News

Cirrus Aircraft has started production of the Vision SF50 single-engine jet at its facility in Duluth, Minnesota. In an exclusive video interview with AVweb at the plant earlier this week, Matt Bergwall, project manager for the jet, said limited production will be done through 2015 in advance of certification by the end of the year. […]

The FAA is investigating the possibility of allowing some fly-for-hire operations using light sport and ultralight aircraft. In a podcast interview at Sun ‘n Fun in Lakeland, Florida, on Wednesday, Dan Johnson, president of the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association, said an FAA representative approached his organization and the U.S. Ultralight Aircraft Association to explore the […]

Flight Design’s certified four-place aircraft, the C4, will be assembled in the U.S. In an interview after a news conference at Sun ‘n Fun in Lakeland, Florida, Flight Design’s Tom Peghiny said it makes economic sense to build the aircraft in the U.S. “More than 60 percent of the economic value in the plane comes […]

Pilots should be extra-vigilant when doing preflight inspections prior to a first flight after maintenance work, the NTSB says, and this week the board released a 14-minute video on the topic. The video also addresses the crucial role of mechanics in ensuring that an aircraft’s flight-control system is rigged correctly after maintenance is done. The […]

A ballistic parachute from an ultralight that had been collected as part of a spring clean-up exploded as a public-works employee was sorting materials, causing injuries to his hand, a Pennsylvania newspaper reported this week. The 25-year-old worker, in New Garden Township, suffered a “serious but non-life-threatening injury to his left hand” on Monday, according […]

Piper says it expects to certify its new M600 single-engine turboprop later this year and is flying three test articles to complete the cert project for start to finish in about 15 months. Piper announced the new airplane at its Vero Beach factory last week and this week, it’s showing a mock-up of the new […]

In a low-key event at Sun ‘n Fun’s opening day Tuesday, Mooney took the cover off a mock-up of its new M20T proposed training aircraft. Although it was developed in Mooney’s new facility in Chino, California, the airplane first saw the light of day last fall in the big Chinese aviation trade show in Zhuhai. […]

Piper Aircraft said Tuesday it can begin North American deliveries of its diesel-powered Archer DX now that it has received FAA validation approval for its European STC through Technify Motors GmbH, a German-based member of Continental Motors Group. The DX model has a Continental CD-155 diesel engine with a FADEC system and will target the […]

Cessna unveiled a new interior for its Caravan single-engine turboprops at Sun ‘n Fun today. The biggest change is the introduction of new seats that are about five pounds lighter than the previous design, with more room for under-seat stowage, an improved back angle for more comfort, and better sight lines in relation to the […]

Purdue University announced plans on Tuesday to create a 980-acre aerospace research facility in West Lafayette, Indiana. “This district will be a game-changer for our students and Purdue’s outreach efforts to partnering corporations,” said Dan Hasler, president of Purdue Research Foundation. “We are looking for research collaborators to complement the commercial and industrial aerospace work […]