News

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 […]

An FAA spokesman told ABC News the agency is “comfortable” with the way Red Bull operates its restored Grumman Albatross seaplane — but former FAA safety inspector Bill McNease told reporters the airplane is “terribly unsafe, because the wing could fall off at any time.” The ABC story also notes that the airplane operates under […]

Textron, the parent company of Cessna, said on Tuesday that it will further lower 2009 manufacturing production rates at Cessna, and Cessna CEO Jack Pelton confirmed in an e-mail to workers that that means more job cuts. “I’ve never seen any situation as dynamic as this,” Pelton wrote, according to the Wichita Eagle. “Financing continues […]

Aero Friedrichshafen, which opens today and runs through Sunday, is continuing to grow, and attracting a wide range of exhibitors eager to expand in the European market. Overall, 625 exhibitors from 27 countries are setting up at the show, with German companies in the lead, followed by companies from the U.S. and the Czech Republic. […]

Devices that could emit an electromagnetic pulse capable of disabling the avionics on an airplane are fairly simple to build with off-the-shelf components and information from the Internet, according to an article in this week’s New Scientist. Such a device, at least theoretically, could be smuggled aboard a commercial airliner or aimed from the ground […]

Amid all the economic gloom, a bright spot is growing — with the approach of spring, and the imminence of the season-opener shows at Aero Friedrichshafen and Sun ‘n Fun, bargains for pilots are flowing into our inbox every day, and manufacturers are rolling out new products. Socata announced on Wednesday that it will now […]

CubCrafters, of Yakima, Wash., this week introduced the Super Sport Cub LSA, a beefier version of their Sport Cub. Equipped with a new 340-cubic-inch engine developed by CubCrafters and ECI, the airplane can take off in less than 100 feet even at gross weight, and climb out at over 2,100 fpm. The new CC340 four-cylinder […]