Business Aviation

Solar Flight has released plans for the SunStar, a solar-powered airplane designed to act as an unmanned telecommunications platform, able to remain in flight for months at a time. Eric Raymond, president of Solar Flight, said, “What we are designing is known as an atmospheric satellite, which operates and performs many of the functions as […]

In January 2012, Bell Canada applied to the FAA for an exemption from the FARs that would allow it to increase the gross weight of its Model 429 by 500 pounds to 7,500 pounds as had been approved in Canada and a number of other countries. The FAA denied the petition in August 2012. Bell […]

In an exclusive, Reuters is reportingthat Lockheed Martin and the Defense Department have inked a $4 billion deal for an eighth series delivery of 43 F-35 single-engine, all-weather, stealth fighters. According to the report, the hard-fought contract will lower the price of the jet by about 3 percent-and it includes aircraft to be built for […]

After mostly remaining aloof from the record-setting side of aviation for over 70 years, Cessna appears to have returned to the fray-using the Mach 0.935 cruising speed of its recently certificated Citation X+ to set four city-to-city speed records in its weight class. Over a two-day period, the jet set speed records on four sequential […]

A new partnership between Cirrus and OpenAirplane is designed to make it easier for more pilots to get access to airplanes throughout the country. Pilots who go through Cirrus factory training will have the option of obtaining rental credentials for the same model of Cirrus without an additional checkout at flight schools and FBOs that […]

Tomorrow, Mitsubishi Aircraft will roll out its entry into the world’s regional jet competition, the MRJ-Japan’s first commercial airliner in more than 50 years. The product of a partnership between Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Toyota, the 70- to 90-seat regional jet is priced at $42 million. Mitsubishi reports it has 191 firm orders for the […]

Despite Frontier Airlines stating that it grounded the jet that carried a Dallas nurse diagnosed with Ebola immediately after it was notified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it had made five additional flights before it was parked. Frontier said it was notified late Tuesday night by the CDC about the patient, who […]

Last week, the FAA issued Change 6 to the Compliance and Enforcement Handbook for its inspectors, providing enforcement guidelines for violation of the FARs by drone operators. Among its provisions, it establishes a basis for holding certificated aircraft pilots to a higher standard than other drone operators, potentially leading to harsher punishments for certificated pilots […]

Hard on the heels of breaking ground on its U.S. assembly facility, Embraer delivered the first Legacy 500, its new midsize executive jet. The Legacy 500 has six-foot, flat-floor cabin and boasts a cabin altitude at cruise of 6000 feet. Equipped with eight passenger seats, the seats can be converted into four beds. The jet […]

Today, Embraer began construction of a major addition to its Melbourne Airport, Florida campus-a 236,000-square-foot assembly complex for its Legacy 450 and 500 aircraft. It will consist of four new buildings: an assembly hangar, paint facility, completion center and delivery center. The new construction, expected to be completed in 2016, will more than double the […]