Pistons

A year and a half after Waco announced its intent to reproduce the Great Lakes 2T-1A-2, the Battle Creek, Michigan, company has rolled out the first production version of the fully aerobatic biplane. The first test flight was completed over the weekend, and Peter Bowers, president of Waco, said the “aircraft was perfect,” with the […]

The Beechcraft Bonanza holds a coveted spot in aviation history as the longest continually produced airplane of all time. Beechcraft celebrated a significant milestone for the storied airplane on Monday, handing over the 4,000th Model 36 Bonanza, a G36 purchased by a Baltimore, Maryland, commercial real estate firm. In all, Beechcraft has produced more than […]

The first production example of the new Cessna 182 JT-A Turbo Skylane made its inaugural flight this week, ushering in a new era as the first modern single-engine piston airplane designed specifically to run on jet-A. “The Turbo Skylane JT-A performed just as expected,” said Cessna senior test pilot Dale Bleakney. “The weather conditions were […]

Cirrus calls the latest edition of its SR22 the Generation 5, which some customers have begun to refer to informally as the SR22 G5. There are a number of really big changes that make the model a strong upgrade, one that took clever design decisions to achieve. How appealing is the new model? As of […]

One of the most intriguing four-seaters emerging from a European company today is the Tecnam P2010, a composite fuselage, high-wing design intended to be both economical and capable. Tecnam test pilots flew the test example to Aero Friedrichshafen, a journey of nearly 500 nm, cruising at 10,000 feet for much of the flight. Powered by […]

When trying to come up with a site for floatplane heaven, you’d go through a lot of places before you hit upon Texas, but this didn’t stop me from saying “yes” when Cessna’s chief pilot of propeller airplanes, Kirby Ortega, dropped me a note asking if I wanted to go float flying with Cessna’s resident […]

Piper has received FAA type certificate approval to install Garmin G1000 avionics in its single-engine Archer model. Widely used as an ab initio trainer, the Archer is powered by a 180 hp Lycoming O-360 A4M engine and cruises at 128 knots. Archers come in two models, the LX and TX, priced at $341,900 and $331,500 […]

With 13 airplanes on the production line, Cessna’s jet-A-burning Turbo Skylane JT-A is on schedule for certification and first deliveries before the end of June. “We are on track,” said Jeff Umscheid, business leader for the project. “We have been taking orders since [EAA AirVenture 2012 last summer].” The JT-A’s SMA diesel engine is exhibiting […]

The sleek Pipistrel Panthera piston-single prototype made a surprise journey over the Alps from its home in Slovenia to the Aero Friedrichshafen show in Germany yesterday. As soon as the airplane landed around 1 p.m. local time, it began drawing crowds wanting a closer look. The Panthera is a four-seater that its maker claims will […]

The mood at the Piper booth at Sun ‘n Fun in Lakeland, Florida, has been upbeat this week to say the least. After Monday’s announcement of a 35-airplane order from CAE Oxford Aviation Academy, another contract was signed with Airline Transport Professionals that could potentially replace the school’s entire single-engine airplane fleet. The deal encompasses […]