Aircraft

The FAA was scheduled to supply a list of possible locations for drone testing sites by Aug. 12, but has yet to deliver. This week, politicians and industry stakeholders are putting public pressure on the agency to make good on promises to move forward with what they expect to become a multibillion-dollar industry, and a […]

Eclipse Aerospace announced this week that it has completed the testing phase for a new anti-skid braking system (ABS) for the Eclipse 550 twin-engine very light jet (VLJ). The ABS will be optional, and can also be retrofitted to existing Eclipse jets, including Eclipse 500 airplanes with the Avio integrated flight management system (IFMS), according […]

As Piper Aircraft commemorates its 75th anniversary this year, the company on Thursday had another event to celebrate: the 500th delivery of its popular turboprop Piper Meridian to its new Florida-based owner. The Meridian has been a strong seller since Piper announced the pressurized single-engine model in 1997 as a follow-on to the piston-powered PA-46 […]

While ultra-modern prototypes like the Sikorsky X2 and Eurocopter X3 are garnering most of the attention, two small, innovative helicopters are set to make their marks on the rotorcraft industry as well. The first of these is the e-volo personal helicopter, the ingenious result of a collective effort of a group of German professionals who […]

The NTSB has released the preliminary report on the Cirrus SR22 crash we reported on last week in which five people lost their lives in southwest Missouri. The report states that the Cirrus SR22 crashed near Willard, Missouri, at 00:23 central daylight time on Sept. 15 on its way to the Springfield-Branson National Airport (SGF), […]

The pine trees in south Georgia sure grow tall. This was the singular thought that kept racing through my mind as we blasted across the open peanut field at 145 miles per hour five feet off the ground before pitching up at the last instant to skim over the tops of the 90-foot-tall trees, missing […]

Over the years I’ve flown around a dozen varieties of the Cessna 182, from the latest glass-panel turbo models to impeccably restored early birds, but I’d never experienced anything like this. As I advanced the single black lever in Cessna’s new 182 JT-A to roll around the corner onto 19L at Wichita’s iconic Mid-Continent Airport, […]

Even as Eurocopter continues with the rapid development of its X3 compound helicopter, the company is planning a two-phase introduction of the advanced X4 helicopter, with the first version entering service in 2017 followed by the second in 2020. The X4 is an EC 155 replacement that Eurocopter says will test the boundaries of what […]

The simple design, appealing shape and fun flying characteristics of the Piper Cub put a glint in the eye of most pilots. Countless aviators trained and made their first solo flights in this beloved bird. But, being introduced in the 1930s, it’s no wonder the original Cub design could benefit from some improving modifications. Piper […]

Photos of what appears to be a new Chinese stealth fighter recently surfaced on the Internet, triggering a flood of speculation regarding the jet’s potential capabilities and what implications it holds for the evolution of Chinese military air power. The single-seat, twin-engine fighter has been designated as the J-21 or the J-31, and is the […]