Aircraft

Hawker Beechcraft on Monday announced an exclusivity agreement with Superior Aviation Beijing Co. in a deal that, if completed, will allow the Chinese-based company to acquire Hawker Beechcraft for a purchase price of $1.79 billion. Hawker Beechcraft reps say Superior intends to continue present operations at the debt-plagued company while also pouring investment into the […]

Chinese state-owned manufacturer Avicopter this week received the type certificate for its AC311 light utility helicopter, expanding the AVIC subsidiary’s growing product portfolio. The AC311 is a single-engine helicopter that is reminiscent of the Eurocopter AS350. It has an mtow of 4,850 pounds, can carry six people and is offered with a choice of Honeywell […]

When Cessna put production of its Corvalis single-engine speedster on hiatus two years ago following a delamination event of a wing structure — no one got hurt — the company clearly had its work cut out for it. It not only had to fix its production processes, something the company says it has successfully done, […]

European aerospace giant Airbus will build its first U.S. factory in a move aimed at making the company more competitive against archrival Boeing. The new plant in Mobile, Alabama – due to open in 2015 – will employ 1,000 people when it reaches full production capacity. Airbus said it hopes the factory will lower costs […]

There are certain ungainly looking airplanes whose great utility and flying manners bring with them a kind of charm that belies their looks. The GippsAero GA8 Airvan might just be this kind of airplane. With its squared-off features and asymmetrical shape, it is kind of an odd duck, the kind that no pilot walks by […]

Terrafugia has completed phase one of six planned phases in its flight-testing program for the single-engine, pusher prop Transition flying car. This first phase included testing of the airplane’s stability and power on and off handling. Engine-cooling and propeller settings for various flight conditions were also evaluated. “It’s a real airplane; we’re flying it whenever […]

Today there are over 30,000 homebuilt aircraft on the FAA’s registry. It’s estimated there may be another 30,000 under construction. When it comes to the question of how to build an airplane, there are a number of different routes individual builders can take. Some builders opt to just buy a set of plans and then […]

The FAA and EASA have signed off on Gulfstream‘s new cockpit upgrade for GIV, GIV-SP, GV, G300 and G400 airplanes. Called PlaneDeck, the new upgrade provides pilots with geo-referenced electronic charts and maps, in-flight XM weather and video displays for the six-screen Honeywell system. Pilots should notice better clarity as the previous cathode ray-tube DU-880 […]

The GE 80 turboprop engine added to its growing list of type certifications this week and further signaled its global appeal by gaining approval from both the Brazilian Civil Aviation agency and the Argentine aviation authority. The South American type certifications follow approval from the FAA in March as well as the go-ahead granted by […]

For that special buyer who demands nothing less than the ultimate in luxury and comfort aloft, Eurocopter has put the EC 135 in the gifted hands of the designers at Hermès, the French fashion house known best for its ultrahigh-end leather handbags, shoes and accessories. The result is an interior space dominated by rich brown […]