Aviation News

When the General Aviation Manufacturers Association released production figures last week, what first might have looked like bad news for piston manufacturers, turns out to be rosier than it might have seemed. The bad news: Total first-half shipments for piston singles and twins were down 15.7 percent compared with last year’s first-half numbers. But the […]

The FAA issued a new AD on the Eclipse 500 throttle quadrant, clarifying compliance procedures. The new AD supersedes the emergency AD issued June 12 following an incident in which an Eclipse pilot pushed the throttle levers through the stops, and the engines stuck at full power. Eclipse has issued a service bulletin advising owners […]

Era Training Center has received FAA Level 6 approval for its Frasca-built Flight Simulation Training Device for the Eurocopter EC135. Established last June in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Era provides training for corporate, medical and law-enforcement rotorcraft pilots. Era expects to win Level 6 approval for its Frasca AS350 FTSD later this year. In business for […]

Well-known ELT manufacturer Artex Aircraft Supplies, a part of the UK-based Cobham Group’s Avionics and Surveillance Division, announced last week it had signed an agreement to distribute ‘spidertracks’ surveillance devices. Priced at less than $2,000 per unit, spidertracks are GPS-based tracking devices for light aircraft. They are interchangeable from aircraft to aircraft and do not […]

After the Cirrus SJ50 (née, “The Jet”) whispered through its lone flyby at AirVenture last week, Cirrus Design CEO Alan Klapmeier and co-founder and brother Dale played the proud parents, but cautioned that the company still has much work to do to bring the product to market. Indeed, critical weight and fuel-burn projections have yet […]

There had been some concern that soaring fuel prices would dampen the enthusiasm for this year’s EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh. Blessed by near-perfect weather, however, show officials report that attendance roughly matched that of last year. It’s difficult to assess true, accurate attendance numbers, because many attend the week-long event for several days. However, […]

Continental has reengineered its 100 hp O-200 engine with a fadec (full authority digital engine control) option and a 25-pound weight reduction for the light sport market, as one step toward accommodating unleaded fuel. Continental President Rhett Ross pointed out that even with engines that can burn unleaded gas, automotive fuel, as it is distributed […]

Avidyne ratcheted up its retrofit glass panel offerings with an announcement at AirVenture it is launching the PFD4000 primary flight display. The unit is expected to be available either by the end of this year or early next year. Price point was not announced, but a company spokesman said it would be ?competitive? with offerings […]

“It’s ready to fly,” said a Piper spokesman at the Wednesday morning press conference during EAA AirVenture. In fact, later that afternoon, the developmental jet made it’s first flight and a successful landing. The PiperJet is powered by a single Williams FJ44-3AP turbofan derated to 2,400 pounds of thrust (from 3,000 pounds). Performance targets include […]

On Wednesday afternoon the crowds at EAA AirVenture witnessed the arrival of Cirrus’ SJ50 personal jet at 2:35 p.m. Central Daylight Time. The single-engine seven-place jet made its maiden flight on July 3, and potential customers and enthusiasts await their first look at the airplane. Cirrus has a cabin mock-up on display here at AirVenture, […]