Pilot Reports

Join AIN pilots/writers as they test fly business jets, turboprops, rotorcraft, and airliners featuring the latest technology from the world’s airframe, engine, and avionics manufacturers. From fly-by-wire flight controls to touchscreen flight decks and sophisticated satcoms, these are the aircraft that make the aerospace industry fly.

May 31, 2011 - 5:10 AM
Pilot report: Cessna Citation CJ4
Cessna demo pilot John Reimer wanted to wow me as I put the new CJ4 I was flying through its paces.

When it comes to buying an airplane–any airplane–manufacturers and their salespeople can talk utility and value until the cows come home. But people buy airplanes–and learn to fly–because they want to move from one place to another fast…the faster, the better. Combining speed with comfort is often a challenge, though, especially in the light-jet arena.

Dec 23, 2010 - 7:59 AM
Pilot Report: Dassault Falcon 900LX
From a distance, the exterior of the Dassault Falcon 900LX–F-WWFB–reminded me of a lady caught without her makeup.

I saw her sitting on the ramp outside Epps Aviation at Atlanta’s Peachtree Airport (PDK). The LX had just completed the ferry flight from the Merignac, France assembly facility in time for NBAA 2010’s static display and was still painted pewter gray with odd patches of the green primer that adorns jets when they arrive at the paint shop. My goal this sunny afternoon was to put the 50,000-pound aircraft through its paces to learn how it compared to the earlier Falcon 900EX.

Nov 24, 2009 - 5:38 AM
Pilot Report: Embraer Lineage 1000
Ask people why they finally decided to acquire a business airplane and they inevitably mention speed as the deciding factor.

Ask people why they finally decided to acquire a business airplane and they inevitably mention speed as the deciding factor. But as Concorde passengers learned over the years, the sensation of speed is quickly forgotten when the cabin is as cramped as it was aboard the SST. Speed may initially attract people to business airplanes, but it’s overall comfort on a long flight that determines the real value of an aircraft.

Aug 27, 2009 - 5:57 AM
Pilot Report: Phenom 100
Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer is a relative newcomer to the business aviation market.

Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer is a relative newcomer to the business aviation market. Five years ago the company was best known for producing many regional jets and its only business airplane was the Legacy, a corporate version of the ERJ 135.

In 2005 Embraer decided to build a line of smaller jets–including the “entry-level” Phenom 100–to compete with Cessna and Eclipse Aviation, which a number of observers viewed as a major misstep.

Jul 28, 2009 - 6:24 AM
Pilot Report: Falcon 2000LX
The recently certified Falcon 2000LX claims a 5-percent performance advantage over its predecessor, the Falcon 2000EX.

The Falcon 2000LX is the next evolutionary airplane in the 2000 line, which first took to the sky in 1994. Evolutionary usually translates into larger and faster, but the 2000 is an exception. The interior cabin dimensions of a completed 2000LX are precisely the same as those of the original 2000, offering a comfortable fit for as many as eight passengers and a slightly tighter cabin for 10. Dassault believes the 2000LX shines because it does more with less, as in offering more overall range on less fuel than a 2000EX, thanks to Aviation Partners winglets that add about 3.5 feet of wingspan to each side and clearly define the LX to Falcon aficionados.

Jun 30, 2009 - 6:50 AM
Pilot Report: Airbus A380
Airbus engineers are never satisfied, and customers of the European airframe builder should have only one response...

Airbus engineers are never satisfied, and customers of the European airframe builder should have only one response… thank goodness. Despite myriad technological and manufacturing obstacles, the European consortium of Germany, France and Spain successfully built, flew and put into production the largest commercial aircraft in the world, the A380, and the airframer currently has orders for 200 of the double-decker jetliners.

Aug 29, 2008 - 12:47 PM
Pilot Report: Bombardier Challenger 605
For airplanes–some airplanes at least–30 years is just another birthday to precede many more

That is true of the Bombardier Challenger 605. The original Challenger 600, upon which the 605 is based, was the first of the business airplanes nicknamed a widebody when it was announced in 1977. The Challenger 600 first flew in November 1978. Successive versions of the series emerged as the 601-1, 601-3, 601-3R and 604. The PrecisionPlus avionics upgrade was first retrofitted to the 604’s Collins Pro Line 4 CRT avionics in 2001 at S/N 5500; 605s are delivered off the line with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 LCD-display avionics. The hydraulics and electrical systems on the 605 are identical to those on the 604.

Aug 8, 2008 - 9:52 AM
Pilot Report: Flying a Walter-powered Beech King Air C90
I recently had the chance to fly one of the King Air C90s re-engined with two Walter M601E-11s

The airplane we were flying was N800RP, a 1974 King Air C90, S/N LJ-628. Dan Sigl, owner of Seagull Aviation, which is working on a conversion package for King Air 90s and 100s, agreed to bring the aircraft to my home base, Solberg Airport in New Jersey. Sigl is associated with the STC holder, Performance Conversions, Incline Village, Nev. Another company, LoneStar Propjets, Waco, Texas, has a separate STC.

Aug 4, 2008 - 8:33 AM
Pilot Report: Embraer Legacy: Building upon a rich history
Embraer’s Legacy is an impressive corporate version of the company’s venerable ERJ-135/145

The São Paulo, Brazil-based manufacturer has delivered 19 Legacys since certification in September last year, but Chicago Midway-based Indigo’s recent suspension of service could put a crimp in Embraer’s order book since that carrier was slated to accept 25 aircraft and held options for 50 more. Embraer has not released any details about how Indigo’s service issues will affect future deliveries. Embraer officials contend the Legacy order book is still holding steady at firm orders for 58 aircraft and options on 92.

Jul 7, 2008 - 11:25 AM
Pilot Report: TBM 850
The TBM is a clear alternative to a pre-owned piston twin and the few high-performance piston singles left on the market.

There were more than a few moments during my three-and-a-half hours flying the Socata TBM 850 when it was easy to imagine the conversation I’d soon have with a couple of friends who own piston twins. The TBM is a suitable replacement for their aircraft–a Cessna 421 and a B55 Baron. Although both aircraft are GPS equipped, neither can take full advantage of new technology as sophisticated as the Garmin G1000 avionics system that comes standard on the TBM. The Socata is also certified for flight into known icing using inflatable boots on the leading edge of the wings and the horizontal stabilizer.