Business Aviation

A new advanced robotics system that functions as a copilot has been successfully tested in flight in a Diamond DA-42 and a Cessna Caravan, Aurora Flight Sciences announced this week. On Monday, Aurora demonstrated automated flight capabilities with the Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) in a Caravan, flying basic maneuvers under the supervision of […]

Tier 1 Engineering has flown a battery-powered manned helicopter for a five-minute cruise flight, the company recently announced. The aircraft flew to 400 feet altitude and reached a peak speed of 80 knots during its first flight, which took place in late September in Costa Mesa, California. “I’m very pleased to achieve this historic breakthrough […]

What makes training good? What makes it stick so that when you really need it, you can make the right decision and execute accordingly? Anyone who has earned a flight instructor certificate will remember the Six Laws of Learning as elucidated in the FAA’s dreary Aviation Instructor’s Handbook. My friend John Deakin once told me […]

Bombardier says it expects to fly its new flagship business jet, the Global 7000, in November and that it’s ramping up for production and deliveries. Bombardier’s bizjet programs have been overshadowed by the company’s problematic development of the CSeries airliner but David Coleal, president of Bombardier Business Aircraft, told Reuters that the program is on […]

Textron Aviation flew its prototype Citation Longitude for the first time on Saturday, solidifying its presence in the super midsize market. The flight makes it likely the aircraft will be at NBAA in Orlando at the beginning of November. The Longitude was announced in 2012 and Textron had a proof-of-concept aircraft at NBAA 2015 in […]

There has been one light quietly continuing to burn despite the dark news of declining general aviation activity—that’s sport parachuting, you know, skydiving. While the number of pilots has dropped, airports are closing and new aircraft sales just struggle along, skydiving activity has been consistently growing. Canny airport managers looking at red ink in their […]

Dassault delivered its first Falcon 8X on Wednesday, to Amjet Executive, a charter operator based in Athens, Greece. The 8X is Dassault’s new flagship, with the longest range and the largest cabin in the fleet, at 43 feet long. It was certified by EASA and the FAA in June. Another 11 airplanes are in final […]

Aiming to reduce costs and speed decision making, Airbus Group will merge with Airbus Commercial Aircraft, the companies announced last week. Both companies are headquartered in Toulouse, France. The merger “paves the way for an overhaul of our corporate set-up, simplifies our company’s governance, eliminates redundancies and supports further efficiencies,” said Airbus CEO Tom Enders. […]

Pilots in Canada can meet their requirements to stay current without ever getting into an actual airplane, under a rule exemption that was enacted by Transport Canada in August. The change will make pilot training more “cost effective and efficient,” officials at Transport Canada told The Globe in a statement. The agency also said the […]

Viking Air, of British Columbia, is now the owner of the type-design certificates for the line of amphibious aircraft formerly produced by Bombardier, the two companies announced today. The deal, which has been in the works since June, will also make Viking the main supporter for the 170 water bombers now flying, based in 11 […]