Delivery of the 100th Pilatus PC-24

On January 5, 2021, Pilatus announced that the 100th PC-24 had been delivered to its new owner Jetfly. The PC-24 offers sufficient comfortable space for up to ten passengers. The PC-24 offers passengers individually adjustable seats, a washroom with toilet, a baggage area which remains accessible in flight and a wardrobe. It also has a […]

The First Completely Computerized Landing

On December 8, 1964, a United Air Lines Caravelle jet made the first completely computerized landing (automatic touchdown) at Dulles International Airport (IAD). How landings play out? Limited visibility operations are divided into categories outlining the decision height (DH) and runway visual range (RVR). The decision height is the minimum height at which a pilot […]

Hijacking of Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305

The aviation industry has come a long way in terms of commercial aviation safety, but on November 24, 1971, the first hijacking involving extortion occurred during a flight from Portland to Seattle. The hijacker- who may have been named Dan Cooper- told a flight attendant he was armed with a bomb, demanded $200,000 in ransom […]

Opening of Dulles International Airport

On November 17, 1962 ceremonies marked the o. The first airlines to fly into Dulles were Braniff, Delta, Eastern, Northwest, and TWA. Dulles went from serving over 54,800 travelers in its first year to over 23 million per year today. Another change was its original identifier. Due to passenger confusion between Dulles and the Dallas […]

  On October 20, 2019, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. today announced the Gulfstream G650ER™, Gulfstream G600™, Gulfstream G500™, Gulfstream G550™ and Gulfstream G280™ made the company’s first carbon-neutral flights, traveling from Savannah to the Las Vegas area for the 2019 National Business Aviation Association Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE). The five flights were made using a combination […]

  On October 6, 1997, the FAA commissioned the first precision runway monitor (PRM) at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. The system allowed simultaneous independent instrument landing system (ILS) approaches to parallel runways spaced less than 4,300 feet apart.  

Gulfstream Operations Move to Savannah, Georgia

On September 29, 1967, Gulfstream separated its civil and military production operations and in 1967 moved the civilian unit to Savannah, Georgia. Gulfstream operations moved to Savannah, Georgia to improve efficiency. Officials cited labor supply, land availability, transportation facilities and favorable weather conditions for choosing Savannah as Gulfstream’s permanent home. In 2006, Gulfstream began to […]

Maiden Flight of the Hawker 4000

On August 11, 2001, the first prototype of the Hawker 4000 made its maiden flight. The Hawker 4000, a super-midsize business jet developed by Hawker Beechcraft (formerly Raytheon Aircraft Company), made its public debut in November 2002 at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention, and by 2018, the 2008-2010 Hawker 4000s were priced around […]