News

Eclipse Aviation Corporation last week announced reaching a series of milestones in the companys march toward certification of its first very-light jet (VLJ) sometime next year. According to the company, its test aircraft fleet — seven Eclipse 500 aircraft — is nearing completion. Five of the seven test aircraft are presently in final assembly positions. […]

Once you buy the airplane and put it into operation, that’s only half the battle: You still have to maintain it. Getting parts for a broken aircraft can be excruciating, especially if it’s out of production. And for some aircraft from some manufacturers, paying for the parts can be as expensive a proposition as acquisition. […]

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Fractional operator NetJets Aviation said earlier this month it plans to hire at least 300 pilots this year and has already begun the interview and hiring process. NetJets currently has more than 2,800 pilots, flying customers on the world’s largest, global fractional jet fleet. Last year, NetJets flew more than 275,000 flights to more than […]

There’s a lot of mating going on in aviation this month. In addition to Cessna putting the wings on its first Citation Mustang, Eclipse Aviation last week announced its next two Eclipse 500s, N502EA and N504EA, have completed wing-mate and are standing on their own landing gear. These two aircraft will join N503EA, which has […]

Meanwhile, Cessna has a mock-up of the Mustang and is taking it out on the road. The company’s worldwide tour began last week in Chicago — that stalwart defender of all things general aviation — and is scheduled to conclude on May 20, 2005, at the EBACE convention in Geneva, Switzerland. The Citation Mustang has […]

The wing mating of Cessna’s first Citation Mustang is the latest step the company has accomplished in bringing the type to market. Approximately 50 Cessna employees from the company’s Independence, Kan., and Columbus, Ga., facilities have temporarily relocated to Wichita to help build the first five Citation Mustangs. These five airframes are in various stages […]

Meanwhile, back in Wichita — home to the vast majority of general aviation’s manufacturing capacity — city fathers are looking to help ensure the industry continues to call the area home by developing an aircraft maintenance training facility at the local Col. James Jabara Airport. According to The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle newspaper, the city plans […]

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) last week held its annual production review and market outlook, and to no one’s great surprise, business aircraft led the industry’s charge to growth. According to GAMA, deliveries of new general aviation aircraft climbed 10 percent in 2004, with billings increasing 19 percent. Turboprops led the growth, with an […]

Originally announced at the 2001 Paris Air Show, the first example of Dassault Aviation’s newest trijet, the 7X, was rolled out last week at the company’s facility in Bordeaux-Mrignac, France. “Today we have made a huge step forward in the industry,” said Charles Edelstenne, chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation. “Due to the new and […]