Aircraft

Imagine not pulling up to the fuel pumps either before or after a training flight. The dream of a flight school operating an airplane that doesn’t operate on fossil fuels is now a real possibility for operators in Canada with Transport Canada’s certification of Pipistrel’s ALPHA Electro earlier this month. The ALPHA Electro was also […]

The market for new Part 23 and Part 25 general aviation airplanes has yet to see a return to the brisk sales levels recorded before the 2008 financial crisis, but slow deliveries can be blamed at least in part on the encouraging fact that many buyers say they are merely waiting for certification of new […]

Gulfstream Aerospace’s all-new family of business jets, the Gulfstream G500 and G600, are making solid progress toward their anticipated FAA certification later this year. The G500 just entered the final stage of its flight test and certification program, while the G600 recently completed company field performance testing. To date, the five G500 aircraft have accumulated […]

With light-sport aircraft manufacturers seemingly popping up all over the world like mushrooms sprouting after a good rainfall, you may wonder why any company would decide to get into this saturated market. In fact, light-sport guru Dan Johnson currently lists 143 LSA models on his bydanjohnson.com website. But after Glasair was bought by the Chinese […]

Epic Aircraft in Bend, Oregon, has flown the second and final production conforming prototype E1000, putting the company on short final for FAA certification of the all-composite single-engine turboprop, which is now anticipated to enter the market by this year’s third quarter. Epic Aircraft CEO Doug King said performance of the Pratt & Whitney Canada […]

Bombardier has successfully flown FTV5, the final Global 7000 prototype test aircraft. FTV5, nicknamed by Bombardier “The Masterpiece,” will validate tests completed earlier in the program, ensuring what is hoped to be a smooth entry-into-service for the Global 7000 later this year. To date, Global 7000 flight testing has logged more than 1,300 flight test […]

Schweizer RSG, a newly formed company affiliated with Rotorcraft Services Group in Fort Worth, Texas, plans to restart production of the Schweizer 300 by the end of the year after purchasing the product line from Sikorsky. Sikorsky’s exit from the light helicopter market brings some clarity after years of ambiguity surrounding the S-300’s fate following […]

Critics thought flying a solar-powered aircraft around the world was impossible, but Nova’s PBS documentary premiering January 31 chronicles the successful adventure from beginning to end. The Solar Impulse II began its around-the-world flight on March 9, 2015, following 13 years of work by aerospace engineers, meteorologists and flight controllers who designed, built and flew […]

In anticipation of certification, the Gulfstream G500 is taking off on a five-month tour to get introduced to potential customers around the world. The ultra-long-range, high-speed luxury jet, the final of five test airplanes, recently took off from Dallas Love Field and will make stops in major cities such as Chicago, Melbourne, Beijing, Moscow and […]

Even as sales of new airplanes stumble under the weight of a glut of pre-owned models, good news abounds. Cirrus Aircraft, for one, continues to defy market trends by selling out production of its piston models year in and year out while focusing much of its attention this year on deliveries of its newest product, the […]