Interesting Airplanes

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 […]

Air Tractor recently celebrated the delivery of its 1,000th AT-802A at the employee-owned plant in Olney, Texas. The 802 is the largest single-engine cropduster in production and its unique capabilities have given it the rare distinction of fundamentally changing the industries that use it. Even company founder Leland Snow, who died in 2011, didn’t comprehend […]

Boeing attracted almost half a billion dollars in government research money this week with two projects that challenge contemporary aircraft design. NASA announced it will cover $425 million of the $725 million cost of building a full-scale prototype single-aisle airliner with strut-supported glider-like wings. Boeing and its partners will pay the balance. The projection is […]

Textron has sold a couple of its SkyCourier twins in passenger configuration to Mexican startup Aerus. The new airline also ordered four 14-passenger Caravan EXes to serve domestic and international routes with a hub in Monterrey in northeastern Mexico. The airline has already taken delivery of three Caravan EXes. Aerus plans to start scheduled service […]