Aircraft

Cirrus Aircraft said it delivered more airplanes in the fourth quarter of 2011 than any since 2008, handing the Duluth, Minnesota, manufacturer its strongest performance of the last 12 quarters and reason for optimism heading into 2012. “Several factors came together in the fourth quarter to make it one of the strongest in recent memory,” […]

(March 2012) When Matt Norklun decided to go surfing in the Bahamas, the airlines were not an option. The 6-foot-6-inch Norklun loaded up his airplane with his two brothers and three surfboards. Considering the size of the occupants and their cargo, you might assume Norklun owns a Beechcraft Baron or a Cessna Caravan. He doesn’t. […]

Piper Aircraft on Tuesday announced sales and revenue were up as much as 9 percent over the course of 2011, attributing the positive numbers to the success of the company’s flagship, the Piper Meridian. According to Piper, new aircraft sales totaled more than $131 million in 2011, up from $120 million in 2010. Sales of […]

The U.S. Air Force unveiled the X-56A last week, its newest experimental aircraft specifically crafted to explore ways to protect against flutter. Flutter is an aerodynamic effect – one that has caused a number of fatal accidents over the years – that occurs when the vibrations of an aircraft’s wing trigger a potentially dangerous increase […]

At Heli-Expo Eurocopter launched its new light single EC130 T2, a model aimed at providing a quiet, cost-effective and profitable upgrade product to companies already operating light singles, including Maverick Helicopters, one of Sunday’s announced launch customers, which currently operates dozens of EC130s. Maverick has ordered 50 T2s for use in its air tour operations, […]

On Sunday Bell Helicopter launched its latest model, the Bell 525 Relentless, a super medium twin capable of carrying up to 16 passengers. A clean sheet design, the new model breaks new ground for Bell and for the rotary wing mark with an entire slate of innovative features, from triple-redundant fly-by-wire flight control to advanced […]

Amidst ongoing financial turmoil at the company, Hawker Beechcraft announced the addition of recovery specialist Robert “Steve” Miller as CEO on Wednesday. Miller, often cited as the “turnaround kid” for his work restructuring struggling companies in the steel, automotive and waste management industry, will take the reins at Beechcraft immediately. Former CEO Bill Boisture will […]

Gulfstream Aerospace has expanded its preowned services to help connect existing owners with potential buyers around the world. The new brokerage service will provide marketing opportunities through the company’s worldwide network of customers, and Gulfstream’s sales representatives can also assist with market analysis, pricing and financing to complete the sale of the airplanes. Preowned brokerage […]

Apparently in response to customer demand, Cessna has increased the range of its new Citation Latitude, announced just four months ago. The bump will give the airplane an extra 300 nm of range, allowing it to connect city dots in a number of cases that it previously couldn’t. The new 2,300-nm range is an impressive […]

Bizjet maker Bombardier last week handed over the ceremonial keys for a Global 6000 jet to fractional firm NetJets even though the airplane won’t be ready for actual delivery until much later this year. It is only now entering completion, the stage at which the final touches, interior, paint and avionics are added. The event […]