Aviation News

Jim Schuster, president of Hawker Beechcraft, announced in a letter to employees last week that 2,300 can expect pink slips by the end of the year. The letter was a follow-on to a letter sent earlier warning employees of the impending job losses. He said the majority of those who will be let go will […]

In an interview with Katie Couric aired on CBS’s 60 Minutes Sunday night, US Airways Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger eloquently described his thoughts and emotions as the drama of Flight 1549 unfolded over New York City. He calmly related how he saw the flock of birds filling his windscreen, too late to take evasive action; […]

Textron CEO Lewis Campbell told an investment group on Tuesday that he might be forced to sell either Bell Helicopter or Cessna Aircraft to raise cash. Textron, which owns both manufacturers, has faced deep losses in its financial sectors, leading to the departure of Chief Financial Officer Ted French and the head of the Textron […]

Unhappy with recent personnel decisions by the board of directors, former members of the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) have broken away to form their own organization, the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE). Members of the new group are at loggerheads with NAFI over the dismissals of JoAnn and Sandy Hill, former […]

On the afternoon of March 3, 2000, a helicopter operated by a Miami television station crashed in a suburban neighborhood, killing the pilot and the photographer who was with him. According to early press reports, a witness on the ground had seen the tail rotor “snap off” as the helicopter performed some sort of maneuver. […]

At least about 100 of the thousands being laid off in Wichita can expect brighter skies. HondaJet has begun recruiting specialized engineers for its Greensboro, North Carolina, headquarters. Tops of the wish list will be design and certification specialists, expected to join approximately 400 HondaJet employees already in place in Greensboro. HondaJet expects to fly […]

The general aviation manufacturing segment continues to be pummeled by the current economic crisis. Last week, Cessna announced another 2,000 pink slips will be distributed, bringing the total to 4,600 since the country’s financial downturn began. Most of the new layoffs will be in Wichita. Cessna has suffered mightily from canceled orders, with a reported […]

Torrance, California-based Robinson Helicopter continues its upward trend-in the face of a fast autorotating economy, no less. Last year, Robinson built 893 civil helicopters, surpassing its 2007 record year of 823. Fully 80 percent of the rotorcraft built last year were four-place R44s-60 percent Raven IIs and 20 percent Raven Is. The remaining 20 percent […]

Charter provider JetDirect Aviation has said it will receive an infusion of private equity capital by the end of this month that is expected to “enable us to begin bringing our client obligations more current prior to closing.” JetDirect President Jake Cartwright, who also headed TAG Aviation before that unit was acquired by JetDirect, has […]

Following four years of development, Diamond Aircraft Industries has received type certification for its Austro E4 turbodiesel aircraft engine from the European authorities. Demand for the new engine accelerated with the insolvency of Thielert Engines, sole provider of powerplants for Diamond’s DA42 Twin Star twin-engine aircraft. When Thielert engines-and parts-became unavailable from that company, many […]