Aircraft

Among several new helicopter introductions at Heli-Expo in Anaheim, California, this week was a new trainer from Enstrom Helicopter Corp. The bright orange helicopter the Menominee, Michigan-based company unveiled at its booth at the Anaheim Convention Center’s show floor is a mockup of the two-seat TH180, a scaled down version of the three-seat 280FX, which […]

AgustaWestland opened up its booth at Heli-Expo on Tuesday morning with a massive floor-to-ceiling cloth screen blocking about one fifth of its floor-space. Another giant flat-screen banner display at the back of the booth had a countdown timer in anticipation of the unveiling. A large crowd of people gathered to witness a dramatic unveiling, which […]

In a dramatic ceremony shortly after the Helicopter Association International opened the doors of Heli-Expo, which is currently in progress at the Anaheim Convention Center, Bell Helicopter unveiled three versions of a new helicopter, the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X, developed for the short light single (SLS) class. The three 505s now on display at […]

The president of the Helicopter Association International, Matt Zuccaro, is expanding on his idea of encouraging helicopter pilots to land when trouble brews in the cockpit. A new initiative called Land and Live was launched during Monday’s press day in advance of Heli-Expo’s opening at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Zuccaro got the […]

In 2010, I traveled to Haiti to deliver medical supplies in the aftermath of the powerful earthquake that leveled much of the area in and around impoverished Port-au-Prince. It was no surprise that the crew of a Quest Kodiak beat me there. After all, the Kodiak was created to serve as a primary workhorse for […]

Just before the start of HAI’s Heli-Expo, which opens its doors next week in Anaheim, California, the FAA has finalized a rule that aims to improve helicopter safety. The new rule requires helicopter operators to include additional safety equipment, improve communications and procedures and impose additional training requirements for their pilots. In developing the rule, […]

A new Texas company called Mallard Aircraft says it plans to bring the Turbine Mallard back into production more than 40 years after the original PT6-powered amphibian first took to the skies. The newly produced Turbine Mallard would use a pair of Pratt & Whitney PT6A engines and modern Rockwell Collins avionics, according to the […]

Premier Aircraft Sales has launched an upgrade program for the Cessna 172 Skyhawk that adds a new Continental/Centurion 2.0 diesel engine to the airplane to go along with fresh paint, new interior and modern glass avionics. The first airplane upgraded under the program is a 1997 Cessna 172R model with a sticker price of $289,500 […]

Look for the Learjet 85 to make its hotly anticipated first flight in the coming weeks after Bombardier completed engine ground runs and low-speed taxi tests prior to receiving the necessary first-flight permit from the FAA. The Learjet 85 is the first all-new airplane from the manufacturer in more than 15 years. Launched in 2007, […]

In clear, cool Kansas-winter skies, Cessna took its latest bizjet offering, the Citation Latitude, on its first flight yesterday morning. The two Pratt & Whitney PW306D turbofan engines that power the midsized business jet took it up to 28,000 feet and 200 knots, the upper speed limit for the flight. The Latitude has a ceiling […]