Aircraft

I don’t usually turn to The Economist for aviation news, but the June 12 edition had a two-page article on the emergence of alternate-power aircraft. Examples included the ’round-the-world hopeful Solar Impulse and several electric-powered aircraft, including the Chinese Yuneec e430 which made its debut at EAA AirVenture last year. While allowing that the prospect […]

After completing several flights, it’s clear that the decision to train much closer to home at First Landings Aviation, Orlando-Apopka, was a sound one. Florida’s temperamental thunderstorms have arrived and the proximity has allowed me to reschedule canceled flights easily. And I’m really enjoying flying an LSA and the more flexible training environment. The Remos […]

JUNE 2010 — ON A COLD WINTER’S DAY, an elegant Boeing 737-700 painted a subdued gray flew low toward the east over a very rural portion of Delaware, arched its back and turned to the north, then reversed course to land on the just barely 5,000-foot runway at Georgetown (KGED). With a spirited roar of […]

A minor upgrade to the Phenom 100? Not even close. Bigger, faster, stronger and more sophisticated, the 300 is a whole different class of airplane.

June 2010 — Like every other aviation journalist, I’ve been watching the development of the Embraer Phenom 300 for a few years now, and the more I’ve learned about the emerging light jet, the more I’ve come to appreciate just what an innovative airplane it is. It is, in essence, Embraer’s attempt to stretch the […]

Cirrus Aircraft officials say they’re not concerned over an FAA proposal to expand the requirement for function and reliability (F&R) testing to include turbine aircraft less than 6,000 pounds (maximum takeoff weight). They say the planned test program for Cirrus’s single-engine SF50 Vision Jet already included most of the F&R testing they expect to be […]

According to industry analyst Brian Foley of Brian Foley and Associates, Sparta, New Jersey, the current “stagnant period” for general aviation is “no cause for panic or even pessimism.” He added, “Most recoveries aren’t linear and the occasional pullback can be expected. A year ago we postulated this recovery might have a W-shape, and that […]

A DAHER-SOCATA TB20 Trinidad was on display at the Euro-Avia Cannes (France) International General Aviation Exhibition last week — but with a new twist on the decades-old design. This Trinidad was retrofitted with Garmin’s G500 aftermarket glass avionics suite (the G600 includes XM satellite weather, which is not available in Europe). The retrofit package, which […]

Air show spectators have been enjoying the Super Salto jet-powered sailplane since 2008, when the aerobatic aircraft first appeared on the circuit. Now, its manufacturer Desert Aerospace of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is marketing a two-seat sport version known as the BonusJet. Flight testing has been completed on the 56-foot-wingspan derivative of the Czech-designed Bonus sailplane. […]

Operators of Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21-equipped Hawker Beechcraft King Air 200/300-series turboprop twins are now eligible for upgrades to include Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) capability. Hawker Beechcraft is currently working on a similar upgrade for Premier 1A and Hawker 400XP/Beechjet400A-series jets.