News

Bell Helicopter unveiled a new short light single class helicopter, the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X, at the Heli-Expo in Anaheim, Calif., on Tuesday. The five-seat turbine helicopter is designed to be safe, easy to fly, and affordable, according to Bell. “It’s an exciting time to be at Bell Helicopter, working side-by-side with our customers […]

Analysts keep finding good news about the business jet market and the latest is UBS’s David Strauss, who says there’s a sustained uptick in business jet activity in the U.S. The Wichita Eagle says Strauss figures the use of newer business jets is almost back to “pre-crisis levels” and that use of older airplanes is […]

Heli-Expo is under way this week in Anaheim, Calif., and safety is a major theme. The FAA just last week released its final rule on helicopter safety, which requires helicopter operators, including air ambulances, to have stricter flight rules and procedures, more on-board safety equipment, and improved communications and training. The NTSB this week issued […]

Under a proposed new budget for the U.S. Department of Defense announced on Monday, the Air Force would shut down its fleet of A-10 “Warthog” close air support aircraft and also would retire the U-2 spy plane. Funding would be continued to develop the new Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, a new aerial refueling […]

Qantas is expected to cut up to 5,000 jobs, including pilots, and sell off its terminal lease at the Melbourne airport as it struggles to get out of debt, according to media reports this week. An official announcement from the airline is expected on Thursday. A Qantas spokesman wouldn’t comment on the speculation, but said […]

Plenty of famous people have appeared on stage at Paramount Studios in Hollywood and some of them were there on Feb. 21 but it wasnt an actor in the spotlight-it was aviation legend R.A. Bob Hoover. The tribute to the man Jimmy Doolittle called the best stick and rudder man I have ever seen was […]

The non-pilot owners of a remote but locally important private airport in northern California have launched a national fundraising campaign to raise the $60,000 needed to keep it open. Ocean Ridge Airport has been in the Bower family for more than 30 years and they’ve always patched the holes and painted the markings themselves to […]

A Fort Myers, Fla., pilot landed his Piper Saratoga safely last week at Page Field after a bird strike shattered the pilot’s side windshield. The impact was caught by the cameraRob Weber set up behind him in the cockpit. Fortunately the windshield was just strong enough that the bird bounced off as the plastic shattered. […]

Authorities in Abu Dhabi detained 12 people but didn’t file any charges after five separate fires were deliberately set aboard an Etihad flight from Melbourne, Australia. Distraught passengers reported smoke and flame pouring from bathrooms on the Boeing 777 ER at various times during the flight, which included a two-hour diversion to Jakarta. A comprehensive […]

Cirrus Aircraft delivered 276 new aircraft in 2013, nearly a 10 percent increase over 2012, marking its best aircraft shipment performance since 2008. According to its announcement, Cirrus Aircrafts annual market share has grown to 37 percent and the SR22/22T model remains the best-selling four- or five-seat airplane for the 11th year in a row. […]