Business & Military

Our Friday review of recent press releases uncovered an announcement that former AOPA President Craig Fuller has joined the board of directors of the Lightspeed Aviation Foundation. The Foundation was created to promote a vibrant and growing pilot community and annually awards grants to nonprofit aviation organizations through its Pilots Choice Awards. Craig Fuller brings […]

The Wichita Eagle is reporting that Cessna Aircraft Companys revenue increased $22 million and profit rose $10 million in the fourth quarter of 2013 because of an increase in jet deliveries. Cessna delivered 62 new Citations in the quarter, compared to 53 in the fourth quarter of 2012. Revenues for the fourth quarter of 2013 […]

Rockwell Collins says it doesn’t expect significant recovery in the business jet sector until 2016 and it has scaled its operations to reflect that. Rockwell Collins CEO Kelly Ortberg told Bloomberg that aircraft sales won’t rebound until companies start making more money. The current recovery is driven by cost reduction rather than sales growth, he […]

The Canadian government is considering law changes that could give local and provincial jurisdictions a say in airport construction or expansion projects, according to the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association President Kevin Psutka. In a letter to members, Psutka said the proposed changes to the Aeronautics Act are so far ambiguous but could chip away […]

Bombardier is laying off 1,700 aerospace workers, 1,100 in Montreal and 600 in Wichita, because of slow sales and delays in the CSeries airliner and Learjet 85 programs. Last week, the Canadian planemaker announced the CSeries wouldn’t be ready for its first deliveries until the last half of 2015, and a few days later it […]

Beechcraft has been through a lot in the last few years, emerging from bankruptcy and now under new ownership, but its long heritage remains intact — a fact that was celebrated this week, when the company marked the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the King Air Model 90. Several three-ship passes of the […]

Before the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the former Eastern Bloc countries supplied the Soviets with sophisticated aerospace products and services. Now those industries have turned to civil aircraft manufacture. One of those companies, Skyleader, showed off a new LSA at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring this week. Here’s a brief video report […]

GAMA says Appropriations Committee leaders have called for a slight increase in funding for the FAA to research alternatives to 100LL. The administration included $5.571 million for the fuel research in its spending estimates but the committees agreed on $6 million. If it’s approved by Congress, it will be one of only a handful of […]

The smog in some Chinese cities is too severe to fly these days, but two new general aviation policies recently coming into play may hopefully clear the forward vision a little for the market players in China. First, the Chinese regulator Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) loosened licensing requirements for private pilot licenses (PPL). […]

SpaceShipTwo went higher and faster than it has been before on Friday and Virgin Group President Sir Richard Branson is predicting it will reach space sometime in 2014. Branson had hoped the reusable passenger-carrying rocket would have slipped out of the atmosphere by the end of 2013 but Friday’s flight showed progress toward the ultimate […]