Aircraft

Imagine, high above you, the sleek silhouette of an airplane with a shape more like that of some futuristic spacecraft from a Hollywood blockbuster. You can clearly make out the long, lance-like nose, steeply swept wing and powerful engines as they blast this 21st-century private jet through the stratosphere at twice the speed of Concorde. […]

With the recent announcement by the FAA that it was slowing the process of designating official testing sites for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in part over privacy concerns, the organization that represents drone makers has a blunt message for the FAA that is perhaps best translated as, “Do your job.” The Association for Unmanned Vehicle […]

Just a day after achieving the first flight of the midsize Legacy 500, Embraer marked another milestone on Wednesday as it broke ground on the company’s new Engineering and Technology Center in Melbourne, Florida. The center will be the latest addition to Embraer’s growing presence in the United States and will complement the company’s existing […]

Embraer affirmed its commitment to become a major force in business jet manufacturing with the first flight on Tuesday of the Legacy 500, a clean-sheet midsize model that is capable of flying 3,000 nm, cruising at Mach 0.82 and climbing direct to 45,000 feet. Embraer said the fly-by-wire Legacy 500 made a “flawless” first flight, […]

Earlier this year, we reported that Cessna entered into a strategic agreement with CAIGA (China Aviation Industry General Aircraft), a subsidiary of AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China), to sell, assemble and support the Cessna Caravan in Shijiazhuang, China. The agreement has now developed into a contract for a joint venture company, which in addition […]

With the recent announcement that the FAA’s drone integration plans face more delays, Europe is way ahead of the U.S. There are several programs aimed at integrating pilotless drones into its airspace. For example, test flights are now underway in the UK using a Jetstream 31 twin-engine turboprop, controlled from the ground, but flying with […]

Swiss charter operator VistaJet has placed the largest Bombardier business jet order in history with a deal to acquire as many as 142 Global twinjets. The $3.1 billion firm order announced on Tuesday includes commitments for 56 Global jets, and could climb to $7.8 billion if VistaJet exercises options for 86 more Globals. “By any […]

FlyThisSim has just received the paperwork from the FAA signing off on additional capabilities for the company’s touch-screen TouchTrainer simulator. The TouchTrainer now features configurations for round-gauge and G1000 panels for Cessna 172, 182 and 206 airplanes (including the retractable gear versions). The analog version of the panel includes Garmin’s GNS430W and an STEC autopilot. […]

The Willamette Valley in western Oregon stretched below us, green vineyards hugging the curves of the river, squared-off farmers’ fields, some browner this year than most, a patchwork of life all fringed by the hills that contain and define this timeless place. On days such as the one we were enjoying, the valley was the […]

After two decades of producing hundreds of kits for the SeaRey – an experimental amphib that features swept wings, a pusher prop and retractable gear – Progressive Aerodyne received FAA certification this month for a production LSA version of the airplane. The production airplane will be available in two models, a basic version priced between […]