Week in brief February 3 2012

The Goulburn Post reports that a pilot and his passenger have walked away from an emergency landing in a paddock when their De Havilland Chipmunk suffered engine trouble shortly after taking off from Goulburn Airport earlier this week. While the pilot suffered some facial lacerations and bruising, the aircraft is said to be severely damaged.


The Wairarapa Times-Age in New Zealand reports that the only flying RE8 reproduction aircraft in the world has been added to the Vintage Aviator collection in Masterton after it took four years to build. The Royal Aircraft Factory RE8 was a two-seater biplane originally built as a replacement for the vulnerable and outmoded BE2, and served as a bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. Click here to read the full story.


Reuters reports that Honda expects to own at least a quarter of the global for small business jet market as it works to delivering the very first HondaJet next year. Honda is in the final stages of getting its US$4.5 million HondaJet certified and aims to ramp up production to 80 aircraft a year in the first half of 2013.


The Australian Defence Force sent an Royal Australian Air Force C-130 Hercules to move humanitarian supplies to Moree last night at the request of the New South Wales Government and Emergency Management Australia as that area of NSW is inundated with flooding. The aircraft and its crew were released from a planned training mission to undertake the humanitarian assistance flight.