General Aviation

News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Maintenance and Modifications

Foresight MX HUMS Approved for AStars

GPMS has received FAA Supplemental Type Certification approval for its Foresight MX health monitoring system on the Airbus AS350.

Government Watchdog Questions FAA's BasicMed Oversight

The DOT Office of Inspector General recommended that the FAA improve its processes for verifying BasicMed eligibility and safety monitoring.
Maintenance and Modifications

Erickson Acquires Type Certificate for Bell 214

Bell has begun type certificate (TC) transfer for the model 214ST and B/B1 helicopters to Erickson.
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Maintenance and Modifications

Review of the Depstech WiFi HD Wireless Borescope Camera - AIN Gadget Central

Review of the Depstech WiFi HD Wireless Borescope Camera - AIN Gadget Central
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Rotorcraft

Tokyo Government Evaluating Leonardo AW609 Tiltrotor

Tokyo’s Metropolitan Government is evaluating the Leonardo AW609 tiltrotor to deliver service to Ogasawara island.

Turtles Fly Too Completes First U.S. West Coast Mission

Two pilots launched a mission to transport an endangered sea turtle from Seattle to San Diego.
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Rotorcraft

MD530F Helicopter Gets Gross Weight Increase

MD Helicopters has received FAA approval to increase the MD530F’s max gross take-off weight from 3,100 to 3,350 pounds.
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Accidents

Kobe Crash Copter Company Blaming ATC

Island Express Helicopters is blaming the fatal crash of its S-76 on air traffic controllers.
Accidents

NTSB Illuminates Pilot Performance in AW139 Fatal

The Leonardo AW139 crashed on July 4, 2019 shortly after lifting off from a private helipad in the Bahamas.
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Rotorcraft

K-Max Leaps From Unmanned to Autonomous Operations

Near Earth Autonomy and Kaman Aerospace have developed an intelligent autonomy system for the K-Max helicopter.
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Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

U.S. Agencies Issue Advisory on Drone Mitigation

A new advisory issued jointly by four U.S. federal agencies provides "legal landscape" on drone mitigation technology.
Rotorcraft

Hill Helicopters Developing Turbine Light Single

UK-based Hill Helicopters has unveiled a new light turbine single helicopter design, the HX50.
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Security

FAA To Evaluate Drone-mitigation Technology

The FAA will evaluate at least 10 drone mitigation technologies/systems at its William J. Hughes Technical Center in New Jersey.
Aircraft

Airbus Delivering New Fleet of H125s to U.S. Customs

Airbus Helicopters has delivered the first of 16 new H125 helicopters uniquely configured for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
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Avionics

G1000 NXi Certified in Piper Meridian

Garmin is now offering the G1000 NXi avionics upgrade for the Piper Meridian single-engine turboprop.
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Rotorcraft

Bell Buyers Get Free SiriusXM

Bell is giving new buyers of its civil helicopters a free, three-month subscription to SiriusXM aviation weather and entertainment.
Rotorcraft

Leonardo Prepping Skid Kit for AW169

Leonardo is progressing with a skid kit for its AW169 medium twin helicopter.
Aircraft

Cirrus Expands European Training, Finance Options

Pilots flying under European regulations can obtain their Cirrus Vision Jet type rating at Aero Poznan's facility in Poland.
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Rotorcraft

FAA International Rotorcraft Safety Conference Goes Virtual

Online registration for the FAA’s first virtual International Rotorcraft Safety Conference is now open.
Aircraft

Second Cessna SkyCourier Completes First Flight

The first conforming production flight test Cessna SkyCourier flew for one hour 35 minutes on its inaugural flight.
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Rotorcraft

Robinson Delivers 1,000th R66 Turbine Helicopter

The R66 fleet surpassed 1.2 million flight hours as Robinson delivered the 1,000th example.
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Rotorcraft

Leonardo Breaks Ground on Temp Facility in Florida

Leonardo broke ground this week on its U.S. Navy TH-73A temporary support facility at the Peter Prince Airport in Milton, FL.
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Rotorcraft

Air Ambulances Successfully Navigating Covid Skies

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the air ambulance industry is holding its own—for now.
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Rotorcraft

USAIG Safety Bucks Fully Cover Airbus Helo IIMC Course

Aircraft insurer USAIG customers can now use their $2,500 Safety Bucks To Cover Airbus Helicopters' IIMC Course.
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Rotorcraft

Torqued: It Shouldn’t Take an Act of Congress To Mandate Safety Improvements

Changing regulations takes a long time, and there ought to be a simpler way to create mandates for safety improvements.
Rotorcraft

Bell Embraces Virtual Reality to Design Helicopters

Bell is using augmented and virtual reality, computer gaming technology, to develop new aircraft.
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Rotorcraft

One in Five S-92 Helicopters Parked

Some 39 Sikorsky S-92s, comprising 19 percent of the global market, remain parked during the downturn.
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Finance, Taxes, Insurance

GECAS Slashes Milestone's Value by $729M

GECAS has written down the value of its Milestone Aviation helicopter leasing unit by $729 million.
Training and Workforce

SimVenture Flyers Get a Taste of Oshkosh Operations

While this year's EAA AirVenture show was canceled, there was a way for pilots to try their hand at flying into a simulated version of the iconic airfield.
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Aircraft

Covid Crisis Hits GippsAero

The Australian aircraft manufacturer has seen sales and deliveries of its GA8 Airvan dry up during the pandemic.
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