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.
Avionics
AFV Adds Another Company to Aviation Stable
AFV Partners' purchase of Seattle Avionics signals a new level of competition in the aviation chart data market.
Rotorcraft
Wind Could Rescue Offshore Helicopter Industry
Study predicts $166 billion investment in U.S. offshore wind by 2035.
Covid Crisis Spurs $2B Plunge in 1H20 Genav Billings
All sectors of general aviation experienced a downturn in the first half of 2020, according to statistics released by GAMA.
Rotorcraft
HAI Looks To Reboot Safety Accreditation Program
The Helicopter Association International (HAI) is looking to reboot its Accreditation Program of Safety (APS) later this year.
Rotorcraft
Airbus H160 Pioneers Flight Control Safety Features
The Airbus H160's full-time automatic flight control system makes the pilot's job much easier.
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.
Rotorcraft
Tokyo Government Evaluating Leonardo AW609 Tiltrotor
Tokyo’s Metropolitan Government is evaluating the Leonardo AW609 tiltrotor to deliver service to Ogasawara island.
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
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.
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.
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.
Rotorcraft
Hill Helicopters Developing Turbine Light Single
UK-based Hill Helicopters has unveiled a new light turbine single helicopter design, the HX50.
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.
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.
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.
Avionics
G1000 NXi Certified in Piper Meridian
Garmin is now offering the G1000 NXi avionics upgrade for the Piper Meridian single-engine turboprop.
Rotorcraft
Leonardo Prepping Skid Kit for AW169
Leonardo is progressing with a skid kit for its AW169 medium twin helicopter.
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.
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.
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.
Rotorcraft
Robinson Delivers 1,000th R66 Turbine Helicopter
The R66 fleet surpassed 1.2 million flight hours as Robinson delivered the 1,000th example.
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.
Rotorcraft
Air Ambulances Successfully Navigating Covid Skies
Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the air ambulance industry is holding its own—for now.
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.
Rotorcraft
Bell Embraces Virtual Reality to Design Helicopters
Bell is using augmented and virtual reality, computer gaming technology, to develop new aircraft.
