Aircraft

Canard airplanes were the rage in the 1970s. The VariEze took the homebuilding world — which Jim Bede’s BD-5 had recently taken by storm — by storm. Storms were frequent those days; it was also in the 1970s that T-tails took general aviation by storm and popped up in a lot of places they had […]

Tecnam is making great progress on the certification program for the 11-passenger P2012. The Italian airplane maker expects to get the sign off from the FAA and EASA later this year and start delivering airplanes next year. Dan Wolf, founder and CEO of Cape Air, the launch customer for the P2012, recently visited the factory […]

A startup aircraft company in Norway has completed a successful maiden flight with the first-ever electric amphibious aircraft, according to the firm, Equator Aircraft Norway. The first “fully balanced” flight of the Equator P2 Xcursion prototype was flown by test pilot Eskil Amdal and observed on the ground by Equator employees, according to the company. […]

Yakima, Washington-based CubCrafters continues to make improvements to its already stellar-performing Carbon Cub series, announcing its third generation of the experimental versions of the tandem-seat taildragger. The Experimental Amateur Built EX-3 kit and Factory Experimental FX-3, which is built through CubCrafters’ builder-assist program, are both powered by CubCrafters four-cylinder CC363i engine, producing 186 hp. CubCrafters […]

After receiving a report of undersized fasteners possibly being used during the construction of some Piper M600s, the FAA on Tuesday issued an airworthiness directive to address what it called an “unsafe condition.” The AD, effective July 25, 2018, is aimed at M600s serial numbers 4698004 thru 4698041. The agency’s concern is focused on the […]

OK, I’ve whined enough about the new jet. I’ve moaned about the speedbrake-spoiler failure that occurs every time I get above Flight Level 300; about the fact that I will have to pay Williams for 150 hours per year on the engine program even though I won’t fly that much; about the ridiculous wait to […]

A stunning replica of the 1929 Travel Air biplane recently took its inaugural flight. Named Sun Siren, it is the fleet-mate of another airplane of the same type, Sky Siren, which has been flying since 2013 and is based at the Oxnard airport in southern California. The Sun Siren and Sky Siren were restored and […]

Belgian aircraft manufacturer Sonaca Aircraft announced in a press release that it has received type certification for its Sonaca 200, permitting the company to sell the aircraft worldwide, under its European Airworthiness Certificate. Flying reported on the initial development of the Sonaca 200 in 2017. Harold Van der Straten, the CEO at Sonaca Aircraft, described […]

Long distance travelers could soon reduce their travel times significantly as new high-speed aircraft concepts are announced by multiple companies. One of the most likely to succeed is a hypersonic airliner idea recently revealed by Boeing, which claims it could speed travelers across the Pacific Ocean in just three hours. CNBC reported the aircraft manufacturer […]

Since Cirrus first certified the SR20 nearly two decades ago, the company has grown to become by far the most productive single-engine piston manufacturer in the world, with its sleek composite airplanes known for good speed, comfort, advanced avionics and the BRS full-airframe parachute. Many manufacturers have tried and failed in the hunt for a […]