Aircraft

Flying reader Jason Yeager submitted this Flying Is… video capturing a beautiful sunset flight. Check out more Flying Is… videos here.

The cowling surrounding a reciprocating engine is a sophisticated aerial garbage disposal. Its job is to throw away about $1.50 out of every $6 you spend on avgas. Gasoline contains more energy per pound than TNT, but engines turn only about a quarter of that energy into useful power. What happens to the rest? It […]

This week, less than two years after Diamond Aircraft announced its intent to bring a turbine powered DA50 to market, the Austrian company embarked on the first flight of the airplane that has been named the DA50-JP7. Diamond Aircraft CEO Christian Dries was one of two test pilots on the first flight, which launched from […]

A number of general aviation’s most influential lobbying groups have come out in strong support of Terrafugia’s request for an exemption to LSA weight and stall speed limits for the company’s developmental flying car. The General Aviation Manufacturers Association, Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association and Experimental Aircraft Association all submitted formal comments to the FAA supporting […]

Nextant Aerospace completed the first test flight of the G90XT business turboprop, a remanufactured version of the venerable King Air C90A with new GE H75-100 turbine engines, Garmin G1000 avionics and fresh paint and interior. “The increased power was very noticeable during the takeoff run,” said Nextant chief test pilot Nathan Marker. “I was also […]

As part of ringing in the new year, Robinson Helicopter has added new avionics options to its R66 Turbine helicopter. Customers can now choose Garmin’s G500H glass panel and the Genesys Aerosystems HeliSAS autopilot. Previous glass-panel options for the R66 include Aspen Avionics’ PFD and MFD solutions. Garmin’s G500H brings primary flight and navigation information […]

Daher-Socata announced that the introduction of the TBM 900 single-engine turboprop translated into a 27 percent increase in sales from 2013 to 2014. Since the French airplane manufacturer’s launch of the new version of the speedy turboprop last March, it delivered 51 of the airplanes before the end of the year. 2014 ended up closing […]

Canada’s Bombardier said today it is halting its Learjet 85 development program amid weak business jet demand and will lay off about 1,000 employees at its sites in Querétaro, Mexico, and Wichita, Kansas. The Lear 85 is the first all-composite business jet from Bombardier, and was to become the new flagship of the Learjet division […]

The Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology has entered into an agreement with Aero Electric Aircraft Corp., reserving the first 20 production slots for the Sun Flyer solar-electric training aircraft. “This agreement signifies our commitment to innovation and to serving the next generation of pilots,” said Peter Harris, CEO of Spartan College based in Tulsa, […]

Crop dusters and firefighter pilots in Europe now have a new airplane option as Thrush Aircraft Company has received the sign off from the European Aviation Safety Agency for its Thrush 510G. With a price tag of around $900,000, the turboprop single received FAA certification in 2012 and has also been approved in Canada, Argentina […]