Aircraft

NASA researchers are teaming up with the United States Air Force and industry as part of the NASA Aeronautics Strategic Implementation Plan to continue work on developing a sustainable future for commercial aviation with a goal of reducing fuel burn and thus making airliners of the future more efficient. The work focuses on four core […]

Both the FAA and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) recently issued airworthiness directives to operators of Gulfstream’s fly-by-wire aircraft, with an additional warning of potential applicability to the company’s G500/ G600 fleet. The initial ADs were issued against the G650/G650ER, G500 and G600 fleet regarding continued flight after a flight control surface shutdown. […]

When an engineer proposes a truly new solution to an entrenched problem, a chorus of naysayers inevitably arises from the midst of any nods of appreciation. The FAA, in fact, has produced processes for accepting such departures from common thinking—often found under the “alternate means of compliance” route in aircraft certification—but those manufacturers that have […]

What do pilots do when they’re not flying? Good question. While we’ve been featuring a host of educational resources for you, perhaps you’d rather keep your hands busy with a good solid DIY effort. Here’s a round-up of products and sources that may come in handy as you use the current social-distancing protocols to tackle […]

Norway’s Equator Aircraft has announced its intention to compete in the Air Race E, touted as the world’s first consisting of only electric aircraft. The inaugural Air Race E will be held in 2021, and it now lists 10 teams making their plans to participate. Equator Aircraft’s team will be led by founder, CEO, and […]

While you might know the workhorse Dornier 228 and 328 turboprops, you might not be aware that the company has a long history developing amphibious aircraft. Dornier brings that heritage back to the forefront with its most recent announcement: the Seastar CD2 has made a successful first flight in Germany on March 28. The Seastar […]

With a speed well-suited to its shiny new Mach number, the updated version of the Embraer Phenom 300E attained certification this week—and not just under FAA authority, but also with the blessing of EASA and Brazil’s ANAC. Embraer Executive Jets reports that the new 300E met its goals with the intercontinental range extended to beat […]

The Cessna 408—known by its marketing name, the SkyCourier—marked a new milestone in its development program on March 23, when Textron Aviation announced the completion of a successful series of initial ground tests, including engine run. The prototype of the twin utility turboprop, named for its primary mission, features two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65SC […]

The cover story in The New York Times magazine for September 22, 2019, was entitled, “What Really Brought Down the Boeing 737 Max?” The writer, William Langewiesche—son of the sainted author of Stick and Rudder, Wolfgang Langewiesche—is a veteran of Flying, an experienced pilot, and a thorough and technically savvy researcher of his wide-ranging articles […]

Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation announced on March 18, 2020, that the first Mitsubishi SpaceJet M90 (FTV10)—in its final, certifiable baseline configuration—had successfully completed its maiden flight from the Prefectural Nagoya Airport in Japan. The crew performed basic aircraft performance tests during a two-hour flight conducted over the Pacific Ocean. With the completion of this first flight, […]