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

Northwest Moves To Cut RJ Costs

Bankrupt Northwest Airlines has turned the financial screws on its existing Airlink partners by asking for bids from several regional airlines to fly RJs c
Aircraft

ERJ 145 Opens Link to Kurdistan

A 48-seat Embraer ERJ 145 leased by Turkey’s Fly Air on December 9 opened twice-weekly scheduled service to Erbil, the administrative capital of Iraqi Kurd
Aircraft

Lufthansa Signs for a Dozen CRJ900s

Lufthansa signed a firm order last month for 12 Bombardier CRJ900 regional jets.
Aircraft

Aeroflot board divided on RRJ

Sukhoi would have loved to announce an RRJ launch order from Aeroflot last month out from under the shadow of intrigue that seems to hang over every Russia
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Aircraft

C Series reprieve reflects more than mere patience


Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the Bombardier C Series has less to do with technological ambitions and funding plans than with the sheer dog
Aircraft

Air Canada takes first Embraer 190

Air Canada became the first North American airline to take delivery of two different models of Embraer’s new E-Jet series, when on December 12 its first 93
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Aircraft

Eclipse 500 still chasing full TC

At press time, FAA type certification continued to elude Eclipse Aviation for its very light jet, while Cessna confirmed speculation that it would be first
Aircraft

New Bizjets

Like the overall U.S.
Aircraft

Pilot Report: Cessna Mustang

The champagne corks were surely popping in Wichita on September 8 when Cessna Aircraft announced it had earned full type certification of its newest jet, t
Aircraft

Jet Aviation Becomes First Asia-Pacific BBJ Service Center

Boeing Business Jets has selected Jet Aviation Singapore as a BBJ-authorized service center.
Aircraft

Avcon Industries Announces LearJet 35/36 RVSM Mod

Butler National subsidiary Avcon Industries has completed its first installation of its reduced vertical separation minimums (RVSM) solution for Learjet 35
Aircraft

Socata TBM 850 gets EASA OK, FAA certification to follow soon

EADS Socata last month introduced the TBM 850 turboprop single, a more powerful, faster derivative of the TBM 700.
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Aircraft

EASA Certifies IBIS AE270

Ibis Aerospace’s Ae270 turboprop single completed EASA certification, and FAA certification is expected shortly.
Aircraft

Wing failure in Chalk's Mallard

The wing that separated from the Chalk’s Ocean Airways Grumman Turbo Mallard that crashed off Miami Beach last month showed signs of cracking in the main s
Aircraft

Raytheon issues 1900D maint. alert

Raytheon issued a new safety communiqué to advise Beech 1900 operators of another misleading illustration in the type’s maintenance manuals.
Aircraft

Eclipse supplier problem looms

An ongoing “supplier problem” is casting a shadow over Eclipse Aviation’s receipt of its first FAA type inspection authorization earlier last month for the
Aircraft

Global Express Enters Service

Bombardier announced last month the entry into service by an undisclosed customer of its new flagship business jet, the ultra-long-range Global Express XRS
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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

Distributor Marks Its 100th PC-12 Delivery

FBO Western Aircraft of Boise, Idaho, early last month celebrated delivering its 100th PC-12.
Charter & Fractional

Piaggio ramps up Avanti II production

As Piaggio Aero’s new Avanti II entered production last month, the company also announced it is increasing production to meet growing demand for the turbop
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Aircraft

VLJ Start-up Drawn to Oklahoma

The Guthrie, Okla.
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

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

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

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

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

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

Winglets Approved for King Air 200

BLR Aerospace late last year received an STC for its winglet kit for King Air 200s.
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

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.