Aircraft

Cessna yesterday rolled out the 400th Citation CJ3 light jet. In its ninth year of production, the CJ3 outsells its competition by 70 percent, according to Cessna. Powered by a pair of fadec-controlled Williams FJ44-3A fanjets, the single-pilot-certified CJ3 is largely owner-flown. The Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 flight deck is common among all CJs, […]

In his most recent blog, Fantasy of Flight founder Kermit Weeks has elaborated on how he believes Howard Hughes helped arrange for him to acquire the deceased aviation legend’s Sikorsky S-43. Weeks bought the airplane from the estate of well known car collector Ron Van Kregten, the man who bought it from Hughes, and he […]

A Boeing 787 completed a two-hour flight on Monday in the first test of the troubled airliner’s redesigned lithium battery system. The Dreamliner departed Everett, Washington, just after noon local time and flew along the Pacific coast into Oregon before returning to land at Paine Field. Afterward Boeing said the flight went “according to plan.” […]

A tale of success and hardship for Boeing’s flagship 787.

Beechcraft has filed suit in the Court of Federal Claims contesting the U.S. Air Force’s decision to reject its protest of a multimillion-dollar light attack aircraft contract awarded to Embraer earlier this month. In a statement Beechcraft said the Government Accountability Office (GAO) continues to review its protest of the $428 million Light Aircraft Support […]

SportairUSA, the distributor of the Sting and Sirius light sport models, and World Aircraft Co., developer of the Spirit and Vision LSAs, have chosen the Vertical Power VP-X Electronic Circuit Breaker System to manage the electrical system and control of trim and flaps. The VP-X integrates with EFIS units from Dynon, Grand Rapids Technology and […]

Italian airplane maker Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecnam is celebrating its 65th anniversary with the introduction of yet another light sport airplane, this one with “superlative performance.” Named after the company’s first production design, the Tecnam Astore will be unveiled at Aero Friedrichshafen, Germany, at the end of April. While few details regarding the Astore have been […]

Though his racing suit is devoid of sponsors’ patches, Jeff Bloch has built 13 racers over the years — but none quite like this one. The shiny aluminum race “car” is actually the fuselage of a 1956 Cessna 310 light twin, mated to the chassis of a 1987 Toyota minivan. Bloch (known as “Speedycop”) and […]

Dassault’s newest business jets, the Falcon 2000S and Falcon 2000LXS, have received European certification, the French manufacturer announced today. Approval from the FAA, the company said, is expected to follow shortly. Unveiled in May 2011 at EBACE in Geneva, the Falcon 2000S is the new entry-level product in the Falcon family. Equipped with upgraded EASy […]

Eclipse Aerospace announced this week that it has started up the engines on the first production Model 550 very light jet, the new version of the Eclipse 500, production of which ceased when Eclipse Aviation was forced into bankruptcy in November 2008. The two Pratt & Whitney PW610F engines that power the Eclipse 550 collectively […]