Gulfstream Aerospace Corp first announced the G280 on Oct. 5, 2008, and its first flight took place on Dec. 11, 2009. The flight lasted 3 hours and 21 minutes and the aircraft flew to 32,000 feet or 9,754 meters. The G280 earned its type certificate from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Aug. 30, […]
Airline Deregulation Act of 1978
Post World War II, the then federal Civil Aviation Board (CAB) regulated all interstate flight routes, schedules, and fares. The Act allowed existing regulations from the CAB and state governments to be gradually eliminated, benefiting the airlines and consumers. New airlines entered the market with improved business models that offered new routes at competitive fares […]
The First Omnirange Airways
Before Global Positioning System (GPS), airplanes in the United States relied on VORs to fly and in poor weather pilots would navigate from one VOR to another. Each VOR is a small radio station that broadcasts on an assigned frequency. For instance, the Canarsie VOR near the JFK airport covers New York; the Robert’s VOR […]
Pilatus’ Announcement of the PC-24
The PC-24’s interior was enhanced with the goal of improving the overall passenger flight experience. The aircraft’s new integrated Cabin Management System (iCMS) featured a 10″ touch screen controller with 3D moving map, mood lighting, USB ports, four cabin speakers with a sub-woofer option, a media storage server, and a large side-facing divan that […]
Airspeed Record of Mach 6.72 (4,543 mph, 7,297 km/h) in a North American X-15
On October 3, 1967, a North American X-15 was dropped at 45,000 feet (13,716 meters) over Mud Lake, Nevada. Pilot William J. “Pete” Knight fired the rocket engine and began to climb and accelerate. The X-15A-2 climbed to 102,100 feet (31,120 meters) and Knight leveled off, still accelerating. After 140.7 seconds of engine burn, Knight […]
First U.S. woman to earn a pilot certificate from the France-based Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI)
Born in Coldwater, Michigan, in 1875, Quimbly attended an international aviation meet at Belmont Park, New York, in October 1910. From then, Quimby quickly discovered a passion for flying, and on August 2, 1911, after four months and thirty-three lessons, she applied for and won her pilot’s license by performing two test flights. This made […]
Pre-Departure Clearance (PDC) at All 29 Continental U.S. Airports
On June 2, 1991, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced pre-departure clearance (PDC) operational at all 29 continental U.S. airports designated to receive the system, which used data link to speed departures and reduce voice radio frequency congestion. At the time, the Air Traffic Control (ATC) clearance delivery process had the potential to be cumbersome, […]
First Trans-Atlantic Flight Using GPS
On May 23, 1983, a Rockwell Collins Sabreliner piloted by Charles Hall and David Selzer, flew from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, in a demonstration of the GPS navigation. The trip was broken into five flights that took approximately 3 to 4 hours each, because that was the length […]
“Blinded” Pilot Flew and Landed in Newark, NJ by Using Radio
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 […]
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 […]