Aviation News

The 2009 edition of Heli Expo, the Helicopter Association International’s annual industry tradeshow, was held in Anaheim, California, in late February. It was one of the busiest HAI conventions in terms of attendees (15,728 on the first day alone) and exhibitors — a total of 584 with more than 70 helicopters on the show floor. […]

At a time when it’s even tough to find financing to remodel your kitchen, helicopter kit maker RotorWay has secured funding to pursue a certified, turbine-powered model. The as yet unnamed two-place rotorcraft would be powered by a Rolls-Royce 300 turboshaft engine. Also from RotorWay, customers may now install enhanced vision systems in their kit […]

Late Tuesday, the final blow fell for Eclipse. In an e-mail to about 850 remaining employees, company executives Mark Borseth and Michael McConnell (CEO Roel Pieper’s name was conspicuously absent) wrote that the board of directors would support creditors who have been urging a move from Chapter 11 bankruptcy to Chapter 7. Under Chapter 11, […]

Safety was a huge issue at the Heli Expo this year. With the NTSB set to issue recommendations based largely on a terrible 2008 accident record in the rotary-wing world (helicopter emergency medical services [HEMS] in particular), the industry is struggling to find ways to make its operations a lot safer. There were many suppliers […]

In the face of declining orders and factory layoffs, selected garages around the world have become one of the most prolific aircraft production sources in the industry today. Last December, the 6,000th Van’s Aircraft homebuilt kit took flight, and new aircraft are being completed at a rate of two per day. The 6,000th Van’s product […]

Operators of Teledyne Continental engines in the 470, 520 and 550 series who have installed new cylinders since November 2007 are facing a manufacturer’s voluntary recall of those cylinders. TCM expects to replace some 9,600 of the cylinders, after 36 of them developed cracks in the head castings. The compromised cylinders all had more than […]

Delivered to its owners last December 24, the first customer Embraer Phenom 100 light jet recently visited Embraer’s Florida facility to show off its new paint scheme. Owners James and Betsy Frost of Houston accepted the airplane on Christmas Eve at Embraer’s Sao Jose dos Campos factory in Brazil, but the paint job wasn’t completed […]

In its briefing on last year’s sales figures, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association reported an increase in billings compared with 2007 (up 13.4 percent). But that’s where the flow of good news comes to a screeching halt. Overall the picture looks bleak, said GAMA Chairman Mark Van Tine, president and CEO of Jeppesen. “Many of […]

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) have joined forces again to promote the message that business aviation is a productive business tool rather than just another lavish parcel of an overpaid executive’s compensation package. First coined in 1993, the ‘No Plane No Gain’ message has some 21st century […]

The NTSB is continuing its investigation into the crash of a Q400 twin turboprop near Buffalo on February 12th that killed all aboard the airplane and one person on the ground. In a startling development, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times have reported that the Board is looking at the possibility of […]