Aviation News

Especially in times of economic strife, new industry players live and die by news about their economic standing. That’s why it was so critical for German Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) manufacturer Remos to announce a new source of funding last week. The fresh funding came from a combination of Remos’ two main shareholders — Munich’s […]

Garmin received its holiday gift from the FAA a little early. On Dec. 9, the agency granted an approved model list supplemental type certificate (AML-STC) for the company’s TAS and TCAS I traffic systems, which include the GTS 800 ($9,995), GTS 820 ($19,995) and GTS 850 ($24,995). The list of approved aircraft includes 580 separate […]

A memorial service was held at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Washington on Dec. 12 for general aviation advocate Ed Stimpson. Stimpson, who devoted his career to promoting the industry, died earlier this month at the age of 75. Approximately 235 attended the Saturday ceremony, including current and former congressmen, two former cabinet […]

It was 4 o’clock on a Thursday afternoon in March, a beautiful, clear, early spring day. A Cirrus SR22 was approaching the private airport of Aero Plantation, a fly-in community southeast of Charlotte, North Carolina. The 2,400-foot runway is 06/24; its elevation is 624 feet msl. At the nearest reporting facility, Monroe, seven miles to […]

The ANAC National Civil Aviation Authority of Brazil approved Embraer’s Phenom 300 light jet for production last week. With the factory in São José dos Campos, Brazil, gearing up to meet orders, FAA certification and first deliveries are expected within the next few weeks. The $8.14 million, Pratt & Whitney Canada PW535-E-powered twinjet has exceeded […]

The RTCA has approved technical and operational standards for equipment to be used in automatic dependent surveillance — broadcast (ADS-B), a critical component of the NextGen air traffic system. RTCA is a joint committee that makes recommendations to the FAA, whose final rule on ADS-B equipment standards is expected in April. What last week’s RTCA […]

GE will begin certification testing on its up-to-800-shaft-horsepower H80 turboprop engine by year end. The company has also signed a launch customer — the Thrush 510 crop duster will be the first to fly with H80 power. GE expects the engine to be certified by mid 2010, with the Thrush 510 receiving FAA certification around […]

SpaceShipTwo, designed by Burt Rutan and bankrolled by Sir Richard Branson, made its first public appearance last week. Rutan’s prototype SpaceShipOne won the $10 million Ansari X-Prize in 2004 as the first privately operated aircraft to reach space, then repeat the feat within two weeks. Branson and Rutan hope to launch their commercial space tourism […]

Late next year or early in 2011, the National Test Facility for Fuels and Propulsion is scheduled to open at Purdue University. Funded by a $1.35 million Air Force grant, the facility will be located at the Niswonger Aviation Technology Building at Purdue Airport in Indiana. Its focus will be on testing aircraft engine and […]

Solar Impulse, a Swiss-designed aircraft, made its first flight last week. Its developers hope to eventually fly the Solar Impulse around the world, but for now are satisfied with a “flea hop” of around 1,150 feet at an altitude of about three feet. Still, their first flight traveled almost 10 times as far as the […]