News

Market analysts say Textron, the parent company of Cessna and Bell Helicopter, is prime for a takeover bid, and speculation grew this week that a move is imminent, perhaps by Lockheed Martin or Raytheon. Sikorsky officials have also expressed interest in acquiring Bell, according to Reuters. None of the companies would comment on the rumors, […]

Common sense and a spirit of cooperation have resolved a peculiar impasse in New Zealand that would have resulted in the closure of towers at five airports for lunch, twice each day. Government officials, the air traffic control provider and employees have reached a deal whereby tower staff will eat lunch in a combination of […]

Authorities in Missouri arrested a Turkish-born Canadian alleged to be the pilot of a Cessna 172 stolen from a flight school in Thunder Bay, Ont. and the subject of a low speed chase across the Midwest on Monday. Officials at Confederation College in Thunder Bay, Ont. called police when a man was spotted hopping the […]

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, […]