Aviation News

SpaceX has scrubbed the first launch attempt of its integrated Starship launch vehicle and Super Heavy rocket, citing issues with the pressurization system. The attempt was called off less than 10 minutes before launch, with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk noting via Twitter that a “pressurant valve appears to be frozen.” SpaceX says it is targeting […]

Nearly two years after beginning its mission, NASA’s Mars helicopter, Ingenuity, successfully completed its 50th flight with a 145.7-second hop on April 13. The rotorcraft flew for the first time on April 19, 2021, marking the first powered, controlled flight of an aircraft on another planet. Originally expected to survive for just five flights, Ingenuity […]

The FAA is taking steps to better fit rocket launches into the National Airspace system. The agency announced last week it has come up with guidelines “to optimize and equitably manage the airspace in the vicinity of launch sites.” Airlines and other operators have been grumbling about the diversions and airspace closures that inevitably result […]

An unknown number of Indonesian soldiers were killed and as many as 30 are missing after Papuan rebels attacked them during their search for a kidnapped New Zealand pilot. Phillip Mehrtens was taken by gunmen after he landed his Susi Air plane at a remote strip in the rebel-held area of the country in February. […]

The FAA has issued a launch permit for SpaceX’s test launch of its Starship spacecraft aboard its Super Heavy rocket booster with the earliest launch window opening at 8:00 a.m. April 17 with backup windows on each of the five following days. It’s the largest rocket combination ever built, towering almost 400 feet above the […]

Boeing has stopped deliveries of some 737 MAX airliners after the discovery of noncompliant parts in structures supplied by contractor Spirit Aerosystems. Reuters is reporting that the issue is with fittings that attach the tail to the fuselage being installed incorrectly. “We have notified the FAA of the issue and are working to conduct inspections […]

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport has reopened after flooding closed the facility and damaged some equipment. The airport resumed operations at 9 a.m. April 14 after being closed for more than a day. Runways, taxiways and ramp areas were all inundated Wednesday after an unprecedented 30-inch rainfall in a little more than a day. The NOAA’s weather […]

Brazil-based Embraer has launched a new version of its A-29 Super Tucano single-engine military turboprop designed to meet NATO’s operational requirements. Called the A-29N, the aircraft is specifically aimed at “meeting the needs of nations in Europe.” According to Embraer, it will include NATO-required equipment and features including a new datalink and single-pilot operation as […]

NASA has announced that the final installation of the tail assembly on its X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) research aircraft is complete. The work took place at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, where the aircraft returned a year ago following a series of tests in Fort Worth, Texas. The X-59 is expected to […]

The FAA says that it referred at least 17 cases involving allegedly unruly airline passengers to the FBI for criminal prosecution review during the first quarter of 2023. The referrals continue a partnership between the agencies that was stepped up in 2021 in response to a dramatic increase in reports of violently unruly passengers that […]