Aviation News

Gulfstream added a new jet to its fleet of certified airplanes this week after the FAA gave the green light to the ultra-long-range Gulfstream G650ER. The G650ER, first announced in May, brings even longer legs to an airplane that already set the gold standard for its combination of speed and range. The new G650ER can […]

The sole pilot aboard an S-2T died on Tuesday when the air tanker crashed during a firefighting mission at Yosemite National Park. The pilot has been identified as 62-year-old Geoffrey “Craig” Hunt. The FAA said the airplane went down “under unknown circumstances,” but a California Highway Patrol officer who witnessed the crash says the airplane […]

Imagine blasting past the pylons over Reno at 440 mph in your highly modified Rolls-Royce Griffon-powered P-51 Mustang race plane when suddenly — engine failure! You immediately pitch up, trading airspeed for altitude as you scan for the runway. There it is! Feather the prop, bank hard left and head for the ribbon of black […]

The North American P-51 Mustang is possibly the most highly revered airplane ever created, and several companies have released look-alikes of the classic warbird. The most recent addition to the Mustang stable comes from FK-Lightplanes — a Polish company that produces LSAs and aerobatic airplanes. Its SW51 recently took to the skies for the first […]

If you haven’t heard the news yet, Flying is set to host its first fly-in and trade show in the magazine’s 87-year history. The Flying Aviation Expo is shaping up to be a can’t-miss event for pilots in Southern California and beyond, transforming the Palm Springs Convention Center into a general aviation mecca for three […]

It’s not unusual for pilots to wave their wings after takeoff on special occasions, but a Boeing 747-8 freighter on a delivery flight from Paine Field recently took the maneuver to a new level when it performed the wave just after the wheels left the pavement. Footage of the event shows the 747’s left wing […]

NASA crashed a helicopter — again — but don’t worry, nobody got hurt and, just like last time, it was done all in the name of science. A crew of crash test dummies took the brunt of the crash as a CH-46E Sea Knight donated by the U.S. Navy was dropped from a height of […]

A totally new helicopter from a completely new company made its first flight in Mollis, Switzerland, recently, kicking off the certification program for the single-engine SKYe SH09 built by Marenco Swisshelicopter. With chief test pilot Dwayne Williams at the controls, the SKYe SH09 performed five short hover flights on October 2, logging 20 minutes in […]

Sikorsky revealed the first two S-97 Raider helicopter prototypes, giving the world a glimpse of what future direct-fire-support rotorcraft may look like. The words stunning and lethal spring to mind. Based on Sikorsky’s record-setting X2 rigid-rotor coaxial demonstrator, the S-97 features next-generation technologies in a faster and smaller package than traditional helicopters, a combination that […]

Steve Lagergren of Litchfield, Minnesota, got the surprise of his life this week. While flying his experimental Van’s RV-7 he took delivery of a brand new airplane — a fully restored 1963 Beechcraft Debonair that was a gift from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. AOPA’s president Mark Baker and AOPA Pilot editor at large […]