Aviation News

We might all be familiar with the efficiency benefits that winglets can provide, but our ideas of what they’re supposed to look like are quickly changing. Boeing on Wednesday revealed the design for its 737 MAX “dual-feather” winglet, saying the unique shape will provide an extra 1.5 percent gain in fuel efficiency compared with the […]

Cessna Aircraft has signed a strategic agreement with the China Aviation Industry General Aircraft (CAIGA) Company for final assembly, sales and customer support of Cessna Caravans in China for the Chinese market. What does that mean exactly? Cessna wants to make it very clear: Caravans for the Chinese market will continue to be manufactured in […]

U.S. civil aviation accidents rose slightly in 2011, with the sharpest increase coming from Part 135 on-demand charter operations, according to recent stats released by the NTSB. While the number of GA accidents grew a slight 2 percent, the number of accidents per 100,000 flight hours actually decreased somewhat from 6.63 in 2010 to 6.51 […]

Air traffic controller and pilot James Price has taken home flight simulators to a new level. His project? The construction of a Boeing 737 simulator out of the nose section of a retired airliner. A long-time flight sim enthusiast, Price purchased a retired Continental Airlines Boeing 737-130 nose shell more than 10 years ago for […]

Airplane crashes are generally unplanned tragic events that we all do our best to avoid. But this weekend, a 170-seat Boeing 727 was deliberately crashed in the remote Sonoran Desert in Baja California, Mexico, all in the name of science. “This groundbreaking project features an actual crash of a passenger jet and explores the big […]

Bombardier Learjet broke ground on a new $53 million factory near Wichita Mid-Continent Airport on Monday as the company prepares for production of its newest business jet, the super-midsize Learjet 85. “This is an exciting day for the future of Learjet and the Learjet 85 program in Wichita,” said Learjet Vice President Ralph Acs. “We […]

The numbers aren’t huge compared with the massive layoffs that have swept across Wichita, but Cessna had positive news this week, confirming it is adding 150 employees by bringing back some laid-off workers and hiring new ones. Unfortunately, the announcement comes days after Hawker Beechcraft sent 60-day layoff notices to about 350 workers in Wichita. […]

Curious if there are drones operating near you? A quick look at recent data unveiled by the FAA may provide some insight. As a result of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation earlier this year, the agency was forced this week to divulge a list of 63 authorized UAV […]

A 25-year-old former flight student allegedly showed up at the Compton Airport near Los Angeles not to say hello to his instructor or fellow students, but instead to steal an airplane. Brandishing a gun, Troy Daniel Long of Bellflower allegedly snatched the keys to a Cessna 152, started the engine and tried to make a […]

The FAA has awarded Eclipse Aerospace a production certificate for the Eclipse 550, clearing the path for the re-launch of the very light jet in a rebirth that was first announced last October at the NBAA Convention. With the new production certificate in hand, the company “is well positioned to re-introduce the Eclipse Jet to […]