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
Boutsen Takes Delivery of Airbus Corporate Jets
Monaco-based Boutsen Aviation, whose president is former Formula 1 racing driver Thierry Boutsen, will take delivery today (if all goes to plan) of an Airb
Aircraft
Playing the percentages, Dassault reveals Falcon 7X
Dassault Falcon Jet describes its new 5,700-nm, $35+ million Falcon 7X three-engine business jet as providing 30 percent more range and 20 percent more cab
Aircraft
BAE scraps RJX, to cease all RJ production
The UK’s BAE Systems has scrapped the RJX regional jet program and will shut down all future RJ production after it finishes four airplanes currently in pr
Aircraft
Avolar to market, manage Airbus ACJs
Avolar, the newly formed business aviation subsidiary of UAL Corp., reached an agreement with Airbus to market and/or manage, but not buy, up to 15 Airbus
Aircraft
Learjet fatal crash investigation starts
Investigators have started their probe into the crash of a Universal Jet Aviation (Boca Raton, Fla.) Learjet 25B, N5UJ, as it was taking off from Pittsburg
Aircraft
STCs received for EVAS in Challenger series
EVAS Worldwide, an affiliate of Ramsey, N.J.-based Aircraft Services Group, said its $11,950 Emergency Vision Assurance System (EVAS) personal cockpit smok
Charter & Fractional
Air Canada latest airline to offer bizjet charter
Montreal-based Air Canada will convert up to four of its Boeing 737s into 48-seat business jets and place them into the airline’s new on-demand and contrac
Aircraft
Gulfstream to cut workforce and production
Gulfstream Aerospace plans to cut about 480 people from its workforce of 8,000, citing a drop in business jet orders in response to the slowing economy.
Aircraft
GIV-SP wins JAA approval, GV expected next year
Europe’s JAA has issued type certificate endorsement for the Gulfstream IV and IV-SP, effectively recommending the business jets for approval by the JAA’s
Engines
P&WC runs new engine targeted for light jets
With the completion of its first run on October 31, Pratt & Whitney Canada initiated testing of its 2,500-lb-thrust PW625F engine demonstrator.
Aircraft
Boeing 737 rudder control fix to be mandated
Boeing completed a redesign of a 737 rudder control system and, as expected, the FAA formally proposed an AD that will require the installation of the syst
Engines
Legacy on certification final
Brazilian certification of the Embraer Legacy is expected this month, following the prototype’s return from its European tour.
Aircraft
After the crash: Avcon to resume Learjet fin program
Avcon Industries, manufacturer of aft fuselage delta fins and other mods to improve directional stability and increase payload/range capability for the Lea
Aircraft
Socata Mulls 2009 Launch of Turbine Twin
EADS Socata this week at EBACE outlined what its next product launch could be next year–a twin-engine business aircraft that is bigger than its TBM 850 tur
Aircraft
Despite Delayed Funding, Epic Aircraft Moving Forward
Epic Aircraft continues development of its all-composite turboprop singles and very light jets, though without the $200 million in funding Indian billionai
Aircraft
Aero Toy Store adds yachts to its shelves
Aero Toy Store is well known for its available inventory of private jets, including the exclusive Pininfarina Edition aircraft with boutique cabins for the
Aircraft
Reims introduces new turboprop twin
France’s Reims Aviation, one of the few remaining independent aircraft manufacturers and structure subcontractors in Europe, last month launched the F406 M
Aircraft
Superjet Flies
Russia’s Sukhoi Civil Aircraft flew the new Superjet 100 for the first time on May 19 from the company’s main assembly site in the Far East city of Komsomo
Aircraft
Grob-Bombardier Strange Bedfellows on Learjet 85
Eyebrows elevated when Grob was named earlier this year as the single source for the Bombardier Learjet 85’s entire primary and secondary composite structu
Aircraft
Still Seeking Partner, Aerion Racks Up Orders for SSBJ
Reno, Nev.-based Aerion is still hoping to convince an OEM partner to join it by the end of this year in its quest to build a supersonic business jet capab
Aircraft
In The Works: Ayres Loadmaster LM200
Reports of the demise of the Loadmaster program are unfounded, according to Russ Heil, CEO of Ayres Corp., the Albany, Ga.-based agplane OEM and developer
Aircraft
In The Works: Explorer 500T
Explorer Aircraft, developer of the single-engine piston and turboprop Explorer airplanes, has moved from its temporary offices in Denver to Jasper County
Aircraft
In The Works: Ibis Ae270
While the first Ibis Aerospace Ae270 has logged about 75 flight hours, the second flying prototype (aircraft number three) is now not expected to make its
Aircraft
In The Works: Spirit Wing Learjet 25D
Problems with the design of the engine nacelle inlets have caused at least a three-month delay in the development of the Williams FJ44-2C-powered Spirit Wi
Aircraft
Tailwind Shows Off First CRJ Execliner
At EBACE this week, Tailwind Capital unveiled the first of five Bombardier CRJ conversions it plans to sell to business aviation customers.
Aircraft
Regionals Update: Northwest takes more CRJs
Bombardier won a long-anticipated and hard-fought operational lease deal from Northwest Airlines for 75 CRJ-440 regional jets, the newly designated 44-pass
Aircraft
Latest Antonov An-74 variant now firmly in flight-test trials
Ukraine’s Antonov An-74TK-300 made its international debut at this year’s Paris Air Show.
Aircraft
Antonov delivers first An-140 turboprop
Antonov handed over a second example of the An-140 turboprop to its daughter company, Antonov Airlines, early last month.
Aircraft
CCM bucks the trend by relaxing ties with Air France
Compagnie Corse Méditerranée (CCM) Airlines, the French regional airline that specializes in routes between France and Corsica, wants to buck a trend estab
