Aircraft

Just mention the name DeLorean and even today most people will conjure a vision of Doc Brown’s sleek, gull-winged car from Robert Zemeckis’ 1985 film Back to the Future. There was a time when that might have been enough recognition for DeLorean, but no longer. With the recent unveiling of the DeLorean Aerospace’s DR-7, it’s […]

You may recall the innovative design of the Marenco Swisshelicopter SKYe SH09 – the light helicopter with the double doors at the tail section and large sliding door entry for the glass cockpit – and wonder what is happening with the Swiss project. The answer is, a whole lot. The company announced last week it […]

For those who didn’t have the opportunity to read the April Jumpseat column, or for those who don’t recall, I conveyed a tale of woe regarding my airplane-buying experience. It had turned into a horror story. The 1972 Piper Arrow II I had purchased became a small nightmare when it was discovered by my observant […]

Every aircraft has a distinct story. And even some of those that fell on some sort of misfortune live on beneath the waves, allowing scuba divers to explore the wreckage and visit these planes in their second life. Here are six examples of airplanes that now live on the seafloor and the history behind their […]

The National Transportation Safety Board released its final report regarding the Icon A5 accident in May, which claimed the lives of two Icon employees, Jon Karkow and Cagri Sever. The accident took place on the shores of Lake Berryessa, the lake that Icon uses for training flights from its headquarters and training facility at the […]

Being a tail dragger aficionado since my Citabria ownership days probably gave me a leg up on taking to Belite Aircraft‘s Chipper when I first saw it at Sun N Fun in April. Belite’s president, James Wiebe, made it clear from the start of our conversation in Lakeland that the Chipper was a work in […]

I’m sitting on a remote dry lake bed in Utah, having a fabulous catered lunch consisting of a variety of scrumptious fresh berries, sandwiches and cookies. It’s as far from the hustle and bustle as you can get. The faintest wind gust is audible, and each step I take on the fine-grained sediment creates a […]

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. just delivered the 550th copy of its popular G550 business jet, a move company president Mark Burns said has “earned it a lasting reputation as a versatile aircraft for business aviation and an ideal platform for special missions. The aircraft’s technological and safety advances also led the G550 to be awarded the […]

A new lease on life is always welcome. One Aviation said last week the FAA had granted it just that by extending the structural life limit on the Eclipse 500 and 550 from 10,000 to 20,000 flight hours or 20,000 cycles, whichever occurs first. The change applies to all airframes with the extended tip tank […]