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Even if 2008 is not yet over, I’m already sure that this year will remain in aviation history for the number of new aircraft types that made their maiden flight. From Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) to Very Light Jet (VLJ), there have been one or more maiden flights in almost all aircraft categories.

Interestingly, both young and old aircraft manufacturers take part in this wave of novelties. The first one was the Skycatcher, Cessna’s endeavour to conquer the LSA market. To me it looks like a mini 152, which itself is a mini 172. Nothing really new…

In the same category, I muchly prefer the ICON A5. The maiden flight of this amphibian LSA was slightly different from the others, as it was off-airport, but out of a Californian lake. There were certainly other maiden flights in the LSA category, and more will follow, this is really a market in full expansion.

The high performance single engine aircraft segment was rather inactive for years, but with the DA50, I hope it will revive. Standard single engines are simply too slow for a good integration in the IFR system. The ideal plane for that is certainly a VLJ… as far as budget permits.

The Eclipse 500 has been flying for quite a while now, and depsite some youth incidents, it’s certainly a success. It’s concurents are not far behind. The Diamond D-Jet made its maiden flight in 2007, and the Cirrus “The Jet” and the Piper Jet both got airborne for the first time in July 2008.

In our nearly instantaneous world, all of these events are filmed, and the videos go online together with the press release themselves. But despite that modernity, the tradition of “splashing” the crew after the flight did not disappear… If you look at the videos, you’ll find one common point between all these flights, which make there nature obviously visible. Did you found it ? Leave your answer in a comment.

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Category: Modern Aviation
Tags: Cessna Cirrus DA50 Eclipse evolution ICON A5 jet LSA maiden flight piper Piper Jet SkyCatcher VLJ

Before leaving 2007 behind us and flying in 2008 with our heads full of wishes and good resolutions, have a look back in 2007 events… may be there is something to learn (or not). This selection is obviously personal, certainly subjective, and I’m waiting for you to comment on events I missed !

1 - Airbus 380 in commercial service
Heavy Metal first. Singapore Airlines started to operate the Airbus 380 between Singapore and Sidney, on 25th of October. For the first time in years a new airliner type, not just a new family member, becomes operational. Note that all seats had been auctioned to the profit of charities.

2 - Dash8 Q400 story
After three consecutive landing gear related incidents, SAS decided to remove the Dash8-Q400 from operational service. Definitively. Media and public opinion had more influence on this decision than technical factors. Business is business.

3 - New LSAs by Cessna and Cirrus
Cirrus and Cessna both announced their Light Sport Aircraft projects. Other manufacturers do already offer projects, but with two major actors joining, the LSA category gains in credibility and promises fun to new generation of pilots.

4 - Eclipse 500 in commercial service
At the other end of the jet category, DayJet started flying Eclipse 500, offering on-demand service to their members. Such business is possible only because of the economical viability of the Eclipse Very Light Jet, a first of its class.

5 - DA50 maiden flight
In the plastic planes world, the DA50 will play the role of the family mover, as the Cessna 210 or the Piper Saratoga. 5 seats, 300 horse power, 150 knots in cruise. Except the D-Jet, it’s the single piece missing in the Diamond line of products, and the SuperStar made its maiden flight on 4th of April. I can’t wait to fly one !

6 - Cessna Diesel from factory
One more step in the diesel (r)evolution: Cessna offers the Thielert Centurion engine from factory. No more need for an expensive retrofit. Go Diesel Go !

7 - L-3 SmartDeck
For years the market of fully integrated glass cockpits had been dominated by Avidyne and Garmin… and here came L-3 SmartDeck. This new option should be available on Cirrus soon. I particularly like the separate panel for radios, including a keyboard to type the frequency in.

8 - Diamond seeking for new engine
Tensions between Diamond and Thielert are not new. Some unsolved minor malfunctions, and argument about a DA42 double engine failure are amongst the causes. On the 11th of July Diamond announced a successful test flight with a DA40 equipped with a MBTech TDI engine. Did I mention that both Diamond and MBTech have their headquarters in Wiener Neustadt airport ?

9 - Start of migration to China
Liberty, the manufacturer of the XL2, and Cessna both declared their intention to build some production units in China. Globalization everywhere…

10 - Cessna buys Columbia
The Columbia bankrupt story has been a sad and uselessly long one, but the end is not so bad: the Columbia 350 and 400 are now known as the Cessna 350 and Cessna 400. Long life to these new models, away from financial turbulence !

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Category: Pilots Talk
Tags: 2007 Airbus 380 Cessna Columbia DA50 Dash8 Q400 Diamond Eclipse events L-3 SmartDeck LSA Thielert