Business & Military

Kaman Corp., which suspended production of its K-Max heavy-lift utility helicopters more than 10 years ago, has revived the production line, the company said last week. First deliveries are expected in early 2017, with an initial production run of 10 aircraft. Manufacturing will take place at Kaman’s facilities in Jacksonville, Florida, and Bloomfield, Connecticut. Launch […]

Bloomberg is reporting that Embraer is considering closing its factory in Harbin, China, because of slumping demand. Orders for business jets in China have essentially stopped thanks to a crackdown on corruption. The wealthy are lying low trying not to attract the attention of increasingly aggressive government investigators and buying a business jet has fallen […]

NASA said recently it will invest more than $2.3 million to support eight research projects that are working to develop quieter supersonic aircraft with fewer emissions. The support will go to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California at Irvine, as well as several industry teams including Wyle Laboratories, Rockwell Collins and […]

Airbus is working on a reusable launch vehicle that could boost a rocket into space, then fly back home like a drone and land on a runway. The winged and powered vehicle, called Adeline, has been in the works since 2010, Airbus said on Friday. Airbus allowed a contingent of reporters a look at the […]

Cessna has received FAA certification for its new Latitude business jet and it’s right on time. The Latitude was announced at NBAA in 2011 as an eight-passenger midsize with some design features of larger platforms, including a six-foot stand-up cabin and width of 77 inches. “From inception, we looked at every aspect of how we […]

“Nothing so needs reforming as other people’s habits. Fanatics will never learn that, though it be written in letters of gold across the sky. It is the prohibition that makes anything precious.” Mark Twain The month of May brought some good news to those who care about aviation, users of airports and the value of […]

Some European airlines have started a trend of limiting alcoholic drinks served in flight as part of calls to curb disruptions from unruly passengers. In the latest example, Scandinavian carrier SAS issued guidelines recommending a limit of three drinks per passenger on intra-Europe flights, The Localof Norway reported this week. “We had a few situations […]

Boeing has started building the wings that will go on the new 737 MAX jet undergoing assembly at its plant near Seattle. The first completed jet is slated to roll out later this year, with a first flight planned for early next year and deliveries starting in 2017, The Seattle Times reported this week. The […]

AVweb’s search of aviation news worldwide found a preview of Dassault Aviation’s new Falcon jet, a revamping of Russian airline Transaero, and scholarship opportunities from The Helicopter Foundation International and Women in Aviation International. Dassault Aviation this week lifted the veil on the highly anticipated Falcon 5X, which establishes a new benchmark in the large-cabin, […]

If doctors bury their mistakes and architects advise their clients to plant vines, what does the FAA do about its blunders? Existing as it seems to in its own alternate reality, the FAA simply pretends its mistakes never happened. Or it just refuses to acknowledge or answer legitimate questions about them. The mistake du jour […]