On March 21, 1933, Department of Commerce pilot James L. Kinney, climbed into the cockpit of a plane in College Park, Md, pulled a hood over his head and fastened it. Then, unable to see anything of the outside world, at 9:30 a.m. he took off, using instruments and radio guides alone. Kinney completed the […]
Pan American Airways Formed to Qualify for Airmail Deliveries Contract with Post Office
The coveted U.S. Post Office contract for the Foreign Airmail Contract to carry the U.S. Mail from Key West Florida to Havana Cuba – and the great potential for expansion of air routes beyond to Latin America – lay in the balance because the U.S Post Office had made it clear that October 19th, 1927, […]
First Non-Stop Flight from America to Asia
Denver International Airport’s Opening Day
DEN, which is owned by the city and county, has grown from serving 31 million passengers in 1995, to more than 82 million passengers in 2024. As of October 2024, it was the largest airport in the United States by land area and one of the busiest in the world, thus employing over 40,000 people, making […]
“World’s best-selling light jet”: Phenom 300 Series
On February 21, 2024, Embraer announced that its Phenom 300 series had maintained its status as the “world’s best-selling light jet” for 12 consecutive years. According to data released by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), since Embraer delivered 63 Phenom 300 series aircraft throughout 2023, the Phenom 300 also attained the best-selling twinjet for […]
Gulfstream G700 Made Its First Flight
The aircraft, which is powered by Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines and refined with Gulfstream-designed aerodynamics and an all-new winglet, completed the flight on a 30/70 blend of sustainable aviation fuel. The G700 can fly at its high-speed cruise of Mach 0.90 for 6,400 nautical miles (11,853 km) or at its long-range cruise of Mach 0.85 for […]
Gulfstream G280 Received Certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency
The G280 earned its type certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Aug. 30, 2012, and entered service on Nov. 13, 2012. With a range of 3,600 nautical miles (6,667 km), the aircraft was the only super mid-sized business jet that could reliably fly nonstop from London to New York. The G280 also […]
First Flight of the Cessna Citation II
Cessna Citation is a marketing name used by Cessna for several “families” of turbofan-powered jets that have been produced over the years. The Cessna Citation II was a direct development of the Citation I. It was also the first of the Model 550 series of light corporate jets. The Citation II had an increased seating […]
Gulfstream G650’s Flight Test
The high Mach number was achieved to validate the aircraft’s maximum speed for stability characteristics, a requirement for receiving a Certificate of Airworthiness from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Such high speeds were outside the aircraft’s normal flight envelope. The G650’s maximum allowable Mach number at the time was Mach 0.925. Before this first test […]
Gulfstream G280 Set Record On SAJF Renewable Fuel
On January 17, 2019, a Gulfstream G280 aircraft used sustainable alternative jet fuel (SAJF) to complete a 4 hour-and-49 minutes record-breaking flight by . The aircraft departed Savannah and landed in Van Nuys, California, covering a distance of 2,243 nautical miles. The G280 showed continued high performance with SAJF by flying through headwinds averaging […]
