Aviation News

The pilot and sole occupant of a single-engine Air Tractor AT-802F was killed when the aircraft went down during a nighttime firefighting mission near Colorado’s Estes Park on Tuesday. The aircraft, which was owned by Co Fire Aviation, departed from Northern Colorado Regional Airport (FNL) in Loveland a little before 6:15 p.m. local time on […]

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found an overall decrease in fatal accidents in U.S. civil aviation for 2020 along with significant reductions in flight activity for the year. The board noted that 332 people were killed during general aviation operations last year compared to 414 in 2019. The general aviation fatal accident rate also […]

Following the recent conclusion of its Series B funding round, Shenzhen, China-based Amber Aviation has announced a partnership with NetJets that will include the transfer of up to 20 aircraft from NetJets to Amber. The aircraft, which will be transferred over the next two years, will be operated by Amber Aviation as part of new […]

Pratt & Whitney Canada launched its new PW127XT engine series for regional turboprop aircraft at the Dubai Airshow this week. The company made the announcement alongside ATR, for which the PW127XT-M engine was purpose-built for ATR 42/72 aircraft. The launch customer for the new engine series will be France-based Air Corsica. “Since its inception, ATR […]

Joby Aviation, an electric aircraft manufacturer that envisions a zero direct-emissions aerial ride-sharing network, says to speed FAA approvals, it will certify the aircraft as a traditional airplane rather than a multirotor. Heretofore, Joby has been secretive about the details of its aircraft, but in an hourlong online briefing this week, the company pulled back […]

Garmin has announced it is flight testing its GFC 500 autopilot on the first light twin aircraft, the PA-30/39 Twin Comanche. Designed for light piston aircraft, the digital GFC 500 includes self-monitoring features and requires far less maintenance than “older generation autopilot systems,” according to the company. “As Garmin continues to roll out GFC 500 […]

Yesterday (Nov. 16), the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) addressed the prospect of future commercial space accident investigations with a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published in the Federal Register. The NPRM is meant to solicit comments on the proposal from regulators, stakeholders and the general public “to add language on procedures for commercial space investigations […]

Bell Textron first incorporated sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with its training and demonstration fleet in March, and today announced it made the first SAF-powered flight of its developmental Bell 525 Relentless helicopter over the past summer. Michael Thacker, executive vice-president of Innovation and Commercial Business, said, “This is a major milestone in our sustainability journey, […]

Terms like “blockbuster” are just about cliches in referring to consolidations involving the FBO industry. But the union of Atlantic Aviation with Ross Aviation qualifies. And in this case, it is also true that personal relationships play a role. Jeffrey Ross has assembled two other FBO chains—or “aviation infrastructure platforms” in press release-speak—that have been […]

John “Lites” Leenhouts, president and CEO of the Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE) and the Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo (SNF), has announced plans to retire after Sun ‘n Fun 2022. Leenhouts has held the position for more than a decade and is credited with having “created a world-class event venue attracting dozens of multiday […]