Aviation News

Surf Air Mobility has announced it intends to “develop and certify hybrid and fully-electric powertrains for new and existing Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft.” The California company has struck deals with electric motor maker magniX and AeroTEC, an engineering company, to develop STCs for both types of powertrains. It has also announced a deal to merge […]

Pilatus calls its PC24 the SVJ, or “Super Versatile Jet,” and has produced a video to demonstrate that capability. The video shows the step-by-step process of reconfiguring the cabin for a variety of missions with nine separate cabin layouts. They range from an eight-seat “6+2” luxury business jet layout to a fully equipped air ambulance […]

Attorneys pursuing a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines posted a legal filing accusing the airline of an unusual certification maneuver they say was designed to deceive the FAA. A Seattle Times story published Monday (May 16) reported that, in 2016, before the 737 Max was certified, Southwest management suggested that Boeing install a single example of the […]

Every pilot admires the way birds fly (most birds, anyway). But researchers at the University of Central Florida (UCF) Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering have launched a study on how birds execute their best “perching” maneuver—landing on tree branches, wires or other tight spots. The group found that some birds pitch their wings upward […]

SPONSORED CONTENT—Rob’s comments arrived in the AVweb marketing department last week as aviation’s premier news and information service prepared to roll out phase one of its new classified advertising system. According to Publisher Tom Bliss, AVweb’s classified ad service is in “pre-launch” and will start accepting listings from aviation service providers this week. “If you […]

Citing “people familiar with U.S. officials’ preliminary assessment of what led to the accident,” today’s issue (May 17) of the Wall Street Journal reported that data suggests the fatal crash of a China Eastern Boeing 737-800 on March 21 was due to an intentional act by someone at the controls. “The plane did what it […]

A coalition of aviation companies and organizations is calling for regulatory changes aimed at supporting wide-scale commercialization of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). In a letter (PDF) to National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, the coalition asked for five “fixes” to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) annual rule. The suggested changes include allowing SAF feedstock to be […]

JetBlue has filed a proxy statement and launched a website urging Spirit Airlines shareholders to vote against a proposed merger between Spirit and fellow ultra-low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines. Spirit rejected a competing purchase offer from JetBlue earlier this month, citing a low probability of obtaining antitrust clearance. According to JetBlue, its latest offer, made on […]

Surack Enterprises founder Chuck Surack has purchased Michigan-based aircraft manufacturer Enstrom Helicopter Corporation. According to the company, which is headquartered in Indiana, it plans to “rebuild the Enstrom brand into one of the leading American-made helicopter manufacturer[s] as it once was.” Enstrom filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy last January and announced in March that it […]

Using the most diplomatic language possible, the three billionaires who paid $55 million each for a trip to the International Space Station told a news conference they were overworked on their epic adventure. “With the value of hindsight, we were way too aggressive on our schedule, in particular the first couple days,” said Larry Connor, […]