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
Learjet 85 program moves to Mexico
Bombardier’s Learjet 85 program continues to move forward or, perhaps more accurately, south, with plans to produce all primary structural components of th
Aircraft
Spirit Breaks Ground on New French Plant
Spirit AeroSystems yesterday broke ground on a new 57,888-sq-ft facility in Saint-Nazaire, France, where it plans to receive and assemble the composite cen
Aircraft
In The Works: Sky Aircraft – SK-105 Skylander
Sky Aircraft, based in Chambley in France’s Lorraine region, is part of GECI International, which also includes Reims Aviation, maker of the F406 twin turb
Aircraft
In The Works: Dornier Seaplane – Seastar CD2
Dornier’s twin-turboprop all-composite Seastar CD2 made its first appearance at the EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wis., in July, the first stop in a tour
Aircraft
In The Works: Hawker Beechcraft – King Air 350i
The King Air 350i, announced at last year’s NBAA Convention, is due to receive FAA certification shortly.
Aircraft
FAA approves Falcon 7X for steep approaches
The Falcon 7X in August received FAA approval for steep approaches, after a process that involved testing the Dassault large-cabin business jet at slopes u
Aircraft
Qatar Airways Finances Four Boeing 777s
Against a backdrop of ongoing financial insecurity in the global banking sector, Qatar Airways announced this week that it has secured two “innovative” fin
Aircraft
Software ‘Glitch’ Delays CRJ1000
Bombardier has moved the certification target for its 100-seat CRJ1000 to the first quarter of the company’s next fiscal year, starting February 1, from th
Aircraft
ATR 72-600 in Flight Test
ATR late in August announced that the ATR 72-600 regional turboprop made its first flight on July 24 in Toulouse, France, seven months after the first powe
Aircraft
BA CityFlyer Takes First E170
Embraer delivered British Airways’ first 76-seat Embraer E170 on September 3, marking the start of a schedule that calls for delivery at a rate of roughly
Aircraft
C Series could hold key to Bombardier’s future
The future of Bombardier Aerospace’s airline business might well hinge on what becomes of the final product that emerges from last month’s official ground
Aircraft
American Airlines Boosts Bombardier’s CRJ Position
The fortunes of Bombardier Aerospace’s regional jet business received a considerable boost last month when American Airlines announced the signing of a let
Aircraft
Mitsubishi to Delay MRJ First Flight
Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation (MJet) announced last month that it will delay first flight of the 92-seat MRJ90 by as much as six months, from late 2011 t
Aircraft
Eclipse Aero reopens factory, starts hiring, looks to future
The bankrupt status of Eclipse Aviation finally ended in August after Eclipse Aerospace bought the assets of the very light jet manufacturer for $40 millio
Aircraft
Phenom 100 owners gather, plan to form an association
A small group of Embraer Phenom 100 owners came together in Santa Barbara, Calif., on A
Aircraft
2009 New Business Jets: Composites, winglets and clean sheets
Despite the recession, a significant number of new aircraft programs remain largely on track.
Aircraft
2009 New Business Jets: Recession raises the jet singles bar
Citing a combination of specific business challenges, market conditions and capital scarcity, the three leading single-engine VLJ contenders–Cirrus, Diamon
Aircraft
2009 New Business Jets: Spiraling down: Goodbye Columbus & Epic meltdown
The recession has put the spike to some major new jet development programs, delayed others and shuttered some undercapitalized aircraft companies altogethe
Aircraft
VLJs Neither ‘Revolutionary’ Nor ‘Disruptive’
The marketing hype surrounding very light jets (VLJs) has “largely subsided,” according to Brian Foley, president of business aviation consulting firm Bria
Aircraft
China Orders Three Citation Sovereigns
Cessna Aircraft last month during Asian Aerospace 2009 in Hong Kong received an order for three Citation Sovereigns from the China Flight Inspection Center
Aircraft
Embraer E190 Gains ISA+39 deg Approval
Embraer has received ISA+39-degrees C certification for the E190 airliner from Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) and the FAA, the company anno
Aircraft
King Air 350i Gets Electric Shades
PPG Industries’ aerospace transparencies business and Gentex will be providing electrochromic window systems to Hawker Beechcraft as standard equipment for
Aircraft
Cirrus Hiking Price of Vision Jet
Cirrus Aircraft last month raised the price of the single-engine Vision Jet, a personal VLJ, to $1.39 million for existing position holders and to $1.55 mi
Aircraft
Airbus A380 Deliveries Decrease by One for 2009
Airbus confirmed to AIN today that it will build just 13
Aircraft
First Flight 40 Years Ago Gave Lift to Citation Series
Cessna Aircraft last month celebrated the 40th anniversary of the maiden flight of the Citation 500, the first model in its now broad series of business je
Aircraft
Emivest delivers its First SJ30
Emivest Aerospace, formerly Sino Swearingen Aircraft, on September 23 delivered its first SJ30 light jet and continues to ramp up production at its San Ant
Aircraft
Gulfstream G650 Rolled Out, Under Its Own Power
Gulfstream Aerospace this morning rolled out the first wide-cabin G650 to much fanfare, and a crowd that completely filled the G650 production hangar, at i
Aircraft
Citation Excel/XLSs OK’d for BoomBeams
LoPresti Aviation received FAA STC approval for BoomBeam high-intensity discharge (HID) lights on the Cessna Citation Excel/XLS.
Aircraft
China’s Comac Makes Splash at Asian Aerospace
China signaled in clear terms its plans to mount a determined–and relatively prompt–challenge of Boeing’s and Airbus’s domination of the world’s single-ais
Aircraft
WTO Subsidy Battle between Boeing and Airbus Still Unclear
Despite the partisan claims and counter-claims on both sides of the long-running dispute over alleged
