Aircraft

In explaining the delay announced last week of the HondaJet program, HondaJet president Michimasi Fujino told members of the press at EBACE that it was prompted by an unanticipated test program glitch with the Honda/GE HF120 turbofan engine that will power the airplane. At a later press conference, GE Honda president Terry Sharp went into […]

Embraer on Saturday showed up in Geneva for EBACE with its emerging Legacy 500 midsize jet. The 500, yet another clean-sheet design from the Brazilian jet maker, marks several firsts for the company and for the segment. The jet, which features fly-by-wire flight controls, extensive envelope protection and a large, nicely outfitted cabin, is slated […]

On Tuesday at EBACE in Geneva, Pilatus launched the PC-24, the much-anticipated, long-awaited follow-on to its popular PC-12 turboprop single. The Pilatus PC-24 is a twinjet, and while it looks in many ways like a conventional business jet, it is a very different animal, bringing together a combination of cabin volume, access, utility, speed, rough […]

The FAA has signed off on a new technology for Sikorsky’s S-92 helicopter called Rig Approach, an automated system that makes it easier for offshore pilots to find and approach oil platforms and rigs. Sikorsky claims the new automation software, which allows the offshore pilot to program an approach to a rig into the helicopter’s […]

Business aircraft research firm Jetnet released its market outlook report for the first quarter, and the results are discouraging – unless you’re shopping for a used business jet, turboprop or turbine helicopter. The size of the used aircraft inventory has always been a measure of the health of the overall general aviation industry. The more […]

In what Vice Admiral David Buss, Commander, Naval Air Forces called a “watershed event,” the U.S. Air Force X-47B unmanned combat air system (UCAS) demonstrator was catapulted for the first time from the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier off the coast of Virginia this week. After a 65-minute flight, which included several low approaches […]

Cirrus calls the latest edition of its SR22 the Generation 5, which some customers have begun to refer to informally as the SR22 G5. There are a number of really big changes that make the model a strong upgrade, one that took clever design decisions to achieve. How appealing is the new model? As of […]

One of the most intriguing four-seaters emerging from a European company today is the Tecnam P2010, a composite fuselage, high-wing design intended to be both economical and capable. Tecnam test pilots flew the test example to Aero Friedrichshafen, a journey of nearly 500 nm, cruising at 10,000 feet for much of the flight. Powered by […]

Last year’s restructuring is paying dividends for Beechcraft, at least in terms of deliveries. The manufacturer handed over 59 airplanes to new owners in the first quarter, compared with 37 for the same time frame last year. The deliveries included 16 King Air 350i/ER turboprop twins; 13 King Air 250s; five King Air 90 GTx […]

Cessna employees in Independence, Kansas, had reason to celebrate this week as the first production Citation M2 fuselage was attached to its wings. “This is the moment when we can see an aircraft take shape, and we hope it is equally exciting for our customers who want to start flying their M2,” said Dick Friesen, […]