News

A pilot and his family were in their Cessna Stationair on Tuesday, preparing to take off from a dirt runway in Baja California, when they were forced at gunpoint to abandon the airplane, Bob Collins, president of the Aircraft Crime Prevention Institute, told AVweb. “Three men jumped the fence, then three others in a Nissan […]

The Rocket Racing League, which is made up of modified Velocity experimental aircraft with a rocket strapped on the back, will debut its first-ever exhibition race at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh this summer. Two Rocket Racers will compete, and the pilots will carry in-cockpit cameras to broadcast the action live on multiple large projection screens. […]

General aviation fatalities decreased 30 percent last year compared to the year before, the NTSB reported on Wednesday, down from 703 to 491. It was the lowest annual total in more than 40 years. “The U.S. aviation industry has produced an admirable safety record in recent years,” said NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker. “However, we must […]

Russia’s Illyushin Finance Co. has announced it is developing a business jet version of the An-148 regional jet. The An-148 is a high-wing RJ with a cruise of about 450 knots. It’s built by Antonov in Ukraine and can seat up to 70 passengers in airline configuration. As a bizjet, it will seat 19 in […]

While most of the emphasis has been on the red-hot business jet market, high fuel prices have shifted some attention to the turboprop sector and Hawker Beechcraft apparently had the right product at the right time with the new King Air B200GT. With a cruise speed of more than 300 knots (not much lower than […]

Honeywell says it’s inked one of its biggest deals ever, a $23 billion contract to supply 1,200 HTF7000-E engines to Embraer for its new midsized jet, now named the MSJ and midlight jet (MLJ). The first of the engines will be delivered in 2011 and the contract, which includes maintenance, will run for 20 to […]

Expect more detail from Embraer on its newly-announced mid-light jet (MLJ) and midsize jet (MSJ) models at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in May. Embraer was displaying scale model of the 10-12-passenger MSJ at Sun ‘n Fun 2008. The company held a news conference at Sun ‘n Fun to announce the formal […]

The Pilatus PC-12, a well-respected workhorse, has been given a 21st century makeover. The company displayed an example of its next generation model that was certified days before Sun ‘n Fun 2008 opened in Lakeland, Fla. The biggest change is installation of a Honewell Primus Apex glass panel, a variation of the Honeywell system found […]

While the big news out of Sun ‘n Fun for Cessna’s jet line was the integration of synthetic vision in the Garmin G1000 suite, company officials were also celebrating a sales milestone. According to spokeswoman Pia Bergqvist, firm orders for the “entry-level” jet have topped 500 and there are more than 60 in service. The […]

Embraer rolled out the first Phenom 300 light jet and ground testing will begin shortly in advance of its first flight. Work has already begun on the second Phenom 300. “We are thrilled to see the Phenom 300 become a reality,” said Lus Carlos Affonso, Embraer Executive Vice President, Executive Jets. “The Phenom 300… will […]