Aircraft

Press releases from Hawker Beechcraft Corp. (HBC) filled journalists’ inboxes as EBACE opened its doors in Geneva this week. One of the new strategies announced there takes a page from premium automobile brands with a “certified” pre-owned aircraft program. Under the Hawker Beechcraft Select Pre-Owned Program, qualifying turbine aircraft (sorry, pistons aren’t included) purchased through […]

On April 30, a pair of European pilots commemorated the 100th anniversary of the first flight of an aircraft in Switzerland. Their goal? To fly a pair of Flight Design CTLS light sport aircraft (LSAs) around the world. The two Swiss airline pilots, Yannick Bovier and Francisco Agullo, left Sion Switzerland on the first leg […]

American Legend has announced a new model, the Classic J3 Cub, aimed at delivering simple, fun flying at a price lower than most — $95,000. Described as a “slimmed down” version of its other Cub models, the new J3 is powered with a 100-hp Continental O-200.

First quarter results for General Dynamics revealed the largest number of new orders since mid-2008. Jay Johnson, GD’s president and CEO said, “The Aerospace Group is off to a very good start in 2010.” The business group includes Gulfstream Aerospace, Jet Aviation and GD Aviation Services divisions. International orders dominated the ledger for Gulfstream, continuing […]

Full-time autothrottle system is the first available in a midsize business jet.

AirVenture 2010 opening day is fast approaching, and the first step for any pilot planning to fly to Oshkosh is studying the FAA’s Oshkosh NOTAM. EAA has made the document is available in electronic format. The NOTAM covers air traffic procedures that are in effect from 6 a.m. CDT July 23 to Noon CDT August […]

The FAA has certified the Tecnam P2006T twin for VFR and analog IFR. Its Garmin G1000 suite is certified for IFR in Europe with FAA compliance expected later this year. Power comes from a pair of Rotax 912S3s rated at 98 horsepower each. Performance figures list maximum cruising speed at 148 knots, with a 53-knot […]

In the April 9, 2010, issue of the Federal Register, the FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) affecting certification of light turbine aircraft. The new rule would require “real-world” function and reliability testing — previously mandated for larger aircraft, but not required for those weighing less than 6,000 pounds. The NPRM states, in […]

It’s a part of the airport experience. When spring starts to thaw the air and buds begin to sprout on the trees and flowers, the birds begin their annual mating ritual. You can see them flitting around the hangars and pairing off. Of course, for aircraft owners — especially those of us who moor to […]

I have no history with hot air balloons, but plenty with Wacos since my father was an avid restorer of the antique airplanes. And I even had hopes of learning to fly my dad’s mainstay, Big Red. That was before he and two others in the airplane went down into Lake Apopka (I have yet […]