Pistons

Cirrus Aircraft today (Thursday, January 17, 2013) announced the launch of its latest SR22 models, the Generation 5 SR22 and SR22T. The new 22s features a host of quality-of-life improvements and one showstopper: a 200-pound increase in the airplanes’ maximum takeoff weight. As in past airframe updates, Cirrus calls a model a new generation only […]

An FM-2 Wildcat that sat at the bottom of Lake Michigan for nearly seven decades was brought to the surface on Friday as the nation marked the 71st anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The airplane was lost during a training mission after its engine failed on takeoff from a converted steamship in late […]

Flight Design customers have started taking delivery of the new fuel-injected CTLSi powered by the Rotax 912 iS introduced earlier this year. Several CTLSi LSAs are already spread across the U.S., from the Northeast, where the shipments from Germany arrive, to Florida, the Midwest and the West Coast. The CTLSi is easy to spot because […]

The Willamette Valley in western Oregon stretched below us, green vineyards hugging the curves of the river, squared-off farmers’ fields, some browner this year than most, a patchwork of life all fringed by the hills that contain and define this timeless place. On days such as the one we were enjoying, the valley was the […]

After two decades of producing hundreds of kits for the SeaRey – an experimental amphib that features swept wings, a pusher prop and retractable gear – Progressive Aerodyne received FAA certification this month for a production LSA version of the airplane. The production airplane will be available in two models, a basic version priced between […]

The FAA recently signed off on the type certificate for XtremeAir’s XA42 — a two-seat, all-carbon-fiber aerobatic airplane, which has been EASA certified since March 2011. Powered by a 315-horsepower Lycoming AEIO-580 engine, the German airplane boasts a max cruise speed of 210 knots and load factor limits of +/-10 g. Center sticks in front […]

Still stinging from the collapse of its buyout deal with Superior Aviation Beijing, Hawker Beechcraft used the stage at the NBAA Convention to focus on the future — and in particular the company’s plans to introduce four new turboprop and piston models in the next five years while also exiting the business jet market. Plans […]

Van’s Aircraft introduced an S-LSA version of the RV-12 on Thursday at AOPA Summit in Palm Springs, California. The new model will come completely built, unlike the current RV-12, which is an Experimental LSA (E-LSA). E-LSAs are essentially LSAs that comes in kit form. Van’s president and CEO Dick Van Grunsven said the new model […]

Over the years I’ve flown around a dozen varieties of the Cessna 182, from the latest glass-panel turbo models to impeccably restored early birds, but I’d never experienced anything like this. As I advanced the single black lever in Cessna’s new 182 JT-A to roll around the corner onto 19L at Wichita’s iconic Mid-Continent Airport, […]

The simple design, appealing shape and fun flying characteristics of the Piper Cub put a glint in the eye of most pilots. Countless aviators trained and made their first solo flights in this beloved bird. But, being introduced in the 1930s, it’s no wonder the original Cub design could benefit from some improving modifications. Piper […]