All General aviation articles
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NewsUK mandates active carbon monoxide detectors on piston-engined aircraft
UK regulators are mandating installation of active carbon monoxide detectors in certain piston-engined light aircraft from the beginning of next year. The Civil Aviation Authority had formally sought opinions from the general aviation community last year in order to shape its policy on the issue. Its directive requires carriage of ...
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AnalysisWe try out Pipistrel’s Velis Electro as developer targets pilot training sector
We put Pipistrel’s unique Velis Electro through its paces, to assess its potential as a training aircraft and learn whether range anxiety driven by its limited battery life could hinder operations.
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NewsVintage UK glider damaged by drone collision during landing approach
UK investigators have disclosed that a vintage glider was damaged in collision with a small drone being flown by a young operator. The Slingsby T21B – built in 1947 – has a high-wing configuration and an open cockpit, with two seats arranged side-by-side. It had been carrying a pilot and ...
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NewsFlight-training incidents spur Norwegian probe into safety considerations during airport licensing
Norwegian investigators believe aviation regulators and the government should assess whether sufficient consideration is given to flight safety when granting aerodrome licences, following a series of flight-school incidents at Gullknapp Arendal airport.
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NewsAir Baltic pilot academy to acquire electric Diamond training aircraft
Latvian carrier Air Baltic’s training arm is to acquire a number of all-electric Diamond Aircraft models, as part of a modernisation of its fleet. The company has reached a tentative agreement for three Diamond eDA40s, a derivative of the single-engined DA40. It will also take a pair of twin-engined DA42-VIs. ...
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NewsBlackshape trainers cleared to fly after EASA lifts grounding order
European safety authorities have lifted a precautionary grounding of Italian manufacturer Blackshape’s BS 115 and BK 160 trainer aircraft, following further investigation into two fatal accidents involving the type. The grounding was ordered in March after an in-flight break-up involving a BK 160TR in Malaysia on 13 February, which prompted ...
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NewsCrucial Dutch probe into fatal BK 160 accident strives to understand source of burn damage
Dutch investigators probing the fatal crash of a Blackshape Aircraft BK 160 are trying to determine whether external burn marks arose from an in-flight or post-impact fire.
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NewsBlackshape dismayed over fleet grounding but remains confident ahead of German air show
Italian airframer Blackshape Aircraft is confident that the grounding of its BS 115 and BK 160 single-engined trainers will shortly be resolved, as it supports regulatory investigations into two accidents which triggered the decision. The manufacturer is participating in the Aero Friedrichshafen 2024 show, which begins on 17 April, where ...
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NewsElectric Pipistrel to join ASL Academy training fleet at Antwerp
Training organisation ASL Academy is introducing the electrically-powered Pipistrel Velis Electro to its student pilot fleet at Antwerp.
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NewsMalaysia grounds Blackshape light trainers as multi-faceted crash probe continues
Malaysia’s civil aviation authority has suspended all flight operations by Blackshape BS 115 and BK 160 aircraft, following a grounding order by European safety regulators. The suspension is effective from 20 March. Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia says the decision “aligns” with that of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, ...
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NewsEASA grounds Blackshape trainers as inquiry probes BK 160’s apparent in-flight break-up
European safety regulators have ordered the grounding of Italian airframer Blackshape’s BS 115 single-engined light trainer, after concerns about the potential for structural failure of the wing. The suspension of all flight operations by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, which also covers the similar BK 160, follows two fatal ...
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NewsSwiss skydiver aircraft crash likely caused by ‘unintentional’ parachute opening
Aviation accident investigators in Switzerland have said that the crash of a Pacific Aerospace P-750 utility aircraft last month was likely caused by the unintentional opening of a skydiver’s parachute while he was still in the aircraft.
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NewsSafarilink Dash 8 collides mid-air with flight-school Cessna near Nairobi
Kenyan investigators are probing a mid-air collision involving a De Havilland Dash 8-300 operated by regional carrier Safarilink Aviation. Safarilink states that the crew of its domestic flight 053 – from Nairobi Wilson airport to the coastal destination of Diani on 5 March – experienced a “loud bang” shortly after ...
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NewsBusiness and GA manufacturers delivered more than 4,000 aircraft in 2023
Deliveries of business and general aviation aircraft last year topped 4,000 for the first time in more than a decade, according to newly released figures from the trade association representing the sector’s manufacturers.
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NewsEleven skydivers escaped Swiss P-750 before fatal Grenchen crash
Eleven skydivers managed to exit a Pacific Aerospace P-750 utility aircraft before it crashed in Switzerland, with the loss of its pilot. The aircraft (HB-TCP) had been operating in the vicinity of Grenchen airport, about 25km north of Bern, on 18 February. It appears to have entered a rapid descent ...
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NewsA320 wake turbulence triggered SR22’s fatal in-flight upset
US investigators believe wake turbulence from a landing Airbus A320 caused a trailing Cirrus SR22 to suffer a fatal in-flight upset on approach to Knoxville’s McGhee Tyson airport. The SR22, with two occupants, had taken off from runway 23L on 16 December 2021, initially flying a left-hand circuit and practice ...
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NewsIndian seaplane operator Mehair to retrofit Caravans with ZeroAvia engines
Indian seaplane operator Mehair – Maritime Energy Heli Air Services – has provisionally ordered up to 20 engines from hydrogen-electric propulsion specialist ZeroAvia.
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NewsFAA grants Icon Aircraft’s A5 primary category certification
The US Federal Aviation Administration has granted Icon Aircraft’s A5 amphibious airframe type certification in the primary category, clearing the way for the aircraft type to be sold and registered outside of the USA
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NewsInquiry seeks rigour on controller rostering after A320 cleared to land on occupied runway
French investigators have determined that a tower controller forgot that a light aircraft was awaiting take-off at Bordeaux before clearing an EasyJet Airbus A320 to land on the occupied runway. The light aircraft, a Robin DR400 with two people on board, had been instructed to line up and hold at ...
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NewsTroubled US kit manufacturer Van's Aircraft aims to restructure under Chapter 11
US-based kit manufacturer Van’s Aircraft has resorted to Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection while it attempts to restructure, after encountering financial difficulties. The company, which was founded just over 50 years ago, produces a range of single-engined kit aircraft – including single-seat models such as the RV-3 and the four-seat RV-10 ...