Between Farnborough and Oshkosh, the last few weeks have seen a number of new aircraft announcements and certifications. Clearly the most important announcement in terms of sales was the new Airbus A350XWB (Xtra Wide Body – I vomited a little too), which will have a wider body than the 787. Oddly enough, though, two of the three XWB models compete directly with the 777 – an airliner whose cabin is a full ten inches wider than the XWB. Not only is it cheesy X-based marketing (xtra efficiency! xtra comfort! xtra obnoxious!), it’s just plain incorrect. As more information comes out it’ll become clear whether it’s a wise redesign.

The Eclipse 500 was certified a few days ago, and the first customer aircraft has already taken to the skies. Eclipse has worked long and hard to bring the Very Light Jet to the market, and hopefully it will pay off. Still, the demand has to be limited, and Socata’s TBM850 ‘very fast turboprop’ might be the right mix of payload, performance, and cost.

Also revealed at Oshkosh were some new Cessna aircraft – the Cessna Sport, in the light-sport category, and the Next-Generation Piston. Both are very sleek, aluminum designs that look like they could pull Cessna back into the GA forefront. Interesting to note are the forward-swept wings and the close similarity the NGP holds to the Cardinal. Which engines Cessna chooses for these planes could have a wide-reaching impact on the industry.