Aircraft

Following the announcement of the certification of the GE Honda HF120 engine last week, the HondaJet has received its type inspection authorization from the FAA. The TIA indicates that the HondaJet meets certain design requirements, and it allows FAA test pilots to begin the final testing phase required for type certification. Over the past couple […]

The Financial Times caused a stir with a report that Cessna parent company Textron has reached an agreement to buy Beechcraft for $1.4 billion. Neither company has commented on the story, which sent Textron’s stock soaring after the news first leaked on Friday. According to the report, Beechcraft hired Credit Suisse in October to identify […]

A new experimental airplane, the two-tandem-seat Thatcher CX5, has taken its maiden flight. Glen Bradley, who helped build and design the airplane together with the main designer, Dave Thatcher, was at the controls when the CX5 took off from the Jack Edwards Airport near Gulf Shores, Alabama. Bradley used one word to describe the visibility, […]

Bombardier achieved certification of its Learjet 70, a super-light-jet stalemate of the Learjet 75 that earned its approval papers a few weeks ago. Validation of the airplane, a revamped version of the Learjet 40, clears the way for immediate deliveries of the Model 70, which Bombardier launched in May 2012 amid a slowing market for […]

It’s been almost 20 years now that diesel technology has been a promising alternative for light general aviation, though the adoption of compression engines has taken longer and has suffered more teething pains than its proponents anticipated. I’ve had the chance to fly five different airplanes with four different diesel engines — the original Thielert, […]

GE Honda Aero Engines has earned Part 33 certification process for the HF120 turbofan engines, receiving the sign-off from the FAA last week. The news puts the much-anticipated HondaJet on a clear path to certification. A spokesman for HondaJet said now that the engines are certified, an update on the progress of the certification of […]

The British company that operates helicopters for the Scottish police has grounded its worldwide fleet of 38 Eurocopter EC135s following a technical fault in a helicopter identical to the one that crashed through the roof of a Glasgow pub late last month. A Bond Aviation EC135 leased to the police crashed at around 10:20 p.m. […]

When the subject of legendary light airplanes comes up, one of the names certain to be mentioned early in the conversation is the Beechcraft Bonanza. The latest model, the G36, bears a passing resemblance to the revolutionary original, which Beech Aircraft began selling way back in 1947. But today’s Bonanza is a very sophisticated platform, […]

**Beechcraft Bonanza G36 ** ** ** The purchase of a Beechcraft Bonanza or an airplane in the same price category is a long-term investment. So it is important that the airplane you choose fits your specific needs. Do you need seats for six people? Is ease of access for loading passengers or cargo important? Is […]

I had a birthday recently, and somebody gave me a book called The World’s Worst Aircraft. There are, it turns out, at least three books with that name, though you would suppose that one, or possibly even none, would have been enough. The project of identifying a distinct group of “worst” aircraft labors under the […]