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AVweb contributor Graeme Peppler serves up photos from Aero Friedrichshafen 2009, sharing the sights with those who couldn’t make it to Germany this year. CLICK FOR LARGER INDIVIDUAL IMAGES EACH IMAGE WILL OPEN IN A NEW WINDOW Nice weather and relaxed atmosphere. (Note the dog.) Don’t see that every day … . Gliders galore. Sporty […]

Air New Zealand says it will have to cancel 25 regional flights so tower staff at five small airports can comply with new labor rules. The rules require lunch breaks to be scheduled, rather than allowing staff to take them as workload permits. The result is the five towers will have to be closed twice […]

Rotary engines have been around for decades in experimental applications but MISTRAL, a European company is targeting early 2010 for FAA type certification of a 300-horsepower normally aspirated rotary that it claims will “bridge the gap” between piston and turbine power for GA. The company had its products on display at AERO Friedrichshafen and explained […]

While ADS-B shimmers mirage like on the horizon as (maybe) a really good idea, avionics manufacturers have been forging ahead with active traffic and datalink systems. Avidyne has both, but to cover all of its bets, at last week’s Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) show in Dallas, it announced an intriguing ADS-B add-on option for its […]

Diamond Aircraft used AERO Friedrichshafen as the setting to announce the first delivery of a DA42 NG, with Austro engines, and to firm up timelines for various certifications involving the in-house diesel. The first DA42 NG, which was certified in Europe last month, went to a customer in Sweden. North American customers can expect two […]

Sunseeker II came to AERO Friedrichshafen to start a European tour that will cover eight countries: Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, France and Spain. The solar-powered aircraft has already completed hundreds of miles of test flights over the U.S. Southwest, logging more flight hours than all other manned solar-powered aircraft combined. Its latest modifications […]

Innovation was alive and well at AERO Friedrichshafen, which showcased plenty of new and novel ideas and designs. One of the more interesting aircraft on display included a composite-based turboprop five-seat amphibian from Hungarian builder Avana Industries Ltd. It looks like a Seawind on steroids. At the other end of the scale was the German-made, […]

Flight Design GmbH, the German creators of the popular CT line of light sport aircraft, used AERO Friedrichshafen to announce details of their work on a new hybrid engine concept. The propulsion package consists of a standard Rotax 914 turbocharged engine to which is mated a 40-hp (30 kW) electric motor. The electric motor is […]

In the midst of one of the deepest economic downturns the GA industry has seen, Cessna’s Jack Pelton says that perception as much as dismal market conditions threaten the industry’s recovery. Speaking at the 51st Aircraft Electronics Association convention in Dallas Thursday, Pelton said Cessna has determined to take a leadership role in an unapologetic […]

Although new aircraft sales are in the doldrums, some avionics shops are doing brisk business upgrading older airframes and that made the Aircraft Electronics Association convention an upbeat affair. The AEA wrapped up its 52nd annual convention Saturday at Dallas’s Gaylord Texan convention center with a record number of new product introductions and strong participation […]