Aircraft
News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.
Aircraft
Farnborough turboprop renamed Kestrel JP100
The long-delayed Farnborough F1 utility turboprop single appears to have found new life through an agreement between its UK developer, Farnborough Aircraft
Aircraft
CIS Approves Four Gulfstream Models
Gulfstream received certification from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), formerly the USSR, for the G550, G500, G450 and G350.
Charter & Fractional
London Executive Aviation awaits Mustang deliveries
London Executive Aviation (LEA) is preparing to pioneer the use of very light jets (VLJs) in the European charter market.
Aircraft
Start-up looks for work for Continental Embraers
Houston-based ExpressJet Holdings has taken a $700,000, 49-percent share in JetX Aviation, a new regional start-up that plans to operate as ExpressJet Euro
Aircraft
King Air C90GT Replaces C90B
Raytheon Aircraft received FAA certification for its King Air C90GT and deliveries started last month.
Aircraft
News Note: Piaggio Aero Industries last month delivered the first Avanti II twin turboprop, to Swiss operator Fly Wings.
The seven-seat aircraft will operate from Switzerland Lugano Agno Airport.
The $6.27 million Avanti II received European Aviation Safety Age
The $6.27 million Avanti II received European Aviation Safety Age
Aircraft
Challenger 605 Enters Flight Test
Bombardier’s Challenger 605, announced at the 2005 NBAA Convention, made a nearly 3.5-hour maiden flight on January 22 in Montreal.
Aircraft
Winglets Approved for King Air 200
BLR Aerospace late last year received an STC for its winglet kit for King Air 200s.
Aircraft
New Prop-plane Noise Standards Eased
New amendments to Part 36 require a minimum 3 dB–noise reduction for small single-engine propeller aircraft– including turboprops–weighing more than 3,307
Aircraft
Spectrum 33 wings its way into test flight
Just two months after being unveiled at the NBAA Convention in November, the Spectrum 33 twinjet made a 10-minute first flight on January 7.
Aircraft
Epic-Farnborough partnership goes awry
A two-year-old, previously undisclosed partnership between Epic Aircraft parent Aircraft Investor Resources (AIR) and Farnborough Aircraft Corp.
Aircraft
Gulfstream ramping up production
A 27-percent increase in orders to 121 aircraft last year, compared with orders for 95 aircraft in 2004, and a further expected increase in sales is prompt
Aircraft
In The Works: Quest Kodiak
Quest Aircraft’s Kodiak prototype (S/N 001) has logged more than 330 flight hours and is currently on schedule to receive FAA certification in the second q
Aircraft
In The Works: Epic LT
Epic Aircraft parent Aircraft Investor Resources in December said it had resolved a row with the FAA over the status of kit-built Epic LT turboprop singles
Aircraft
In The Works: Vulcanair VF600W Mission
According to Vulcanair director of sales Remo De Feo, the VF600W Mission is still an active program, though it has been “severely delayed due to a number o
Aircraft
In The Works: Diamond D-Jet
Diamond’s Williams FJ33-powered D-Jet didn’t fly as planned in October, but the first flight appears to be right around the corner.
Aircraft
In The Works: Avocet ProJet
It appears that the ProJet, an Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI)-Avocet joint venture, doesn’t have much forward momentum.
Aircraft
In The Works: Cessna Citation Mustang
On January 11 Cessna began certification flights of the Mustang, some two weeks after receiving type inspection authorization.
Aircraft
In The Works: Eclipse 500
In late December Eclipse Aviation confirmed that a supplier problem has delayed certification of its VLJ from next month to late in the second quarter.
Aircraft
In The Works: Eviation EV-20
The twinjet derivative of the former VisionAire Vantage is progressing, though not quite as quickly as previously expected.
Aircraft
Bombardier Challenger 605
About a week after the January 22 first flight of the Challenger 605, Bombardier relocated the test airplane to Wichita to begin the approximately 200 flig
Aircraft
In The Works: Spirit Wing SpiritLear
Spirit Wing Aviation of Guthrie, Okla., has begun the final phase of flight-testing the Spirit-Lear, a re-engined and modified Learjet 24/25.
Aircraft
In The Works: Socata TBM 850
The Socata TBM 850, a faster, more powerful derivative of the TBM 700 turboprop single, received FAA approval on January 23, six weeks after the EASA certi
Aircraft
Mustang wins first VLJ type certificate
Cessna’s Citation Mustang on September 8 became the first very light jet to be fully FAA type certified.
Aircraft
Asian regional jet market remains on slow simmer
Slower-than-anticipated growth of regional air transport markets in Asia has apparently reached the consciousness of market prognosticators at Embraer, who
Aircraft
Ukraine, Russia aim to build 24 An-148s by 2008
Ukraine’s Aviant and Russia’s Voronezh Aircraft JSC (VASO) plan to assemble 24 Antonov An-148 regional jets over the next two-and-a-half years, Aviant dire
Aircraft
Universal Begins Flight Testsof WAAS-capable FMS
Universal Avionics last month said it flew its first test flight with the new “W” series flight-management system (FMS) designed for compatibility with the
Aircraft
Elliott offers King Air upgrade
Elliott Aviation has introduced an interior upgrade kit that it says can morph that aging King Air 200 cabin into the equivalent of that of a new [but larg
Aircraft
In The Works: Raytheon Hawker 850XP
Last month Raytheon Aircraft received FAA certification for the Hawker 850XP, essentially a Hawker 800XP with homegrown winglets.
Aircraft
In The Works: Cessna Citation Encore+
According to Cessna Citation Encore+ program manager Lynn Young, the program is on track to reach FAA certification in the third quarter.
