News

The FAA made it pretty clear to charter and corporate aviation industry representatives last week that the recent spate of fatal turbine-powered aircraft accidents has the agency’s attention. Attendees and the top-level agency officials present pledged to work together in tackling the challenge of improving this industry segment’s safety record. The meeting, though planned for […]

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For decades, industry has lamented NASA’s lack of emphasis on its first “A,” aeronautics. Now, as the agency’s fiscal year 2006 budget request is transmitted to Congress for action, comes evidence that industry was right all along. While space exploration got a boost in funding from $2.684 billion last year to $3.165 billion, the agency’s […]

The Cessna Aircraft Company said it ended 2004 with deliveries totaling 179 Citations, 64 Caravans and 654 single-engine piston airplanes, yielding $2.5 billion and $5.4 billion in back orders for the year. In addition to the sales numbers, Cessna also managed the certification and delivery of the Citation CJ3, XLS and Sovereign; certification and delivery […]

The Raytheon Aircraft Company said it reached a major milestone last month when the 400th Hawker 400XP rolled off the company’s assembly line. Formerly the Beechjet 400A, it joined Raytheon’s Hawker “family” of business jets in May 2003, to help the company maintain brand recognition. Billed as the most successful aircraft in the fractional market, […]

Bombardier last month introduced Skyjet International, which it bills as the first integrated global charter program providing customers with unrestricted and fixed-price access to more than 900 business jets worldwide. The company also said it is expanding into the Middle East, expanding a charter-aircraft network already operating across Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America. Bombardier Skyjet […]

Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp. (P&WC) this week announced a new-generation turboshaft engine series, the PW210, designed for large single and intermediate/medium twin helicopters. The first model of the series, the PW210S, has been selected by Sikorsky to power its forthcoming S-76D helicopter, which will target corporate, offshore oil, hospital, airline and government operators worldwide. […]

In Anaheim, Calif., at the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention, Bell Helicopter introduced the company’s all-new Bell Model 429 light twin helicopter. Two complete mock-ups of the new copter were rolled out, a wheeled corporate version followed by an EMS version. The category A helicopter will feature a 220-cubic-foot cabin volume, which Bell says […]

The Feb. 2 crash at TEB also raised questions about the Challenger itself. The TEB crash, along with November’s in Colorado, had industry observers questioning both the crews’ judgment and the airplane’s behavior in cold weather. Again, the NTSB has not yet determined the probable causes of either accident, but there is rampant speculation among […]

The Feb. 2 Challenger crash is the latest in a series of other accidents, another of which also involved a Challenger. On Nov. 28, a chartered Challenger 601-2A12 was destroyed when it impacted terrain during the takeoff roll from the Montrose (Colo.) Regional Airport. Two died. Also in November, a chartered Gulfstream G-III crashed on […]