- One of the announcements related to Canada at AirVenture this year was that Tecnam has received Transport Canada approval for the Italian company’s P-Mentor, a two-place trainer that had already received EASA (European) and FAA type certificates. The TC type certificate was issued under CAR Part V, Subpart 21. Sales to flight schools and private owners are now authorized. A Rotax 912iSc3 engine drives a variable pitch propeller, it has simulated retractable landing gear and a ballistic parachute. It also comes with Garmin glass.
- A Pratt & Whitney Canada PT-6 E-Series turboprop has been successfully flight-tested on a General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) MQ-9B SkyGuardian drone. This is the model that is destined for the RCAF. “We’re excited to see the PT-6 engine on our MQ-9B aircraft,” said David Alexander, GA-ASI’s president. “We’ve worked with Pratt & Whitney for years, specifically on our jet-powered Avenger, and we’ve enjoyed a very productive partnership.”
- Airbus Canada announced earlier this week (July 23) that its shareholders have committed to a further investment of U$1.2 billion in the company, in proportion to its ownership. Parent company Airbus SE holds 75 percent of the stock and the Quebec government the remainder. The Airbus A220 order book currently stands at over 900 aircraft, representing a 55-percent market share in its category.
- A replica of the Gimli Glider cockpit is nearing completion in Welland, Ontario. Perry Van Veen was intrigued when news broke in 1981 about an Air Canada 767-200 running out of fuel mid-flight and gliding to a landing at the former and then-closed RCAF base cum drag strip in Gimli, Manitoba. Van Veen hopes his cockpit will find a home on a museum when finished.