Jets

Bombardier introduced a new addition to the Challenger series this week at EBACE in Geneva. The Challenger 350 is not a clean-sheet design, but rather a modified version of the Challenger 300 super-midsize jet. The new product is largely the result of input from customers, and mostly from one of Bombardier’s most loyal customers, NetJets, […]

In explaining the delay announced last week of the HondaJet program, HondaJet president Michimasi Fujino told members of the press at EBACE that it was prompted by an unanticipated test program glitch with the Honda/GE HF120 turbofan engine that will power the airplane. At a later press conference, GE Honda president Terry Sharp went into […]

Embraer on Saturday showed up in Geneva for EBACE with its emerging Legacy 500 midsize jet. The 500, yet another clean-sheet design from the Brazilian jet maker, marks several firsts for the company and for the segment. The jet, which features fly-by-wire flight controls, extensive envelope protection and a large, nicely outfitted cabin, is slated […]

On Tuesday at EBACE in Geneva, Pilatus launched the PC-24, the much-anticipated, long-awaited follow-on to its popular PC-12 turboprop single. The Pilatus PC-24 is a twinjet, and while it looks in many ways like a conventional business jet, it is a very different animal, bringing together a combination of cabin volume, access, utility, speed, rough […]

Cessna employees in Independence, Kansas, had reason to celebrate this week as the first production Citation M2 fuselage was attached to its wings. “This is the moment when we can see an aircraft take shape, and we hope it is equally exciting for our customers who want to start flying their M2,” said Dick Friesen, […]

Additional delays in the certification of the GE-Honda HF120 engine, two of which will power the HondaJet, have caused further setbacks in the certification schedule of the much-anticipated light jet. A statement from Honda Aircraft Company said “GE Honda Aero Engines is conducting important tests and anticipates HF120 engine type certification in the fourth quarter […]

Cessna’s Citation line of jets was named after the 1948 winner of the Kentucky Derby. Cessna has a presence at Louisville International Airport (KSDF) this weekend as more than 600 expected general aviation aircraft arrive for the Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs. After winning the Derby, Citation went on to capture the Preakness […]

Embraer is making good on a potential $1 billion order from fractional ownership giant NetJets with the delivery yesterday of the first of up to 125 Phenom 300 light jets. The delivery at Embraer’s new factory in Melbourne, Florida, represents the first airplane in a blockbuster deal signed in October 2010 that included 50 firm […]

The new Citation Sovereign made its maiden production flight recently, giving Cessna test pilots their first opportunity to evaluate the upgraded jet’s performance and handling. The flight originated near Cessna’s manufacturing plant in Wichita, Kansas, and lasted for two-and-a-half hours. During that time, Cessna’s test crew performed evaluations of the Garmin G5000 avionics panel, the […]

Earlier this week at a Cessna Citation owners conference in Wichita, Cessna President and CEO Scott Ernest responded to a blog in Tuesday’s Flying eNews entitled “Cessna CJ Hiatus: End of the Niche Jet.” The article wondered what Cessna’s slowdown in Citation production, announced earlier in the week, might mean in the long run for […]