In a little more than two years, Van’s Aircraft has sold 500 RV-10 kits. Fifteen customer-built RV-10s are now flying, while many others are nearing completion. RV kits, including the RV-4, RV-7, RV-8, RV-9 and the four-place RV-10 continue to be among the most popular in the world. About 1.5 new RVs take to the […]
Columbia Aircraft chooses Garmin
Columbia Aircraft has selected Garmin’s G1000 as the new avionics package for the Columbia 350 and Columbia 400. Columbia also will be the first manufacturer to integrate Garmin’s new GCU 476 full alpha-numeric keypad, which allows pilots to perform virtually all MFD functions from a pedestal-mounted keypad.
Million Air New Orleans reopens after Katrina
Million Air New Orleans recently became the first FBO at Lakefront Airport to officially reopen its doors in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the Louisiana/Mississippi coast in late August. The FBO set up 2,100 square feet of modular office space, installed new skidded fuel tanks and purchased new fuel trucks. The airport received […]
SJ30-2 certificated
The SJ30-2 bizjet received type certification late last month, following a 20-year development program. The type certificate approves the new twin-engine light business jet for day, night, VFR, IFR, single-pilot and “full performance envelope” operations. Remaining approvals, such as certification for flight into known icing and operation of cabin interior systems, will be completed before […]
Mooney delivered 23 units in Q3
That good news is shared at Mooney Airplane Co., which delivered 23 aircraft valued at more than $9 million in the third quarter of this year. So far this year, the company has delivered 66 planes worth about $28 million, which places it on track to more than double 2004 deliveries. Last year, the company […]
Those who cannot fly, build
In the early days of aviation many aircraft designers and builders were also pilots. Glenn Curtiss, Glenn L. Martin, Howard Hughes and Bill Boeing all had time in their designs. Donald Wills Douglas was the exception. Although he designed many pioneering airplanes, and his DC-3 (actually designed by Arthur Raymond) was the preferred choice of […]
Youngest pilot around?
Parker Henderson may just be the youngest pilot in the United States. The teen celebrated his 14th birthday on Oct. 10 by making his first solo flight in a Schweizer 2-33 sailplane. Henderson, who lives in Laguna Niguel, Calif., started taking flying lessons shortly after his 13th birthday at Hemet-Ryan Airport, which just happens to […]
GA shipments up 25%
The good news continues for the GA industry. In the first nine months of this year, shipments rose 25.7% to 2,432, while industry-wide billings for new airplanes rose to $10.4 billion, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). “This is an affirmation that the efficiency and advanced capabilities of general aviation products are very […]
Salmon Thirty Salmon on final
The expression “landing a big fish” takes on a new meaning this fall as Alaska Airlines begins flying a 737-400 painted to resemble a chinook salmon. Dubbed the Salmon-Thirty-Salmon, the seafood-inspired paint job was completed with a $500,000 grant from the Alaska Fisheries Marketing Board. The 737 symbolizes the role the airline plays in the […]