Aircraft

The Grand Caravan EX is the first Grand Caravan brawny enough to go on amphibious floats. Previous float-equipped Caravans were the short-bodied 208A models. Why did it take almost 20 years to get a Grand on floats? Easy: power, or rather, the lack thereof. The Grand is not only longer but heavier than the 208A, […]

The powerplant Cessna used in the EX is by Pratt & Whitney Canada, the same manufacturer that provided the engines used in every other Caravan Cessna has ever built. The new engine, the PT6A-140, was designed expressly for the Caravan EX. The 140 puts out a whopping 867 shaft horsepower at 1,900 rpm — the […]

Last year at AirVenture, Cessna rolled out its latest Caravan, and it is the most powerful Cessna-built 208 yet. The new model will maintain its 208B designation, but it will give operators a great deal more power, thanks to a new Pratt & Whitney turboprop engine — the PT6-140 — which Pratt developed expressly for […]

A California startup is testing a new way of luring passengers with an “all you can fly” model that lets members travel between select city pairs aboard a Pilatus PC-12 for a flat monthly fee of $1,650. Surf Air plans to link four California cities starting on June 12 as service between San Francisco, Monterey, […]

George Longino is probably not your classic “early adopter” type. But a collection of circumstances make him the first owner of a fly-away, factory-built Van’s RV-12 — and just maybe, a historic figure. Van’s Aircraft decided to enter the production aircraft market after decades of building kits. Founder Richard Van Grunsven has established the most […]

A homebuilt airplane can be built, as the name suggests, in the comfort of your own garage. (Photo courtesy of Justin Twilbeck)| As we all know, the cost of flying has increased tremendously over the past few decades, and today a factory new airplane is too expensive an option for many would-be airplane owners. While […]

The Beechcraft Bonanza holds a coveted spot in aviation history as the longest continually produced airplane of all time. Beechcraft celebrated a significant milestone for the storied airplane on Monday, handing over the 4,000th Model 36 Bonanza, a G36 purchased by a Baltimore, Maryland, commercial real estate firm. In all, Beechcraft has produced more than […]

The speedy Gulfstream G650 and Cessna Citation X might have to get out of the way of this one: A U.S. startup firm has launched a tandem, two-seat “luxury” jet called the Saker S-1 that it says would be the fastest private civilian airplane ever with a top speed of Mach 0.99. Saker Aircraft says […]

Pilatus was the first manufacturer to start giving airplane buyers a free Apple iPad loaded with owner’s manuals and apps. Now the Swiss company is adding in-cockpit Wi-Fi capability by offering an option to incorporate Aspen Avionics’ Connected Panel technology with the PC-12 NG’s Honeywell Primus Apex avionics system. The upgrade will enable pilots to […]

Cirrus Aircraft is donating an SR22 for AirSpace Minnesota’s planned Aviation Learning Center to give young students the chance to experience the wonder of aviation firsthand. AirSpace Minnesota is joining with the Museum of Flight in Seattle to create the Aviation Learning Center in the Twin Cities area. When completed, the center will feature hands-on […]