Aviation News

One of the serious drawbacks of training with a PC flight simulator is the viewing limitation that generally restricts what we can see to a narrow field straight ahead. That can make for awkward pattern work as virtual pilots toggle between forward and side views to judge their proximity to the runway. Now, a new […]

The Eurocopter X3 has set an unofficial helicopter world speed record of 255 knots in level flight, slightly faster than the 250-knot top speed achieved by the Sikorsky X2 compound helicopter in 2010. Eurocopter said the hybrid X3 also reached a speed of 263 knots in a shallow dive, three knots faster than the X2 […]

The computers driving modern avionics systems are capable of serving as flight data recorders, and in this case, they reveal the final moments that lead to the death of two pilots in a Cirrus SR22 crash. A video account of the accident is available on YouTube (see below). The cousins, aged 23 and 34, died […]

The FAA yesterday formally asked the world’s fuel producers to submit fuel samples for testing in piston aircraft as the first concrete step in helping general aviation transition away from leaded avgas. The FAA is seeking to speed the development of new unleaded fuels that could ease the pain of replacing 100-octane low-lead avgas for […]

Tamarack Aerospace Group recently showed good performance results with its Active Winglets, which the Sandpoint, Idaho-based company has been** testing on a Cessna Citation CJ1**. Recently the CJ1 flew from its headquarters in Idaho to White Plains, New York, on one fuel tank — a flight that took 6 hours and 16 minutes and spanned […]

A close call between a drone and an airliner nine years ago is getting renewed attention thanks to an online video showing the near collision. The footage, taken by the EMT Luna X-2000 drone, shows the unmanned aerial vehicle passing just meters beneath the wing of an Ariana Afghan Airlines Airbus A300 in Afghanistan. The […]

The Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) published its first ever quarterly report, citing $1.7 billion in worldwide avionics sales for the first quarter of 2013. A previous report cited sales of nearly $6.3 billion for all of 2012. The report includes data from 20 avionics manufacturers, and does not break down sales by market segment or […]

The Transportation Security Administration is dropping a plan to allow small knives, golf clubs and other sporting equipment in carry-on luggage on airline flights. Reversal of the proposed plan, which was initially unveiled in March, was triggered by a strong backlash from a variety of aviation groups, including flight attendant unions, air marshals and family […]

A California startup is testing a new way of luring passengers with an “all you can fly” model that lets members travel between select city pairs aboard a Pilatus PC-12 for a flat monthly fee of $1,650. Surf Air plans to link four California cities starting on June 12 as service between San Francisco, Monterey, […]

George Longino is probably not your classic “early adopter” type. But a collection of circumstances make him the first owner of a fly-away, factory-built Van’s RV-12 — and just maybe, a historic figure. Van’s Aircraft decided to enter the production aircraft market after decades of building kits. Founder Richard Van Grunsven has established the most […]