Pacific Aerospace will build the five-seat piston-single E-350 Expedition utility aircraft at its Hamilton, New Zealand factory after acquiring the rights to the design from Canada’s Found Aircraft. The first NZ-built E-350 – which is powered by a 325hp (242kW) Lycoming IO-580 and has a stated range of 750nm with a full load of passengers and bags –
The federal government has launched what it termed a major study into the general aviation (GA) sector in response to the concerns expressed by industry. Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester said the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) would conduct the study, with representatives from industry invited to participate. “I
An amphibious aircraft maker plans to build a new $100 million manufacturing facility on the NSW Central Coast. In a boost to Australia’s aerospace sector, Amphibian Aerospace Industries (AAI) has signed a 40-year lease on space at Central Coast Airport at Warnervale. The site will be used for work on its Albatross amphibious aircraft that was
Record-breaking teenager Lachlan Smart was among the crowds that gathered at Watts Bridge Memorial Airfield over the weekend for the inaugural Brisbane Valley Air Show. Smart is the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo in a single-engine aircraft, having completed his 24,000nm journey in a Cirrus SR-22 on Friday August 26, when he landed
Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has issued a new direction on the operation of aircraft with Jabiru engines, offering relief from operational restrictions provided certain requirements were met. “The maintenance-related actions set out in the direction include adopting the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule, inspecting certain engine components and replacing engine through bolts in accordance with the
Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has extended the deadline for a series of inspections of Cessna 100 aircraft for a further two years. The inspections, contained in Supplemental Inspection Documents (SID), were developed by Cessna and the US Federal Aviation Administration due to concerns that critical principal structural elements of the aircraft, including wing
