Aircraft

The French commercial jet manufacturing giant Airbus this week held the official opening of its first manufacturing facility in the United States, at a sprawling new plant in Mobile, Alabama. The facility has been in operation since July and Airbus expects to deliver its first U.S.-built airplane next year. The $600 million, 53-acre facility will […]

October, Palm Springs and airplanes. What could be better? Final preparations are underway for Flying Aviation Expo, the premier West Coast fly-in event for general aviation pilots and enthusiasts, with hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of visitors anticipated at the three day show October 15-17 inside the Palm Springs Convention Center in southern California. The […]

Getting the airplane of your dreams doesn’t always have to include a stop by the showroom to check out the latest models. For would-be owners who have the time and money to invest in upgrading an aging bird, the possibilities are endless. Longtime pilot and aircraft owner Christophe Jouany recently went through that exact process, […]

Changes in the software for Gulfstream’s G280 is highlighting how advanced technology has become in the bizjet world. Gulfstream and Rockwell Collins have updated the PlaneView280 software installed in the G280, a change that has resulted in performance improvements for the luxury 10-passenger jet. The change has reduced the approach speed by as much as […]

Seattle-based Raisbeck Engineering is working with Hartzell Propeller on a new project for the King Air 350, bringing a swept blade propeller design to the largest model of Beechcraft’s twin turboprop. Two versions are in development: a five-blade composite and a four-blade aluminum propeller. Raisbeck said the four-blade aluminum prop is close to achieving FAA […]

“Swarm Man” takes to the sky — er, several feet off the ground — in a DIY super drone that sounds like an army of bees. The homebuilt flying machine is equipped with 54 counter-rotating propellers fastened in a hexagonal pattern, with a chair in the center. It’s also rigged with a polycarbonate dome, which […]

From Garmin’s latest offerings comes the GTC 580, a new touchscreen controller option for the G2000, G3000 and G5000 integrated flight decks. The high-resolution landscape display adds standby flight display capabilities while using the same GTC 570 interface that provides full flight deck management control, such as flight planning, radio and audio management, and weather […]

As the FAA gets serious about stemming the threat of UAVs mixing in airspace with general aviation and airline traffic, the agency has appointed two new executives to head its UAS Integration Office. Retired U.S. Air Force major general Marke “Hoot” Gibson has been tapped to become the senior advisor on UAS integration, reporting to […]

Van’s Aircraft has shipped the 1,000th RV-12 kit, making it one of the most successful light sport aircraft to hit the market since its introduction in 2008. Van’s said it has shipped 937 RV-12 kit empennage packages, plus a number of fly-away S-LSA RV-12s built at the company factory in Oregon. More than 400 RV-12s […]

Continuing the rollout of new avionics options, Robinson Helicopters has introduced Genesys Aerosystems’ HeliSAS (Helicopter Stability Augmentation System) and autopilot as an option for the R44. Earlier this year a flight test and FAA certification program approved the autopilot for the turbine-powered R66. The R44’s autopilot option keeps the same modes and functionality as the […]