Late last month, Cessna delivered the 500th Citation XL/XLS model to European Flight Service AB, the largest jet charter operation in Sweden. Since the first Cessna Citation XL was delivered in 1998, more Citation XL and XLS aircraft have been delivered than any other business jet in the world, according to Cessna officials. The XL/XLS […]
Cessna airlifts athletes to Special Olympics
The first and second weekends in July were busy ones for the pilots of Cessna business jets as the crews transported some 1,800 athletes to and from the Special Olympics U.S. National Games held in Ames, Iowa, July 2-7. The owners of the aircraft volunteered their services. Some 237 Cessna Citation business jets took part […]
The Ultimate Flight Lesson
What do you get when you take a flight instructor and student, hand them the keys to a new plane that must get to its buyer, and then put an ocean between them and their destination? The North Atlantic Challenge. Benjamin Riecken, who teaches flying at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and Jean Olivier Mbog, a senior […]
FAA proposes mandatory ADIZ course
Earlier this month, the FAA released a notice of proposed rule making that would require additional training for any pilot who flies VFR within 100 nm of the nation’s capitol (See Capital Comments, page 7, for more information). Pilots can check out the course right now at FAASafety.gov. Type ADIZ course into the search box […]
Certification flight testing begins on Seawind 300C
Seawind, Inc. has rolled out its Seawind 300C amphibian for certification flight testing. Flight testing has begun at the company’s production facility in St. Jean, Quebec, Canada. The company expects the testing to be completed this fall. Initial VFR testing of land and water operations, which includes flutter and spin testing, will make up about […]
NC AMT of the Year dies
Roy Hines of Raleigh collapsed June 6 while having dinner with his family, celebrating his 60th birthday. He could not be revived. Hines had hoped to become a pilot when he was young but after being diagnosed with diabetes he hit the toolbox instead. After working for other FBOs, he opened his own shop at […]
FAA Certifies CubCrafters Sport Cub
The Sport Cub, CubCrafters’ entry into the realm of Light Sport Aircraft, has received its airworthiness certificate. The Yakima, Wash.-based company has been in the Cub rebuilding and modification business for some 26 years. The high-wing design has the classic lines and style of its legacy namesake, but is built with modern materials. The cockpit […]
User Fees? Not for Bob Candall
Former American Airlines chief Robert Crandall, now CEO of nascent air taxi firm Pogo, recently offered a very different solution to the aviation user fee controversy. Speaking to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce gathering in Washington, D.C., he said that the general public should pick up more of the airways system tab. “The big problem […]
Sport-Jet
The NTSB has cleared the Sport-Jet prototype, which crashed in June during flight testing in Colorado Springs, Colo. While the accident remains under investigation, the NTSB’s preliminary report shows that the aircraft had no mechanical failures. Officials at Excel-Jet, which is developing the jet, believe the cause of the accident was wake turbulence. A Dash […]