Aviation News

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei returned from the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, setting a new record for the longest single spaceflight in history by an American. Vande Hei launched on April 9, 2021, for a mission total of 355 days, 15 days longer than the previous record. According to NASA, he completed approximately […]

Reuters is reporting that aircraft leasing companies are filing billions of dollars in insurance claims trying to reclaim the value of about 100 airliners that have been effectively seized by Russia. The companies say they have little hope their Russian customers will ever give back the planes they have leased since the Monday deadline for […]

A judge in New Zealand has theoretically clipped a rebel 76-year-old pilot’s wings for good after determining that his long history flouting the regs makes it unlikely he’ll change his ways. According to Stuff, Judge Chris Tuohy of the Wellington District Court said the litany of half-baked defenses Lindsay McNicol had offered for a decades-long […]

A lot of french fries went into Airbus’ latest sustainability photo op. The planemaker flew its first flight test A380 with one engine burning 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) made from used cooking oil and other waste fats on two flights last Friday and Monday, putting more than five hours on the carbon neutral […]

FedEx says it will start testing an autonomous hybrid eVTOL that can carry up to 500 pounds as far as 300 miles. The company said the trials with the Elroy Chaparral will start in 2023 and begin the process of getting certification for pilotless delivery. “We look forward to continued testing and learning throughout our […]

Duncan Aviation announced today (March 29) that its senior captain, Larry Bartlett, has received the FAA’s Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award. The award is the agency’s most prestigious for pilots certified under Title 14 of the Code of Regulations (14 CFR) part 61 and “recognizes individuals who have exhibited professionalism, skill, and aviation expertise for […]

Canada has chosen the Lockheed Martin F-35A to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) fleet of CF-188 Hornets, eschewing Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet in the selection process. Other contenders for the Future Fighter Capability Project (FFCP) included the Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and the Saab Gripen, which was the last competitor to fall in […]

Garmin on Monday (March 28) announced the premium Mach 1 version of its D2 aviation watch, the D2 Mach 1, with an AMOLED (active-matrix organic light emitting diode) touch display face. The watch was announced among other new-product announcements at the Aviation Electronics Association International Convention & Trade Show in New Orleans. With moving-map and […]

While practicing precision landings for an upcoming flight competition in a Cessna 150, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University senior Chris Shields and junior Connor Cvetan were doing pattern work at Palatka Municipal Airport (28J), about 35 miles east of Gainesville, Florida. They picked up an emergency Mayday on the airport’s Unicom frequency from retired airline pilot Jim […]

On June 4, 1964, Bill Lear laughingly told his executive staff gathered around a conference table in Wichita, Kansas, “OK, we’ve just sold our first Lear Jet!” But the “customer” was the insurance company. As related in Richard Baske’s biography of Bill Lear, “Stormy Genius,” an FAA test pilot had neglected to retract the wing […]