Aviation News

The FAA and EASA recently issued emergency airworthiness directives (EAD) for Eurocopter’s popular twin-engine helicopter – the EC 135. There are some differences between FAA’s EAD 2012-10-51 and EASA’s AD 2012-0085-E, but both were implemented because cracks have been found in the hub-shaft flange of a main rotor hub. These cracks could result in the […]

GippsAero, the Australian aircraft maker, said it has successfully completed the first flight of its new turboprop single, the GA10. Powered by a Rolls-Royce 250 turboprop engine, this latest model from GippsAero is a 10-seat multirole airplane based on the piston-powered GA8 Airvan utility airplane. The first flight took place at GippsAero’s home base at […]

The Solar Impulse set out in attempt of its latest feat on Thursday, heading toward Madrid and then onto Morocco for what will constitute its first transcontinental flight completed without the help of traditional fuel sources. During the 48-hour journey, the Solar Impulse will cover more than 1,500 miles, all the while relying on 11,628 […]

When British daredevil Gary Connery first announced plans to make a wingsuit jump over England and land without a parachute, the one question on everybody’s mind was, how in the world would he pull it off? We got our answer on Wednesday as Connery leapt from a helicopter hovering over the English countryside at 2,400 […]

Sandia Aerospace, the Albuquerque, New Mexico, avionics manufacturer, said it has started delivering its new STX 165 Mode C transponder with built-in encoder. Designed to occupy a minimum of panel space, the transponder can slide into a one-half 3-ATI opening, and measures seven inches deep. In case you’re not familiar with the term “one-half 3-ATI,” […]

Hawker Beechcraft said it received orders for 11 airplanes – including three of its flagship Hawker 4000 super-midsize business jets, a Hawker 400XPR, six King Air 350i turboprops and a King Air 250 – during EBACE at Geneva International Airport in Geneva, Switzerland, last week. The total sales amount to more than $120 million, providing […]

After aborting Saturday’s scheduled launch because of a faulty engine valve, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket made a successful second attempt early Tuesday morning, shooting the Dragon cargo capsule into orbit for its historic attempt to become the first commercial spacecraft to visit the International Space Station. The Dragon – which has only entered orbit once […]

Under sunny skies, Sporty’s handed out free hot dogs and announced the winner of this year’s sweepstakes airplane this weekend at its annual fly-in at the Clermont County Airport (I69) in Batavia, Ohio. Matthew Smolin from Germantown, Tennessee, won a Cessna Skycatcher LSA. Smolin was not present to accept his new airplane, but approximately 1,000 […]

The 2012 Reno Air Races passed a key logistical hurdle last week by obtaining a one-year special permit for the event, further clearing the way for the competition that has remained somewhat shrouded in uncertainty following last year’s fatal crash. The Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority Board of Trustees approved the permit on Thursday under the condition […]

Preliminary analysis of the cockpit voice recorder from the** Sukhoi SuperJet 100 that crashed into the side of a volcano** in Indonesia two weeks ago showed no sign of aircraft system malfunctions, according to a statement released by the aircraft manufacturer. United Aircraft Corporation, the parent company of Sukhoi, went on to say the CVR […]