Aircraft

While in some people’s minds it might stretch the definition of a “hybrid,” Eurocopter’s electric/turboshaft AS350 helicopter a few days ago successfully completed a flight with an electric backup motor. In this case, the motor doesn’t power the main blades for normal flight but assists during autorotation, which, according to Eurocopter, took much of the […]

The Nextant 400XT has received FAA certification, Nextant Aerospace announced on Wednesday, marking the final step in the approval process for one of the most extensively refurbished business jets on the market. The Nextant 400XT is a remanufactured Beechjet 400A upgraded with Williams FJ44-3AP turbofan engines and Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics. The jet […]

(October 2011) While I was training for my Sport Pilot certificate, there were several times after my instructor and I returned from a late-afternoon flight lesson when a sport pilot grad and another CFI would be next in line to take the Remos G-3 out for a lesson. A lesson that would clearly extend beyond […]

__It’s not often that an amateur aeronautical tinkerer will hit upon a business idea so perfectly suited for the times that it advances, almost overnight, to become a runaway success story. Such was the case in 1971, when a young engineer from Oregon named Richard VanGrunsven tried, in his own words, to “build a better […]

Piper Aircraft will be recruiting in Wichita next week as the company looks to fill a variety of positions at Piper headquarters in Vero Beach, Florida. The recruitment effort comes after the company recently announced a surge in billings and deliveries during the first half of 2011. During those six months, Piper put more than […]

On Monday at its Wichita headquarters, Cessna unveiled its latest bizjet. It was, as many predicted it would be, a replacement for the slot vacated when the company stopped production of its entry-level CJ, the ** CJ1+**. The new airplane is dubbed the M2. Despite the capital “M,” it is not based on the Mustang […]

Boeing on Monday delivered the first 787 Dreamliner to launch customer All Nippon Airways during a rain-soaked ceremony at the Everett, Washington, factory where workers assembled the airplane. More than 500 employees involved in the 787 program strode alongside the all-new jetliner as Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO Jim Albaugh presented an oversized, ceremonial […]

Cirrus Aircraft has delivered its 5,000th airplane, and if you ever have a chance to see it, you’ll know immediately what it is you’re looking at. The Cirrus SR22 – N5000J – has a unique yellow-and-gray paint scheme with shiny black-and-white accents. Its tail is adorned with a large numeral 5 and the word “thousand.” […]

Lisa Airplanes, a young French company started in 2004, recently announced the commercial launch of the Akoya, an amphibious airplane reportedly able to land on snow, water or ground without any additional modification. The two-seater aircraft is made entirely of composite materials and relies on a 100 hp Rotax engine powered by unleaded gasoline. It […]

The Bristell, an all-metal, low-wing LSA from Liberty Sport Aviation, made its debut appearance in North America at AOPA Summit in Hartford, Connecticut. Built in the Czech Republic by manufacturer BRMAero, the Bristell features a 51-inch-wide cockpit and large canopy that give it the feel of a larger airplane. Powered by a 100 hp Rotax […]