Interesting Airplanes

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 […]

The world’s oldest Lear Jet is on its way to its birthplace where a group of enthusiasts hopes to restore it to flying condition. The Classic Lear Jet Foundation found the first aircraft delivered by Bill Lear’s upstart company. It was found intact but in need of restoration in Bartow, Florida. Over the weekend it […]

The FAA has cleared California-based Universal Hydrogen to fly a Dash-8-300 with one engine powered by hydrogen. The Seattle Times is reporting the aircraft got the FAA clearance on Monday after the company was able to run the engine up to full power. The company is doing its development work at Moses Lake in central […]

The goal of the first test flight in any aircraft is that it be uneventful, but there’s a reason test pilots are among the best in the business. In the warbird community, Steve Hinton is one of the go-tos and while many of his test flights do go off with barely a hitch, they can […]

Researchers at MIT have done some tinkering and may have revolutionized propeller design. Almost on a scientific whim, a team at the Lincoln Laboratory whipped up a few batches of “toroidal” propellers for a drone on a 3D printer and discovered they were not only much quieter than the OEM props but they put out […]

Boeing says its collaboration with NASA on a highly efficient single-aisle airliner could lead to a replacement for the 737. In an earnings call on Wednesday, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun confirmed that the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator meets the “standard needed to launch a commercial airplane” with its major increases in fuel efficiency. “The program that […]