Aircraft

Attendees at the opening day of the Sun ‘n Fun International Fly-In in Lakeland, Florida, had a chance to get the first glimpse of the Tecnam Astore as the Italian light airplane maker unveiled the LSA for the first time to the U.S. market. Not only is it the Astore’s first time on American soil, […]

Rotax today introduced a new version of its popular 912 series engine for light aircraft, the 912 iS Sport. The big change from the current 912 iS engine is a bigger airbox that ups the torque curve for shorter takeoff runs and steeper climbs while also providing improved fuel efficiency and higher top-end cruise speed. […]

In typical no-nonsense fashion, Van’s Aircraft has issued a special edition of its customer newsletter to inform RV-12 kit builders of new avionics options. Dynon and Garmin both recently announced touchscreen versions of their SkyView and G3X systems. Van’s laid out the price and delivery details as they currently know them, including a set of […]

Continental Motors plans to bring the Reims-Cessna F406 Caravan II back into production after acquiring the type certificate, inventory and manufacturing rights for the twin from Reims Aviation of France. Continental says it is partnering with ASI Innovation in France on the unpressurized, 14-passenger twin, first introduced by Reims Aviation in 1983. Once production resumes, […]

“This is absolutely a temporary measure.” That was the response from the FAA manager in charge when asked about a draft proposal that would prohibit electric airplanes from carrying passengers, flying over congested areas or operating at night — as you might have guessed, it’s all being done in the name of safety. Craig Holmes […]

The Gulfstream factory in Savanna, Georgia, continues to crank out large numbers of luxurious business jets. Only nine years after the introduction of the G450, Gulfstream has delivered the 300th unit of this $40 million airplane, which provides great speeds, long legs, a large comfortable cabin and high-tech capabilities in the cockpit as well as […]

Imagine sliding open the door to your hangar, unplugging the power cable snaking from your airplane to a quick-charging station on the wall and taking to the sky in a sleek four-seater powered only by the smooth, quiet, nonpolluting whir of an electric motor connected to rows of lithium battery packs nestled in the wing. […]

Electric motors use electromagnetic force to produce movement. Magnetic forces — attraction and repulsion — cause the electromagnet inside an electric motor to spin. Motors with metal brushes perform this function by creating opposite charges that attract and repel as the rotor changes polarity. A brushless electric motor relies instead on a solid-state controller to […]

The FAA is crafting rules that would allow electric airplanes to operate in U.S. airspace, but there is one big caveat: No passengers will be allowed on board. That’s according to a draft FAA order that spells out operating limitations for such aircraft. The proposed revision to FAA Order 8130.2 really isn’t that big of […]

Cessna has announced its intent to upgrade two of its popular business jets: the CJ2+ and CJ3, which will now become the CJ3+. Both bizjets are replacing the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics with Garmin’s G3000 touch screen system. In addition to the new avionics suite, the two airplanes have received a new diagnostic […]