WASHINGTON, DC – A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) study found that in 2011, of the 102 crashes of experimental amateur-built aircraft built by their owners, 10 crashed on their first flights. The report also found that 14 of 125 aircraft that had been bought used and involved in accidents crashed on the new owner’s […]
Aircraft
Wanna go for a ride?
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Whenever someone asks…”Do you wanna go for a ride?”… I hope your default answer is yes. AeroMark‘s Thomas Hoff grabbed my elbow, pointed at Addison Pemberton’s Boeing Model 40C on his ramp and asked, “You wanna go for a ride?”. Uh, YEAH… Five minutes later, me, Tom and Ivy and Ginny […]
Dornier Seastar CD2 on world tour
Dornier Seaplane Co. recently landed its Seastar CD2 seaplane in Germany after a U.S. and Canadian demo tour. The tour encompassed more than 220 flight hours, 184 landings on land, and 154 water landings. The CD2 is currently undergoing a C-check at RUAG at Oberpfaffenhofen Airfield in Germany, before embarking on the second half of […]
The resurrection of ‘Weisse Eins’
By J. DOUGLAS HINTON Prologue: Luftwaffe Unteroffizier (Corporal) Heinz Orlowski was shot down Feb. 9, 1945, over Nazi-occupied Norway’s Fordefjord during an Allied raid of 32 Beaufighters, 10 Mustangs, and two search and rescue aircraft intent on destroying the German destroyer Z33 and support ships holed up in the fjord. Pitting his Focke Wulf 190F-8 […]
Pipistrel’s Alpha Trainer takes off
After the successful conclusion of its test flight program, Pipistrel has released its newest aircraft, the Pipistrel Alpha Trainer. The name “Pipistrel Alpha Trainer” describes the exact purpose of this new aircraft designed for flying schools, company officials said. The aircraft has been engineered with the “essence of training” as its primary design goal, they […]
First flight for Hawker 400XPR engine test article
The successful first flight of the Hawker 400XPR engine test article was made May 7. This was the first flight of an upgraded aircraft with new Williams International FJ44-4A-32 engines. The Hawker 400XPR upgrade combines the increased power of the Williams International FJ44-4A-32 engines with the aerodynamics of genuine Hawker Winglets, company officials said. Also […]
Biplane Comet hits 100 — Lycoming coming
Fk Lightplanes in Germany recently celebrated the production of Number 100 of its fascinating model, the Fk12 Comet. This snappy handling, steady flying, folding wing biplane has no competitors in the LSA space, even with 123 total models winning Special LSA approval. At airshows here in America, Hansen Air Group has been showing the Comet […]
FarWest Aviation becomes Tecnam service center
FarWest Aviation has become a factory-certified service center for Tecnam Light Sport Aircraft. Located at historic Flabob Airport (RIR) in Riverside, Calif., the company also recently earned the designation of Independent Rotax Service Center. Tecnams are powered by Rotax. In addition to servicing Tecnams and Rotax engines, the company overhauls Lycoming and Continental engines, does […]
Cessna inks deal with Chinese company for Caravans
Cessna Aircraft Co. has signed an agreement with the China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Company Ltd., (CAIGA) and the Shijiazhuang Municipal Government, the next step in an eventual joint venture for the final assembly, sales, and customer support for the Cessna Caravan in China for the Chinese market. “Not only does this continue Cessna’s involvement […]