As certification draws ever nearer for the first Very Light Jets, an unofficial race between the Eclipse 500 and Cessna Mustang is being watched closely by VLJ enthusiasts. Eclipse, first in the field and creator of the VLJ concept, has suffered several certification setbacks over the years, the most recent delay caused by a key […]
Lycoming recalls more crankshafts
Lycoming is recalling 391 crankshafts which, it suspects, may suffer from the same metallurgical problem that affected hundreds of others the company has already replaced. “It’s not a new problem,” said Ian Walsh, Lycoming’s general manager. “It’s the same type of problem – subsurface defects – that we had before.” All of the suspect shafts […]
“Flight from Fear”: A novel look at the WASP
It has been 60 years since World War II ended, yet some people still believe the only women to have contact with military aircraft were the “Janes that built the planes” and Rosie the Riveter. Author Sarah Byrn Rickman is helping educate these people through her books about women who flew for Uncle Sam during […]
Wild horses – Cessna’s Mustang gallops towards certification
Several companies competing for the personal jet market are turning the downwind leg toward certification. One of those is Cessna, known for its piston-powered trainers and Citation business jets. In 2002 the company announced it was entering the Very Light Jet race with the Citation Mustang. The road to certification is often filled with challenges […]
Sopwith Camel shunned by bidders
The Sopwith Camel is perhaps the most famous Allied airplane of World War I. During the war approximately 5,490 of them were built, yet less than half a dozen still exist. Only one is airworthy and it recently went up for sale on eBay. The California-based seller proudly noted that the plane is an authentic […]
From cyberspace to outer space
Forget about the business jet as a sign of affluence. Today the well-heeled are pursuing dreams of space. Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos has plans to build a rocketship complex in south Seattle to support his new aerospace venture, Blue Origin. The Seattle location will house the design and construction teams. Launch site of the reusable […]
Adam makes first delivery
Also making a first delivery in late 2005 was Adam Aircraft, which delivered its first A500 centerline piston-engine twin aircraft to a customer during the NBAA convention. “Adam Aircraft has moved from a developmental startup company that makes experimental aircraft to an FAA-certified manufacturer that is delivering standard airworthiness aircraft,” said Rick Adam, chairman and […]
Liberty makes first delivery
Liberty Aerospace made history with its first customer delivery in December. That’s because the delivery of an XL2 to Thomas Sams, a retired airline captain in Texas, also marked the first retail delivery of a production aircraft in the U.S. equipped with Teledyne Continental Motors Inc. PowerLink Full Authority Digital Engine Control ( FADEC).
Air show pilot dies in crash
Air show pilot Eric Beard was killed Jan. 6 when his Piper Seneca crashed in fog in Skagit County, Wash. Beard, 47, was flying for Airpac Airlines, a cargo company, at the time of the crash. The plane’s wreckage was found about 400 yards from the runway at Skagit Bayview Airport (BVS) near Mount Vernon. […]