Aviation News

More than five decades after what was termed “The Day the Music Died,” when rock and roll legends Buddy Holly (Charles Hardin), Ritchie Valens (Richard Valenzuela) and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson died after the Beechcraft Bonanza Model 35 they were flying in crashed, a Petition for Reconsideration or Modification (49 CFR – § 845.41) […]

Bell Helicopter has achieved Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) for several retrofit features through its Aeronautical Accessories subsidiary, adding a list of capabilities for Bell 429 owners. Many of the new features add great safety benefits to the helicopter. A new Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) system, the FLIR 380-HD, can be added for $9,960, not including […]

A business center called Grand Sky has claimed the spot as the first commercial unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) business and aviation park in the United States. The center is located at the Grand Forks Air Force Base, 16 miles west of Grand Forks, North Dakota, and offers 1.2 million square feet of hangar, office, shop, […]

AgustaWestland this morning showed off the AW609 prototype for the first time in a public venue — and in the process gave clarity to the future direction of the civil tiltrotor market with a paint scheme boasting Bristow and Eastern Airways colors. Bristow Group, one of the world’s largest offshore helicopter operators, has committed to […]

Airbus Helicopters answered many of the questions surrounding its X4 medium twin-engine helicopter development program today by officially unveiling a full-size mockup of the new H160 on the show floor at Heli-Expo in Orlando, Florida. A successor to the Dauphin family, the H160 features newly developed Blue Edge main rotor blades that are quieter and […]

Dubbed “The Pilot’s Bill of Rights 2,” new measures introduced last night in the House and Senate would allow private pilots to no longer hold a third class medical certificate for noncommercial VFR and IFR flights in aircraft weighing up to 6,000 pounds with up to six seats. The legislation, authored by a group of […]

The city of Santa Monica has devised a new and legally dubious scheme aimed at shutting down the southern California airport that includes lopping off thousands of feet of runway to prevent jets from landing there. At its latest meeting on February 23, the Santa Monica Airport Commission voted in favor of lease rate hikes […]

Continental’s new IO-360-AF “alternative fuel” engine has received type certification from the FAA, making it the first six-cylinder piston aircraft engine approved to run on standard 100LL avgas or unleaded 91UL gasoline. The first application will be in the Flight Design C4 carbon four seater. Continental says the IO-360-AF family offers a maximum power output […]

Burt Rutan may have retired from his aerospace company Scaled Composites five years ago, but the 71-year-old aviation legend is far from done when it comes to working on new innovations. The man behind prolific advancements in the field of flying — including the remarkably successful VariEze homebuilt, the Voyager, the first plane to fly […]

In anticipation of the upcoming HAI Heli-Expo, which is set to open its doors next week in Orlando, Florida, Garmin has announced two new ADS-B products for the helicopter market. The GDL 84H and GDL 88H will allow operators to comply with the upcoming ADS-B Out regulations, set to go into effect in 2020, and […]