Aviation News

Hawker Beechcraft filed for bankruptcy on Thursday after reaching a restructuring agreement that will wipe out approximately $2.5 billion in debt and $125 million in annual cash interest liabilities. The plan includes $400 million in financing that the company says will allow it to continue meeting its financial obligations to its employees — Hawker Beech […]

A veteran air traffic control manager has retired in the wake of an FAA probe into an unreported error that triggered a near collision between a Japan Airlines 767 and a UPS MD11 in January. The two aircraft were approximately 15 miles out on approach to land at Honolulu International Airport when a rookie controller […]

It’s not very often that you get to witness anything but the aftermath of a bird strike, but in this very rare footage, a camera mounted on the wingtip of microlight pilot John Comley’s trike caught the very last moments of a small bird as it impacted his craft as it was flying at around […]

Chances are good that you’ve never heard of Tavares Seaplane Base in Central Florida, but city officials there are hoping that changes soon. The base hosted a seaplane splash-in last weekend that attracted 34 floatplanes and amphibians from around the state to enjoy the airplane friendly confines of Lake Dora and enjoy the charms of […]

Piper Aircraft deliveries shot up more than 40 percent during the first quarter of the year in comparison to 2011, according to positive performance numbers announced by the company on Tuesday. The increase constitutes the third consecutive year Piper has posted Q1 growth, and illustrates the growing impact of international sales on the company’s bottom […]

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 […]