Aviation News

What appears to be a good catch by a Portland tower controller kept two airliners apart at Portland International last week. An ATC recording and animation making the social media rounds over the weekend caught the attention of some networks and it was billed as the latest in a series of near-collisions at U.S. airports. […]

The British Navy says it will soon be routine for drones to resupply carriers at sea and it started that process in September. A STOL drone made by W Autonomous Systems landed on HMS Prince of Wales and then took off again back to the U.K. mainland. It was the first such flight for the […]

A Canadian province is leveraging the power of public benefit aviation to bolster its government-run healthcare system and ensure timely care for cancer patients. The British Columbia government has given a $10 million grant to Hope Air, a volunteer organization that has provided tens of thousands of free flights, both on airliners and through a […]

The FAA says an Alaska Airlines pilot flying in the jumpseat of an Embraer E175 on Sunday tried to disable the engines on the aircraft by attempting to set off the fire extinguishers on both. The flight, operating as a Horizon Air service, was headed from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco and diverted to Portland. […]

Cancellations mounted at Spirit Airlines on Friday as the airline cited “necessary” inspections for some of its aircraft. Data from FlightAware  shows Spirit had canceled roughly 100 flights or 11 percent of its daily operations by Friday afternoon. Spirit said 25 aircraft were being inspected and the FAA was aware of the situation. It did not […]

German startup flyVbird signed a letter of intent (LOI) for the purchase of 25 of Eviation’s Alice all-electric aircraft with options to buy 25 more. Alice, now valued at more than $5 billion, first debuted at the 2019 Paris Air Show. It is the world’s first flight-tested all-electric commuter aircraft. According to Eviation, the nine-passenger […]

The NTSB says the Cessna 177RG carrying AOPA Safety Institute head Richard McSpadden crashed about 440 feet short of Lake Placid’s Runway 14 in a failed attempt to return to the airport after McSpadden reported an unspecified problem with the plane. According to the preliminary report (click link at end of story) McSpadden was in […]

According to a report from the Daily Caller, a 70-year-old California man flew his Mooney aircraft over Area 51 and is currently awaiting a call from the Department of Defense. In a series of voicemails, the pilot told the Daily Caller he successfully flew over the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) within Nellis Air […]

The war between Israel and Hamas forces could have a knock-on impact on airline operations. According to a report posted on the Reuters website today (Oct. 19), industry sources “with direct knowledge of the matter” said aviation “war insurers” have given notice they could cancel coverage for certain airlines based in Israel and Lebanon. Normal […]

There may soon be more advantage to choosing a window seat than just the view. United Airlines has instituted a new boarding process that allows window-seat holders to board before middle and aisle seaters. The so-called “WILMA” (window, middle, aisle) plan is designed to cut boarding time. “It spreads people out along the aisle of […]