As France-based Daher-Socata considers whether to add a twin-engine aircraft to a line that includes its TBM 850 turboprop single, it remains active as an aerostructure specialist in still-under-wraps business jet programs.
Business Aviation » Business Aviation Aircraft
News and issues relating to business, aircraft, primarily turbine-engine powered airplanes and helicopters.
April 30, 2013 - 4:20pm
The first production model of Cessna’s new Citation Sovereign completed its maiden flight last Wednesday, logging more than 2.5 hours in the Kansas sky. The flight included tests of its Garmin G5000 avionics with autothrottles, as well as the autopilot, engines and aircraft systems. The aircraft took off and landed at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport, where Cessna’s main manufacturing facilities are located.
April 30, 2013 - 3:35pm
Embraer Executive Jets’ Legacy 650 recently received type certification from Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, paving the way for customer Premiair to put the aircraft into service. With the approval, all in-production Embraer Executive Jets are now certified in this country. When Premiair takes delivery of two Legacy 650s it has on order, the Indonesian charter operator will have eight Embraer jets in its fleet.
April 25, 2013 - 3:31pm
Diamond Aircraft is exhibiting a mockup of a DA50 single with a 450-shp Motor Sich-Ivchenko AI450S turboprop engine this week at Aero Friedrichshafen 2013 in Germany. This engine would improve the performance of the seven-seat airplane, which was announced in 2006 with a 275-hp diesel engine as the DA50 SuperStar. Since then the SuperStar’s development stalled and it has yet to be certified, even though this milestone was originally planned for mid-2010.
April 23, 2013 - 3:48pm
AgustaWestland and Embraer have terminated joint-venture discussions for helicopter production in Brazil. The companies issued a joint statement yesterday announcing the decision, but declined to provide reasons why talks collapsed.
April 23, 2013 - 3:05pm
Pilatus Aircraft appointed Tronrud Aviation as its PC-12 sales and service center in the Nordic region of Europe, to include Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Founded in 1977, Tronrud Aviation is a subsidiary of Tronrud Engineering, which specializes in manufacturing parts and machines for the engineering field. Tronrud Aviation is located about 30 miles northwest of Oslo and is based on its own airfield at Eggemoen.
April 18, 2013 - 4:09pm
Textron, parent company of Cessna Aircraft, held its first-quarter 2013 earnings call yesterday, and the news was not particularly uplifting for its Wichita-based business segment. Customers in the light jet market, who tend to be small business owners, continue to defer purchase decisions, “reflecting continued concerns about their financial outlook,” said Textron chairman and CEO Scott Donnelly. As a result, he continued, Cessna delivered 32 new jets in the first quarter, six fewer than the same quarter last year, “resulting in a segment loss in the quarter of $8 million.”
April 18, 2013 - 1:40pm
Jim Rice, chairman and CEO of VisionAire Jets, surfaced at ABACE 2013 this week in Shanghai to market the benefits of a single-engine jet and tell potential investors about the program. VisionAire Jets is developing the all-composite Vantage Jet, which will be powered by a single Williams International FJ33-3AP turbofan and fly up to 1,500 nm with a pilot and five passengers.
April 18, 2013 - 1:20pm
The still-under-wraps Dassault Falcon SMS (super-midsize) will feature an empennage made entirely of composite materials, sources have told AIN. Dassault has reportedly tapped Fokker to supply the complete empennage, using thermoplastic resin. AIN understands that these will be the largest thermoplastic composites parts yet used in civil aviation. These materials are said to be more expensive but easier to manufacture and more impact-tolerant than thermosets.
April 18, 2013 - 1:10pm
Boeing Business Jets celebrated the completion of the first BBJ for China’s Nanshan Jet at a ceremony yesterday at ABACE 2013 in Shanghai. “The Nanshan Group is an excellent example of a customer who understands the unique capabilities of the Boeing Business Jet and how this airplane addresses the needs of emerging Chinese global business,” said Boeing Business Jets president Steve Taylor.
