, Kansas. “It’s been nearly 60 years since Doc has flown and 16 years since this majestic warbird arrived in Wichita to […]

Gulfstream Aerospace announced yesterday at EBACE in Geneva, Switzerland, that its long-range flag bearer of the current fleet, the G650ER, has received EASA certification for private operations (including charter), up to 100,000 pounds. In the meantime, the G650ER has set records, showing off its dance with Mach 0.90 during its latest flight from Teterboro Airport, […]

Just in the nick of time, with the European Business Aviation Convention and Expo opening its doors today in Geneva, Switzerland, Honda Aircraft Company has received the official paperwork confirming the EASA certification of the HondaJet HA-420. Honda Aircraft’s president and CEO Michimasa Fujino received the HA-420 EASA certificate from Steve Higgins, EASA’s section manager […]

Glasair announced yesterday that it has achieved SLSA approval for its Merlin light sport aircraft. While the Arlington, Washington-based company has been in the business of making experimental airplanes since the 1980s, including the Sportsman four-seat airplane built through the two-weeks-to-taxi program, Merlin is Glasair’s first production airplane. Merlin will not be offered as an […]

As Piper prepares for the market introduction of the M600 single-engine turboprop, scheduled to receive its FAA certification stamp of approval in the third quarter, the Vero Beach, Florida, company is dropping the prices and adding features to its other M-class models to make them more attractive to buyers. The Pratt & Whitney PT6A-powered M500’s […]

This week, Robert Goyer reported on the new certification standards that are currently in the making at the FAA. Our industry is in dire need of this change. We need it to improve our safety record and to attract more people into the wonderful world of flying. I learned to fly in a Cessna 152 […]