Aviation News

A massive explosion on the surface of the sun on Aug. 9 sent a wave of radiation sweeping outward into space in a scene that will likely spell intermittent trouble for GPS approaches and satellite-based communications for the next decade or perhaps longer, according to scientists. It was the largest solar flare since 2006 and […]

The Obama Administration this week announced a plan to invest up to $510 million over three years in advanced drop-in aviation and marine biofuels as part of an initiative to cut America’s dependency on foreign oil. President Obama announced Tuesday that the Departments of Agriculture, Energy and Navy will be investing in partnerships with the […]

(August 2011) At the end of my previous article I wrote that “pressure is at the heart of most accidents.” As I read through the final proof copy of that article, it struck me that there is more to the story than that. Even though pressure seems to be a significant factor in many accidents, […]

Icon Aircraft last week released the details of its remarkable week at AirVenture. The startup LSA manufacturer scored a total of 143 deposits for its composite folding-wing Icon A5 amphibious sport airplane, which pushes the order book to nearly 700, the company said, turning the calendar for first available delivery positions into 2015. The company […]

The FAA has awarded supplemental type certification for the Hawker 800XPR. The STC, available exclusively from Hawker Beechcraft Global Customer Support (GCS), is an upgrade package for the 800XP that includes Honeywell‘s TFE731-50R engines and Hawker winglets. Honeywell’s TFE731-50R engines are capable of producing 5,000 pounds of thrust, but have been flat rated to 4,660 […]

Cessna has delivered its 100th 162 Skycatcher to Sporty’s. The airplane is the 2012 Sporty’s Sweepstakes prize and will be delivered to a Sporty’s Pilot Shop customer at the company’s annual fly-in next May. “We are thrilled that Cessna reserved this milestone Skycatcher for Sporty’s Sweepstakes,” says Sporty’s president and CEO Michael Wolf. The two-place […]

When Lillian Bernhagen of Worthington, Ohio, heard the loud thump in her backyard during a storm this weekend, she didn’t think much about it. It wasn’t for several hours, when authorities came knocking on Bernhagen’s door, that she learned the source of the noise. There was a blimp in her backyard. The 128-foot-long airship, belonging […]

Continuing a tradition of success in South America with its single-engine utility airplanes, Cessna recently inked a deal to sell nine 208 and 208B Caravans to the Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira). These airplanes bring the total number of Caravans Cessna has delivered to Brazil to 32, to complement the many other existing Caravans […]

Deborah Hersman earned a second term of the National Transportation Safety Board last week. The two-year term runs through 2013. Hersman has been a busy and active leader of the board. While her first term was thankfully free from any major U.S. airline accidents, she nonetheless oversaw investigations into a number of high-profile crashes, including […]

The SubSonex Jet, one very, very light jet powered by a Czech-built PBS TJ-100 turbine engine, took off for its first flight in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, last week, bringing the prospect of a recreational jet for private pilots one step closer to reality. Renowned airshow pilot Bob Carlton, famous for his performances in a modified Salto […]