News

Sir Richard Branson on Tuesday announced the launch of Virgin Charter, a new online marketplace catering to “buyers and sellers of private aviation services.” The “full-service marketplace” allows sellers to offer their inventory to a larger customer base without necessitating a change in the way they normally do business. Virgin Charter does not own or […]

As the Hawker Beechcraft Acquisition Company moves toward ownership of the forthcoming Hawker Beechcraft, the company has reported net first quarter sales of $667.8 million — up 32.3 percent over the same period last year. Along with that, the company reported an increase to $28.4 million from $10.1 million in first-quarter operating income, an increase […]

Eclipse Aircraft says its Avio NG avionics package for the Eclipse 500 very light jet is progressing through testing at a pace that is slightly behind schedule, but the system has been flown on one jet. A second Avio NG-equipped 500 will fly later this month. The company believes it has identified and resolved a […]

The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) is concerned that the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will compromise the safety and security of some business aviation owners and operators by publishing contact information for Air Operators Certificate (AOC) holders. A CAA communication, which EBAA Chief Executive Brian Humphries calls a new interpretation of existing regulations, could […]

Cessna will next week display a full-scale mockup of its newest large-cabin, long-range business jet concept, dubbed the LCC, at the 47th International Paris Air Show. Since last year at NBAA, when the concept was announced and the LCC mockup was unveiled, Cessna has gauged market demand and formulated a preliminary design that “would set […]

A security program designed by the Department of Homeland Security in conjunction with industry groups is intended specifically for implementation in the business aviation community and might become a published proposed rule by the end of the quarter, according to NBAA. The final rule is likely to draw its line in the sand by weight […]

The demand for airliners (particularly lightweight, fuel-efficient ones) is causing a supply crunch of a different kind. Carbon fiber, the matrix that gives composite material its outsized strength, has quadrupled in price to $20 a pound because of Boeings and Airbuss increased use of it in aircraft. “Boeing and Airbus are scarfing up what’s available,” […]

Op Technologies has asked the FAA for a supplementary type certificate (STC) to install its advanced Electronic Flight Instrument System in to Cirrus SR22 aircraft. Op Technologies traditionally supplies the experimental market but is trying to get STC approval in the SR22 for its Pegasus system, which isnt listed on its Web site but might […]

FAA modernization is looking more appealing after a domino-effect computer failure affected parts of the air traffic control system on Friday. The flight planning system in Atlanta failed, so the agency routed them to a system in Salt Lake City, which couldnt handle the extra load. That forced controllers to manually enter flight plans, slowing […]

After the private European companies picked to build the controversial Galileo space-based navigation system couldnt find a way to make it work financially, the European Union has decided to build the system itself, at an estimated cost (some say conservative) of $4.6 billion. The system, which will use 30 satellites and is touted as being […]