Turboprops

Crop dusters and firefighter pilots in Europe now have a new airplane option as Thrush Aircraft Company has received the sign off from the European Aviation Safety Agency for its Thrush 510G. With a price tag of around $900,000, the turboprop single received FAA certification in 2012 and has also been approved in Canada, Argentina […]

If you attended the Flying Aviation Expo in Palm Springs, California, you may have noticed a Pilatus PC-12 NG on display. If you didn’t take a closer look, you may not have noticed that this was not any Pilatus — it had been modified for special missions. Called the PC-12 NG Spectre, the airplane was […]

The Templeton, California-based startup Micronautix unveiled the Triton turboprop concept on Friday at the Flying Aviation Expo in Palm Springs, California. The unique design features a central fuselage flanked by two pods that each have tandem seating for two, altogether providing total seating for 3 to 5 passengers throughout the airplane. Charlee Smith, the man […]

There are not many single-engine turboprop airplanes on the market for the Epic E1000 to compete against once it achieves certification. However, its high-speed cruise numbers and roomy cabin might help the Epic even win some light jet prospects, at least those who don’t demand the extra engine. In addition to its speed, the E1000 […]

“Wow” was all I could say as I held the throttle forward in the climb out of Camarillo Airport in California on our way to Bend, Oregon. David Robinson, Epic Aircraft’s chief pilot, said he often hears similar expressions from the left seat during demo flights, though generally a slightly less polite version. We were […]

Blackhawk Modifications has had a strong year so far as the market for refurbished turboprops appears to be growing by leaps and bounds. Bob Kromer, Blackhawk’s senior vice president of marketing, sales and customer support, said an increasing number of owners are either considering an engine upgrade to improve performance or desire a full upgrade […]

Epic Aircraft took the opportunity at the National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Orlando, Florida, this week to showcase a new interior design for the E1000 turboprop, which is expected to hit the market next year. The main cabin of the E1000 is roomy, and the club seating allows two normal-sized […]

At NBAA Textron Aviation announced a major optional upgrade to the Beechcraft King Air 250 that takes its max weight, formerly 12,500 pounds, to 13,420 pounds, giving the model a whopping 1,025-pound full-fuel payload. The modification takes the cabin payload with full fuel from just 155 pounds to 1,025 pounds. There are no structural modifications […]

At its press conference today at the NBAA Convention in Orlando, Florida, Piaggio unveiled not only a new logo, but also a new name. Rebranded as Piaggio Aerospace, the company will operate three business units. In addition to its business aviation segment, which includes the recently announced Piaggio Evo, the company will expand into engines, […]

Fascination with creating the fastest airplanes has existed since the dawn of aviation. The first air races sprung up as early as 1909 and speed records quickly reached new highs, pushing aerodynamic engineers to reduce drag. As engine technology advanced, aircraft were designed around these new power plants, and over time the introduction of wind […]