News

It may seem obvious that the surface of an airplane should be as smooth as possible to minimize aerodynamic drag, but that’s not really the case. A bit of roughness can break up the boundary layer and improve efficiency. Sharks, with skin formed of rough scales called denticles, can slip through the water at speeds […]

CubCrafters, of Yakima, Wash., announced this week that it will sell its 27-year inventory of used, pre-owned and “new old stock” Super Cub and similar parts through eBay. “Ultimately, we’ll get listed just about anything and everything that ever went on a Super Cub,” said CubCrafters President Todd Simmons. That includes engines and engine components, […]

American pilots who brought the Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf’s latest VVIP jet, a “10-seat Learjet,” are now training their Pakistani brethren to fly the aircraft so that it can be put into service alongside the 13 other aircraft already serving the Pakistani president. Training the pilots for the $60 million jet is expected to last […]

The new 2008 State Tax Guide for General Aviation will be released by Conklin & de Decker in January of 2008, offering guidance for ownership, sales, leases, fees imposed in all fifty states and more. The guide itself isn’t a new product, but the 2008 version will be available for download via the internet and […]

Diamond Aircraft is building the foundation for worldwide marketing and sales of its five-place single-engine D-Jet, Diamond’s personal light jet, with the appointment of Mark Lee. Lee will serve as director of marketing and sales, to be located at the company’s London, Ontario, facility. Lee previously worked in the software and telecom industries and comes […]

New IRS Tax Regulations for personal use of business aircraft may complicate a company’s tax implications, especially when it comes to “entertainment use” of a business-owned aircraft, according to

The first charter certificate for Cessna’s Citation Mustang has been issued to L.J. Aviation of Latrobe, Pa.. L.J. offers both domestic and international charter services, currently available through a 28-aircraft fleet of which 11 are Citations. The Mustang will serve to expand L.J.’s offerings, extending charter possibilities to a lower price point in the market. […]

Introduced in May, the latest evolution of the Beechcraft King Air 200 series is now certified by the FAA as the Pratt and Whitney PT6A-52-powered, 305-knot cruise, $5.27 million King Air B200GT. The new engine platform mates the turbine section of the 1,050-shp capable PT6A-60A (found on the King Air 350) to a PT6A-42 gearbox […]

Flight Options LLC was purchased on Nov. 30 by private equity firm H.I.G. Capital, and it placed on that day a firm order worth close to $1 billion for 100 Embraer Phenom 300 jets plus options for 50 more. The company currently operates 140 aircraft including the Hawker 400XP, Hawker 850XP, Citation X and Embraer […]

The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, the union representing NASA employees who oversaw a controversial pilot safety study, says it was done properly and the data is valid, contrary to NASA Administrator Michael Griffins statements to Congress a month ago, according to an Associated Press story. Griffin appeared before a House oversight committee […]