Advanced European Aerobatic Championships 2007Joensuu, Finland, EFJO21-29 July 2007COMPETING in aerobatics at the very top level requires extreme specialist aircraft. No-one has ever won the World Aerobatic Championship in a two-seat aircraft and it is 20 years since a 4-cylinder Lycoming could power a competitive aircraft. The sport at this level can be accessed by only a few.Some years ago, the world governing body for aerobatics, the Com ... more

CESSNA continues to add to the capabilities of its Mustang VLJ"The flight testing team recently completed testing required for high altitude certification at El Alto International Airport in La Paz, Bolivia," said Mustang program manager, Russ Meyer. "Once the certification is complete, it enables the Mustang to take off and land at altitudes up to 14,000 feet." Sixteen Mustangs have been delivered from Cessna's Kansas f ... more

EUROPEAN type certification has been issued for Gulfstream's new business jet, the G150."This EASA certification is an extremely important accomplishment," said Joseph T. Lombardo, president of Gulfstream. "We've always believed the G150 is the ideal corporate jet for European businesses. "With a 2950nm range, the G150 can fly nonstop from Zurich to cities in the Middle East, India and North America," he said. " ... more

Embraer's mini-jet makes first flightBRAZILIAN aircraft maker Embraer had the maiden flight of its new Phenom 100 Very Light Jet on 26 July. The Phenom is eagerly awaited among business jet operators as the company has been very successfully in building bigger regional jets."This is a key milestone for Embraer and a very special and rewarding moment for the entire Embraer team. To see our new baby bird taking off is highly satisfying a ... more

THIS was the third LOOP/British Aerobatics Association Beginners day, the second for 2007 and without a doubt the most successful with almost double the amount of participants over the previous event.Twelve budding aerobatic pilots arrived at Little Gransden Airfield along with instructors, aeroplanes and offi cials despite the weather - 6/8ths cloud cover at 2000 feet. The aim of the day is to introduce more people to aerobatic competition ... more

FERRARI dealer Mike Herzog wanted a special helicopter and he’s got it – a Ferrari-styled Eurocopter EC-130.The black and silver aircraft was prepared by Texas Aviation Services, a US industry leader in helicopter and aircraft completions.Mr Herzog collects Ferrari cars as part of his large car dealership network in Oregon, and he wanted his new helicopter to closely match the style of one of his favourite Pininfarina models.As well as ... more

DEL Boy continues to go up in the world. The cheeky trader from South London is into helicopters these days, plying his shady wares around the world but he took time off to fly himself into RAF Fairford last month for the launch of this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo.Actor Sir David Jason, a loyal supporter of the Air Tattoo and the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust, came in his ‘Only Fools and Horses’ flat cap and sheepskin uni ... more

Britain’s top carrier first to have US Osprey land on board  BRITAIN’S HMS Illustrious welcomed the very first embarkation of a US Marine Corps Bell/Boeing MV-22 Osprey onto a non-US vessel last month. It was part of a joint exercise taking place off the US east coast.Commander Henry Mitchell, the Commander (Air) on HMS Illustrious said, “The Osprey visit gave the ship a unique opportunity to work with this impressive aircraft.†... more

AS the song goes, ‘Climb any mountain’ ...and then jump off . These two paranutters were displaying at the Interlaken, Switzerland round of the Red Bull races. They jump, or are dropped from an aircraft, and then use webs attached to the special suits as wings, enabling them to glide and to steer. ... more

IF you thought the Red Bull Air Race was exciting (see page 21), then the Aero GP should be gripping. Trouble is, it’s in Romania. Aero GP has multiple aircraft racing simultaneously at close quarters, and the next event is over 25-26 August in Constanta, Romania. It will be the third Aero GP, following on from Slovenia in 2005 and Malta in 2006.The event has three disciplines: racing, air-to-air combat and target bombing.Jeff Zaltman, bo ... more

Mercedes help for new 170hp engineDIAMOND has developed a new turbodiesel engine for its aircraft.The Austrian company claims it produces 170hp and 570nNm of torque, which is significantly more than the 2.0-litre Thielert Centurion turbodiesel it is currently using in its DA40 TDI and DA42 twin.Not many details are available, other than it is a collaboration between a Diamond subsidiary, Austro Engine GmbH and Mercedes Benz Technology (MB-T ... more

ON 23 March 2007, Barrington Irving, a 23-yearold aerospace student in Florida, climbed into a Columbia 400 named ‘Inspiration’ and set off on a 26,800-mile, round-the-world flight. He made it! On 27 June, he landed back at Miami having set two world records – he is the first person of African descent and the youngest person ever to fl y solo around the globe.The Jamiacan-born Irving is no spoilt rich kid. He turned to aviation when h ... more

ROCK musician Tony Moore is going on tour this month... in a Cessna 172 SP.The newly qualifed pilot will be staging 15 performances over nine days at airfields around the UK to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.An original member of Iron Maiden, Tony has also toured the world as a keyboard player for Cutting Crew and since then he has helped launch the careers of Paulo Nutini, KT Tunstall, James Morrison and Damien Rice at his London ... more