Aircraft

With the strong backing of its new Chinese owners, Cirrus Aircraft on Wednesday announced that the long-gestating Vision SF50 single-engine jet program has received full funding through certification and into initial production, now anticipated to start in 2015. “Today is simply a tremendous milestone for Cirrus,” said Dale Klapmeier, CEO and cofounder of Cirrus Aircraft. […]

Pipistrel took the wraps off its super-efficient Panthera four-seater this week at the Aero Expo in Friedrichshafen, Germany, giving avgeeks a first glimpse at the aircraft that boasts a 1,000 nm range and a cruise speed of 200 knots, all while burning a mere 10 gallons of gasoline per hour. The prototype unveiled at the […]

Burdened by an enormous debt load and continuing weakness in the business jet market, Hawker Beechcraft last Friday reported losses of $632.8 million in 2011, more than double what the company lost in 2010 and the latest sign that it is on a rapid path toward bankruptcy. Revenue at Hawker Beechcraft last year reached $2.44 […]

When Tom Poberezny assumed the leadership of EAA as its second president in 1989, he brought a new set of skills, a fresh perspective and a determination to expand the EAA culture. As a result of what Tom brought to the table, EAA entered a new era. It matured. Tom’s professionalism slowly transformed the activities […]

Industry giants Boeing and Embraer are joining forces in an effort to develop ** sustainable biofuels** and achieve other goals, the two companies announced on Monday. In a vaguely worded statement, the two companies agreed to “pursue several areas of cooperation, including commercial aircraft features that enhance safety and efficiency, research and technology and sustainable […]

You can find the question posed on just about every well-trodden aviation message board on the Internet: Why can’t we just use fuel-efficient and cheap car engines in our airplanes? The answer, in a nutshell, is that the best automobile engine in the world is usually still a poor aircraft engine. Here are the reasons […]

Take an engine from a 1970s Ford, Toyota or Chevy and put it next to one built today, and the differences are easy to spot. Dig down into the performance and economy figures, and there’s no comparison between the 30-plus-year-old technology and today’s — the newer engines are better in almost every way imaginable, with […]

Paul Redlich dead-sticked a newly restored P-40 into Ohio’s Clermont County Airport (I69) from 6,500 feet this winter. The Allison engine suddenly blew on a test flight of the rare and iconic World War II fighter about six miles east of I69, and Paul found himself flying a glider with the sink rate of a […]

As Gulfstream’s G150 fleet recently flew past the 100,000-flight-hour mark, the company also completed the initial production phase of its 100th G150, Gulfstream recently announced. The milestones come approximately 6.5 years after the midsize-cabin speedster first entered service, breaking a number of speed and range records in its bizjet class along the way. Since then, […]

Italian manufacturer Tecnam announced the addition of the new Rotax 912 iS fuel-injected engine across its light sport and ultralight product line. Due to enter mass production next month, the 100 hp 912 iS will fly in the Tecnam P92, P2002 and P2008 models. Selection of the newest Rotax engine by Tecnam continues a flurry […]