Aviation News

Bombardier confirmed, as first reported in Flying, that the company’s next generation Learjet will be built entirely from composite plastics. The new Learjet 85 would be the first transport category airplane with an all-composite airframe, and is the first in the Learjet, Challenger or Global Express line from Bombardier to use composites for primary structure […]

Avidyne has introduced a product that claims to reduce pilot IFR workload by 75 to 90 percent, compared with “existing units.” Replicating the function of a business jet’s flight management system (FMS), the Avidyne FMS900W works in conjunction with the Entegra integrated avionics suite. The goal is to make operating the system easier; one example […]

Jeppesen has teamed with Hilton Software to offer up to 15 applications for pilots that will interface with an increasing number of smart mobile phones. Jeppesen Mobile expects to be available soon on Blackberrys and iPhones, offering full Airport Facility Directory information, including touch activation for hotlinks to ASOS, ATIS and FBO phone numbers. The […]

The FAA has granted supplemental type certification for Garmin’s three-dimensional Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT). The system displays high-resolution, 3D graphic depictions of terrain, runways, obstacles and even traffic on the primary flight display (PFD). The graphics replace Garmin’s previous blue-over-brown PFD depiction. The user-customizable system also incorporates highway-in-the-sky guidance with rectangular boxes depicted on the […]

Embraer has confirmed it will proceed with development of two new jet projects, a so-called Midlight Jet (MLJ) and a Midsize Jet (MSJ). Though not yet named, the new jets will fall between the Brazilian company’s Phenom 100 and 300 models and the Legacy 600, a business jet version of the ERJ135 regional jet liner. […]

Citing a need to bolster the accuracy of its aircraft registration database, the FAA is proposing new registration parameters. Under the proposed rules, all aircraft currently registered would need to be re-registered; and that registration renewed at three-year intervals. The FAA maintains that more than 27,500 of the 240,000 active aircraft registered have inaccurate information […]

The Anywhere Travel Companion (ATC) from Control Vision is taking on Garmin’s 496/495 for bragging rights as the most capable portable GPS navigator on the market. Pittsburg, Kansas-based Control Vision claims its ATC has a significantly larger screen (4.3 inches vs 3.75 inches) and roughly double the resolution. Priced at $895, it is available with […]

Seven hundred attendees at an aviation event might not seem like many, unless they’re the right 700 people. The Parade of Pistons (POP) show held over three days last week is the first of a series and is sponsored, in part, by Flying and AMPT. Exhibitors are limited to new aircraft vendors and service providers […]

Rick Garcia, owner of Gulf Coast Avionics in Lakeland, Florida, pulled rank, reserving his company’s first Aspen Avionics Evolution system for his own personal Piper Seneca. “I believe this product is going to revolutionize avionics upgrades,” Garcia told Flying. The Aspen Evolution EFD1000 replaces steam gauge horizon and directional gyros with computerized “glass” versions. The […]

When I wrote my flight report/review of the new Piper Matrix, I knew I would be in for some grief. Moreover–unlike in real life–this time I knew precisely what form that grief would take. The biggest complaint would be that the Matrix was an unblown Mirage. This is largely true, but it’s funny how people […]