Aviation News

NASA has announced its X-59 supersonic research aircraft has emerged from its construction facility and now sits on the flightline at Lockheed-Martin’s “Skunk Works” in Palmdale, California. The transition occurred in late June, leading up to ongoing ground tests to ensure a safe first flight. The X-59 is expected to help demonstrate that modern technology […]

Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics has announced plans to expand its headquarters in Wichita, Kansas. The company expects to break ground on the 28,000-square-foot addition later this year. Expansion work will be completed by Kansas-based design firm Alloy Architecture. “We invest heavily in research and development to propel our industry forward,” said Mid-Continent President and CEO […]

Airbus has officially opened a new final assembly line (FAL) for A320-family aircraft at its facility in Toulouse, France. Located in the former A380 assembly building, the new line features digital production control using tablets and smartphones, automated logistics for parts distribution and lightweight robots for joining sections. According to Airbus, the additional capacity the […]

Extra Aircraft announced on Monday that it is adding a new aerobatic monoplane to its lineup with the introduction of the 330SX. The model, which is currently in testing, flew for the first time last week. An “evolution” of the company’s 330SC, the single-seat 330SX offers a wider cockpit, reduced fuselage length, redesigned cowling, increased […]

Former FAA Deputy Administrator Mike Whitaker is expected to be nominated by President Joe Biden to become the agency’s next administrator. The Wall Street Journal said sources told it the announcement will likely come this week but talks have not been finalized. Whitaker was second-in-command under Administrator Michael Huerta from 2013 to 2016 and focused […]

An AD that takes effect July 17 affects more than 41,000 turbocharged piston aircraft in service in the U.S. They’ll all have to be checked to see what kind of clamp is used to connect the turbocharger to the tailpipe. If it turns out to be a spot-welded, multi-segment exhaust pipe v-band coupling that has […]

Six people killed in the crash of Cessna 550 were apparently heading home on an early morning flight from Las Vegas on Saturday. CBS is reporting all six, ranging in age from 25 to 51, were from the immediate area of Murrieta, California. Authorities told CBS the aircraft was on its second attempt to land […]

Raytheon is pulling long-retired production workers out of their easy chairs and fishing boats to teach the current generation of factory employees how to make Stinger shoulder-launched missiles. Stingers have been out of production for 20 years and the stockpiles in the U.S. and other allies have been depleted by donations to Ukraine. They’re still […]

Textron Aviation announced on Thursday that it has delivered the first Cessna Citation Longitude business jet to be registered in Mexico. The aircraft went to an undisclosed customer who plans to use it for business travel in North America. The Longitude, which earned its FAA type certificate in September 2019, received certification from Mexico’s Agencia […]

Urban air mobility (UAM) startup Archer Aviation has hosted a delegation from the Federal Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Interagency Working Group at its flight test facility. The group included more than 70 people representing agencies and departments such as the FAA, NASA, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Defense (DOD) and […]