News

Tecnam is exploring the idea of developing a single-engine turbofan for military training and other markets, the company announced this week. Named the “P Jet,” the concept would feature what the Italian aircraft maker calls a “podded” engine design atop the fuselage for maximum efficiency, safety and easy access. The design also includes two side-by-side […]

The FAA awarded contracts this week for its DUATS II program to CSC DUATS and Lockheed Martin, dropping longtime provider DTC DUATfrom the online pilot briefing/flight planning service. Both CSC and DTC had provided the service for the last 26 years. CSC won a 5-year contract along with Lockheed Martin, which runs the Flight Services […]

Privatizing the National Airspace System, which drew criticism from FAA employees when discussed with members of Congress in March, could become a real proposal this year when the FAA’s reauthorization comes before Congress. The Wall Street Journalreported this week that Rep. Bill Shuster, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is tinkering with legislation […]

Volocopter VC200, the electric-powered multicopter that first flew unmanned in November 2013, will fly with a pilot for the first time sometime this summer, a spokesperson for e-volo told AVweb this week. “We are currently performing an extensive test program with various unmanned aerial test vehicles,” Kathrin Mohr said in an email. “This test series […]

The FAA may be considering some kind of extension on the 2020 deadline for equipage with ADS-B-Out but it’s not been confirmed by the FAA whether it’s in fact being considered and what form it might take. If some relief is in the works, it will be at the request of the airlines. Aviation Week […]

Deliveries of general aviation airplanes in the first quarter of this year were down by 15 percent compared to the same period last year, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association reported last week. Helicopter sales fell even more, with a drop of 18 percent. The numbers reflect difficulties with U.S. export rules, according to GAMA. “Our […]

The Super Legend HP, the new top-of-the-line model for American Legend’s stable of Cub aircraft, now is available with a 180-hp Titan O-340 engine, the company said on Tuesday. The engine expands the Cub’s performance, producing a ground roll on takeoff of 35 feet and climbout at 2,000 feet per minute. Distance to clear a […]

Commercial supersonic flight, alternative fuels and autonomy rank high on NASA’s first 20-year road map of research priorities for aeronautics, released on Monday. The draft plan (PDF) covers 15 fields of research, including space exploration, robotics, nanotechnology and information technology. NASA first issued a research road map in 2012; this is the first update, and […]

Cessna has been working for a while now on offering diesel power for its 172 and 182 single-engine aircraft, with certification of the JT-A variants expected maybe last year, then maybe this year, but this week the company said the certification timeline is “undefined,” at least for the 182, and production on the avgas-powered 182T […]

Pilatus flew its PC-24 twinjetfor the first time, about 10 a.m. Monday morning, from Buochs airport in central Switzerland. The airplane flew for 55 minutes, and the company said “the flight went exactly as planned with no problems whatsoever.” The jet used less than 2,000 feet of runway for takeoff, and climbed to 10,000 feet, […]