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

First global XRS takes to the air in four-hour flight

Bombardier began shakedown flights January 16 of the first Global Express XRS, a longer-range successor to the Global Express.
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Aircraft

TBM crash kills French billionaire

French supermarket tycoon Paul-Louis Halley, who had amassed a personal fortune estimated at $3.75 billion and was listed by Forbes as the 104th richest ma
Aircraft

Honda’s ‘compact jet’ takes its first test drive

Honda’s “research project” light jet now has its first logbook entry.
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Aircraft

Spirit Wing modification enhances Learjet design

Calvin Burgess is a man who likes Learjets…always has and always will, to hear him tell the story.
Burgess began flying in 1986 for a very pragmatic
Aircraft

Looking Back: Bill Lear’s Legacy

Bill Lear possessed the soul of a true inventor.
Bill Lear founder Learjet Corp.
Aircraft

Delta Chooses CRJ900s

Delta Air Lines last month signed a letter of intent with Bombardier to acquire as many as 60 CRJ900s to deploy with its Delta Connection regional affiliat
Aircraft

Republic To Fly E170s for Frontier

Republic Airlines will fly 17 seventy-six-seat Embraer E170s as Frontier Jet Express under a new code-share contract meant to replace and expand service no
Aircraft

Eclipse delivers first customer Model 500

After an extended gestation period and months of uncertainty about first delivery, Eclipse Aviation delivered its first production very light jet (VLJ).
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Aircraft

NTSB: Lack of Experience Factor in Crash

The NTSB final report on the May 2005 crash of a Mitsubishi MU-2B found several causes, notably the pilot’s mishandling a partial power loss in the left en
Aircraft

Executive Dream on Wings Selling Well

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner is rapidly finding favor in an executive configuration.
Aircraft

Pilatus Improves PC-12 and Increases Price

Pilatus’ PC-12 turboprop single will receive several upgrades next year, raising the base price of the aircraft by $80,000 to $2.79 million and a typically
Aircraft

Eclipse, Citation, Avanti Fleet Orders Announced

Significant fleet orders were announced today for the Eclipse 500, Citation and Avanti at NBAA 2005.
Aircraft

More Citations Needed for Special Olympics Airlift

Cessna is calling for an additional 260 Citation owners and operators from among NBAA attendees to meet the target total of 400 aircraft for the fifth annu
Aircraft

NBAA Convention as Good as Always

Despite a last-minute change of venue and dates for this year's NBAA Convention due to the devastation of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina, it appears that
Aircraft

Bombardier Learjet 60XR Coming in 2007

New avionics and an upgraded cabin interior distinguish the Learjet 60XR from the Learjet 60, which will be replaced when the newer version of the midsize
Aircraft

Embraer Reveals Names for Its Executive Jets

At a ceremony today, Embraer president and CEO Mauricio Botehlo and senior vice president Luis Carlos Affonso pulled the wraps off full-scale mockups of th
Aircraft

Hourly Maintenance Plan Set for Adam A700

In preparation for introducing its A700 very light twinjet late next year, Adam Aircraft has teamed up with Chicago-based JSSI to offer owners an hourly ma
Aircraft

Airbus ACJ Family Grows Larger and Smaller

The Airbus Corporate Jetliner family has just grown bigger, with the introduction of its newest member, the smaller A318 Elite.
Aircraft

Socata Turboprop Single Gets More Muscle

EADS Socata today unveiled the TBM 850, a slightly faster, re-engined version of its TBM 700 turboprop single.
Aircraft

Defense Agency To Phase Out Chart Distribution

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) will go forward with a modified version of its previously announced proposal to remove its flight informa
Aircraft

Cessna Wins Caravan Crash Lawsuit

A jury in Anchorage, Alaska, reached a verdict in favor of Cessna in a lawsuit arising from the Oct.
Aircraft

Boeing Business Jets Offering a Bigger BBJ

Boeing Business Jets announced yesterday at the Dubai Air Show that it is now offering the BBJ3, an executive version of its new 737-900ER.
Aircraft

Eclipse Gets TIA, but Supplier Problem Looms

An ongoing “supplier problem” is casting a shadow over Eclipse Aviation’s receipt of its first type inspection authorization (TIA) from the FAA earlier thi
Aircraft

Spectrum 33 Makes Brief First Flight

Just two months after being unveiled at the NBAA Convention, the Spectrum 33 twinjet made a 10-minute first flight this past Saturday afternoon.
Aircraft

Turboprop Baron Under Development

Spokane, Wash.-based Rocket Engineering is developing the Turbine P/Baron in parallel with the Royal Turbine Duke program.
Aircraft

Competitor Gets Control of MedAire

Health and security assistance provider MedAire disclosed that its two largest shareholders have reached a letter of agreement “outlining mutual goals and
Charter & Fractional

UK Charter Bails Out AvCraft Aerospace

Bankrupt regional aircraft manufacturer Avcraft Aerospace has been bought by UK Corporate Jet Services, parent company of Southampton-based executive chart
Aircraft

EASA Certifies Ae270 Turboprop

On December 15, the European Aviation Safety Agency awarded the type certificate for the Ibis Aerospace Ae270 turboprop single to Aero Vodochody, the Czech
Aircraft

Judge Orders Release of Turboprop Prototype

Last week, a federal judge ruled that Epic Aircraft parent Aircraft Investor Resources (AIR) must provide Farnborough Aircraft Corp.
Aircraft

Raytheon Deliveries Up but Lower Than Forecast

Reporting today on its year-end results, Raytheon said that Raytheon Aircraft delivered 255 turbine business airplanes last year (141 jets and 114 King Air