Interesting Airplanes

Hydrogen-electric propulsion company ZeroAvia has teamed with Natilus, which has designed an autonomous blended wing body cargo plane that might offer some advantages in making a commercially viable aircraft. The spacious interior of the Kona has more room to store hydrogen than conventional designs and that might tip the balance in getting the range necessary […]

China’s first domestically produced jet airliner went into revenue service on Sunday although it’s a stretch to call it a Chinese aircraft. The China Eastern Airlines C919 launched from Shanghai Honqiao Airport with about 130 passengers (it seats 164) for Chengdu and will be assigned to that route. Government officials and state-run media all gushed […]

California startup Magpie Aviation is proposing an in-flight tow system to increase the range of electric aircraft. Unless and until battery technology makes some major advances, electric aircraft useful load is limited by the need to load up with batteries to fly any distance. Magpie is testing a system that will allow a plane full […]

Simple Flying is reporting British firms Britten-Norman and Cranfield Aerospace Solutions are merging to create a series of hydrogen-electric fuel cell aircraft, the first of which is expected to be in service in 2026. Britten-Norman still makes the Islander light twin commuter and cargo aircraft, and the first hybrid design from the new company will […]

Canada will give Ukraine a Russian cargo jet it effectively seized in the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced the Volga-Dnepr An-124 will be transferred to Ukraine. The An-124 is one of the largest cargo aircraft in service and its transfer was part of a new sanctions […]

Ukraine authorities have charged the former head of Antonov with “official negligence” for failing to get the An-225 out of the country before Russian troops invaded the airport where it was located in March of 2022. According to AirLive.net, the Ukraine Security Service (SBU) allege Serhii Bychkov was supposed to order the plane flown to […]

Flying Whales, which is developing a new LCA60T hybrid airship in Canada, has announced that Honeywell’s new purpose-built one megawatt aviation generator will power the aircraft. The Quebec-based company is building a rigid airship buoyed by 180,000 cubic meters of helium that the company says can lift and carry 132,000 pounds. It will have electric […]

Lockheed Martin is dipping a toe in the sea of electric aircraft offerings with “major investment” in the ground effect sea skimming Regent Seaglider. The unusual application has gathered a reported 400 orders, mostly from airlines that have a lot of short island-hopping routes. But Lockheed Martin, one of the world’s largest defense contractors, sees […]

MSN.com is reporting Virgin Orbit is laying off most of its staff and ceasing operations after failing to raise enough money to keep trying to build an aircraft-based space launch business. In a call with staff on Thursday, CEO Dan Hart said 675 of about 775 staff will be cut. Company founder Sir Richard Branson […]

The new aircraft that will serve as Air Force One won’t be finished for another four to five years but they’re already on their second paint scheme. During his term, former President Donald Trump ordered the livery of the updated aircraft be changed to a red, white and blue scheme. President Joe Biden has decided […]