Aviation News

Van’s Aircraft owes a lot of creditors relatively modest amounts of money, according to legal filings relating to the case. In its bankruptcy petition, the company says it owes from $10 to $50 million, but the top 20 creditors listed on its bankruptcy petition are only owed a fraction of that. The balance is owed […]

The EcoPulse, a modified Daher TBM hybrid-electric distributed-propulsion aircraft demonstrator, performed its first test flight on Nov. 29. As part of the 100-minute sortie, the aircraft activated its ePropellers, which are powered by a battery and a turbogenerator. The EcoPulse is a joint development of Daher, Safran and Airbus “to support aviation’s decarbonization roadmap.” The […]

The National Air Races may have left Reno Stead Airport, but that doesn’t mean the skies will be entirely quiet next fall. An announcement on the Reno Air Racing Association Facebook page trumpets a “BIG SHOW” to run Oct. 4-6, 2024, at the airport. Though pylon racing will not be part of the menu, the […]

With the entire kit-built aircraft community reacting to the news of Van’s Aircraft filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, AVweb sister-publication Kitplanes has posted a reaction to the legal filing titled “How Did They Get Here?” While noting that Chapter 11 is the track typically resulting in reorganization and a continuation of the business, as […]

California-based Reliable Robotics announced today (Dec. 6) it has completed an FAA-sanctioned uncrewed flight of a Cessna 208B Caravan at Hollister Airport (KCVH) just south of San Jose, with a remote pilot in control from the company headquarters in Mountain View, California, 50 miles away. The Caravan took off from Runway 31 and entered a […]

An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to set off the fire suppression system on a company E175 in flight will face misdemeanor charges in Oregon for the widely publicized incident. He’s also likely to be released from custody to go home to California to await trial, according to the New York Times. A grand […]

A day before the NTSB will hold a daylong meeting on pilot mental health issues, the FAA announced the creation of its new rulemaking committee on the same topic. The Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Aviation Rulemaking Committee was officially formed with a committee charter and its role is to “provide a forum for […]

The Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds will headline the airshow at EAA AirVenture in July. The nine-jet formation team last appeared at the big show in 2016 and quickly became fan favorites, said EAA spokesman Rick Larsen. It’s the RCAF’s 100th anniversary in 2024 so it will be a memorable way to mark the centennial. […]

Boeing says it’s opting out of a multibillion-dollar competition to build the Air Force’s next “Doomsday Plane” because it can’t afford to risk losing money on it. Reuters reported that the company and the Air Force failed to come to terms because the Air Force insisted on a “fixed-price” contract for the planes. Boeing has […]

About 1,500 customers who have put deposits on a total of 3,500 orders for airplane kits, parts and complete aircraft at Van’s Aircraft will have until Jan. 15, 2024, to accept price increases or risk losing their deposits. As part of Van’s Chapter 11 filing on Monday (posted by a commenter on the vansairforce forum), […]