Bruce Whitman, chairman, president and CEO of FlightSafety International, receives the medaille de l'Aeronautique from France in New York from Consul General Bertrand Lortholary on April 26, 2016.
There is a growing awareness and concern that those who have asked that ATC tracking data be blocked from dissemination on the Internet are now subject to exposure through growing networks that capture their Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) transmissions. Today, there are thousands of tracking capture sites receiving data from unwitting operators.
In June 1966, BCA documented the sites for the 16 antennas on the Grumman Gulfstream II, considered fiberglass aircraft structures and components and covered "pod-like vehicles, attachable to trucks or to the belly of a Skycrane-type helicopter."
The invention of the nickel-cadmium (NiCad) battery, which had less gas output and more reliable power than its lead-acid predecessor, was a major catalyst toward allowing aircraft to fly higher and faster.
Michimasa Fujino, founding president and CEO of Honda Aircraft Co. Inc, is understandably proud of the new HondaJet. He has personally guided its progress from initial conception to a fully developed model and certified aircraft, fighting through at least five years of delays in the process.
The 2,000-lb.-thrust-class GE Honda HF120 is one of the most advanced engines in its class, having a 4.5:1 thrust-to-weight ratio, 2.9:1 bypass ratio and 24:1 pressure ratio. It's also one of the quietest and lowest exhaust emission engines in its class.
Lithium ion main batteries are becoming more and more common but not without teething troubles. A number of high-profile safety incidents have given the technology a black eye. The danger of thermal runaway is a serious issue and if you have the technology installed in your aircraft you need to keep up to speed.
Designers attempt to provide exceptional capabilities in all areas, including price, but the laws of physics, thermodynamics and aerodynamics do not allow one aircraft to perform all missions with equal efficiency. Trade-offs are a reality of aircraft design.
As of January 2016, the Swiss Air Force had 31 Boeing F/A-18 Hornets, 22 F-5E and 4 F-5F double-seater Tiger II fighters in its inventory. If you tour the country or look at overhead photographs of the mountain valley airfields where the aircraft are based, you won't spot any of their hangars.
Three HondaJet HA-420 graphs are designed to illustrate the aircraft's performance under a variety of range, payload, speed and density altitude conditions.
The hustle and bustle of busy business aviation ramps can easily result in an uploading of an inappropriate amount of fuel or fueling to the wrong tanks, or both. Accordingly, some business aircraft operators abide by SOPs that stipulate their pilots monitor the refueling process.
Refusing to load excessive baggage is an awkward matter, especially when the lead passenger insists other pilots accepted the same. But a professional pilot’s primary responsibility is to ensure safe passage, not accommodate overindulgence.
The now-classic Falcon 10's sky-high operating costs can be painful, but when you are blasting past lesser light jets at Mach 0.85 to 0.86 you might feel it is well worth the money.
Weight-and-balance considerations of a helicopter are similar to those of an airplane, except they are far more critical, and the CG range is much more limited.
By William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno, Molly McMillin
Lufthansa Technik is extending its presence in the Asian market and is expanding its range of products, some of which are already being installed in aircraft.
By William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno, Molly McMillin
Leonardo-Finmeccanica Helicopters has taken the first steps in restarting the flight-test campaign of its AgustaWestland AW609 commercial tiltrotor following the fatal crash of the second prototype last October.
By William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno, Molly McMillin
Robinson Helicopter's two-place R44 Cadet won its FAA certification last month. Robinson says the aircraft's modest price will appeal to the training market as well as operators who want the economy of a small helicopter with the comfort, power, and performance of a larger one.
By William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno, Molly McMillin
ARG/US International has purchased the Unmanned Safety Institute. The privately held company conducts unmanned aircraft system safety training, certification and management.
By William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno, Molly McMillin
According to market intelligence firm Tractica, global commercial UAS services revenue is expected to grow from $170 million in 2015 to $8.7 billion by 2025.
