Aircraft

Arguing that the safety of other aircraft and people on the ground is in jeopardy, the FAA said it will appeal a judge’s ruling that the agency lacks the legal authority to impose a total ban on commercial drone flights. The FAA’s action arose from a case involving Raphael Pirker, who was fined $10,000 for […]

In December, Reuters reported that Chinese authorities are requiring pilots flying into Beijing Capital International Airport in the northeastern outskirts of the city to improve their landing capabilities in low visibility conditions. The airport has been suffering chronic flight delays due to poor visibility caused by smog. Now there is word out of China that […]

Since 1997, Cessna has been telling pilots of most of its light twins not to fly in known icing — but not all, as a previous report in Flying‘s eNewsletter suggested. Cessna issued a Mandatory Service Bulletin back then (MEB97-4) requiring that those twins not approved for flight in known icing (FIKI) have placards installed […]

Heli-Expo closed the doors of the Anaheim Convention Center last week with strong attendance numbers and many contracts closed for the OEMs that had helicopters on display. With a total of 19,038 attendees at this year’s Heli-Expo, the show attendance was down by about 1,000 from last year’s record numbers, but despite this slight drop […]

One of the most aesthetically pleasing small exhibits at Heli-Expo was the showcase of Thales Avionics 2020 for helicopters, a system introduced by the French company at the show last week in Anaheim, California. A four-screen touchscreen display was set up under an arc imitating a section of the fuselage of a helicopter. The simulated […]

Why would anyone attempt to build a full-scale, airworthy replica of an airplane that never flew and for which there are no known plans? For a team of designers in Oklahoma, it’s all about recreating one of the most amazing airplanes ever conceived — the Bugatti 100P, a dream of Italian carmaker Ettore Bugatti, who […]

We pilots love engines and with good reason. We rely on their continued trouble-free operation to keep us flying safely. Perhaps more to the point, without engines, flight would never have gone far, and it can be argued that every noteworthy advance in aircraft performance was preceded by a noteworthy advance in power-plant design. There […]

Propeller maker Hartzell has gotten the FAA’s approval for a new five-blade composite prop for existing Socata TBMs, from the 700 though the 850 series. We flew the new prop on a TBM 700 last month and were impressed by its smooth operation, great runway performance and impressive climb rates. Hartzell president Joe Brown says […]

Pipistrel has reported to Flying that its Panthera four-seater aircraft development program is suffering a considerable delay. The holdup, according to Pipistrel CEO Ivo Boscarol, is due to Lycoming’s decision not to certify its four-cylinder IO-390 engine for auto fuel use, a key feature for Pipistrel in creating the Panthera. Lycoming declined to comment on […]

Deep cuts in military spending ordered by the Obama Administration would reduce American military forces to their lowest level since before World War II and signal the end of the line for two iconic military aircraft, the high-flying Lockheed U-2 spyplane and tank-busting A-10 Warthog. Under the proposed military budget, the entire A-10 fleet would […]