Aviation News

In 1939, flamboyant California playboy George Whittell Jr. commissioned master boat builder John Hacker to create the Thunderbird, a huge luxury yacht that matched Whittell’s polished DC-2. Inspired by that design, Embraer Executive Jets has reversed the dynamic with its Skyacht One – a luxury version of the Lineage 1000E business jet that draws on […]

In what could be a more frequent sight in the era of government sequestration, on Sunday, November 24, EAA’s B-17 “Aluminum Overcast” performed a pre-game fly-over at Green Bay’s Lambeau Field before the NFL game between the hometown Packers and the Minnesota Vikings. Pilots Sean Elliott and George Daubner timed their approach to the closing […]

An unconventional biplane emerged at the International Council of Air Shows in Las Vegas this week. John Klatt Airshows and Jack Link’s Beef Jerky announced they have teamed up to create an airplane named the Screamin’ Sasquatch — a twin-engine-powered 1929 Taperwing Waco that will be featured as part of the 2014 John Klatt Airshows. […]

The crash of a Learjet 25 that killed famed Latin singer Jenni Rivera was caused by a “series of factors,” according to a report released this week by Mexico’s General Civil Aviation Administration. The report comes just a few days shy of the one-year anniversary of the accident, which fatally injured all seven occupants on […]

The U.S. House of Representatives is moving quickly to address a recent rule imposed by the FAA that would require pilots with a body mass index of 40 or greater to undergo sleep apnea evaluation and possible treatment. The House Transportation Committee has approved a recently drafted bill, which suggested legislation addressing the new rule. […]

Passengers who survived the crash of a Cessna 208 Caravan near St. Mary’s, Alaska, over the weekend have told investigators the airplane “dropped out of the sky” without warning during the flight in conditions described as low ceilings and freezing rain. The pilot and three passengers, one of them a five-month-old baby, were killed in […]

The operator of the police helicopter that crashed through the roof of a Glasgow pub last Friday grounded its entire fleet of Eurocopter EC135s for a time last year amid serious concerns about rotor hub shaft cracks, according to public records. Accident investigators in the U.K. haven’t indicated that the grounding played a role in […]

Following last week’s easing of civilian flights in restricted airspace, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) announced on Sunday that it would relax requirements for private pilot licenses. With the strong cachet of private flying in the country, analysts expect pent-up demand to result in a stampede of growth for general aviation. China’s current […]

Marenco Swisshelicopter has completed the prototype for its eight-seat SKYe SH09 helicopter, which the company first announced at Heli-Expo in 2012. The new prototype was unveiled last week at a special event at the Mollis Airport in Mollis, Switzerland, about 33 nm southeast of Zurich. The SKYe promises exceptional visibility with a cockpit fully enclosed […]

Four people died over the weekend near St Mary’s, Alaska, after a Cessna 208 Caravan crashed in conditions described by local news outlets as freezing rain and low ceilings. According to the Anchorage Daily News, the passengers killed include a retired couple, a five-month-old baby and the pilot. Six additional passengers survived with injuries and […]