Air Shows & Events

In perhaps the most surprising announcement of NBAA 2010, Sikorsky confirmed it intends to invest in Eclipse Aerospace, prompting speculation that the sometimes bizarre story of the original very light jet might have a happier than expected outcome. “This agreement in principle affords us an opportunity to invest in a great product and to further […]

A blue-chip lineup of aviation icons were on hand at the National Business Aviation Association’s convention in Atlanta on Wednesday to be named Wright Brothers Master Pilots. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan, former Cessna CEO Russ Meyer, former airline pilot and aviation entrepreneur Clay Lacy and legendary golf pro and business aviation advocate Arnold […]

Embraer celebrated the European and Brazilian certification of its Legacy 650 business jet at the National Business Aviation Association convention in Atlanta on Wednesday and the company says the FAA nod is imminent. The company is showing a 13-seat version of the aircraft at Dekalb-Peachtree Airport and Luis Carlos Affonso, Embraer’s Executive Vice President for […]

Kestrel Aircraft hopes to move into its government-spec factory before the end of the year to begin work on certifying the big turboprop single. Company spokesman Adrian Norris told AVweb in a podcast interview at the National Business Aviation Association convention the private-sector funding needed to begin creation of the production version of the aircraft […]

Piper went back to the drawing board with its single-engine PiperJet and the result is the Altaire. The new aircraft differs substantially from the proof-of-concept PiperJet and includes a redesigned fuselage that is substantially larger than the stretched Meridian body that served the original. The tail-mounted engine stays but the longer nacelle and reworked tail […]

An updated version of the Beech Premier that Hawker Beechcraft says is “worthy of being called a Hawker” was one of several surprise small aircraft announcements at this year’s National Business Aviation Association convention in Atlanta. The Hawker 200 will be a little faster, have a little more range and fly a little higher than […]

An electric-powered Cessna 172 proof-of-concept aircraft will be ready to fly by April of next year, Bye Energy and Cessna said this week at NBAA’s Annual Convention. The two companies are collaborating on the project, which was announced earlier this year at EAA AirVenture. George Bye, CEO of Bye Energy, said the project is making […]

HondaJet has updated and finalized the production design for the cockpit and cabin of its light jet, the company said at NBAA’s Annual Convention this week. The new design incorporates the results of Honda’s human-factors engineering efforts and flight-test evaluations and reflects the quality of materials, colors and finishes that will be available in delivery […]

Aerion Corp. is continuing to work on the design of its supersonic business jet, the company said at NBAA’s Annual Convention this week. A series of flight tests this summer using a NASA F-15B at speeds up to Mach 2.0 provided data that is now being incorporated into the design of a test article for […]

Any doubts that Embraer will be a major player in the business aircraft market likely evaporated Monday as NetJets announced it intends to buy 125 Phenom 300 light business jets from the Brazilian planemaker. The sale may also signal some welcome stirring in the market that will lead to the first steps to recovery of […]