Aviation News

Norwegian airline Wideroe says it will offer scheduled service using electric aircraft by 2026 and expects to be emissions-free on all domestic flights by 2040. The airline is working with Rolls-Royce and Tecnam to put the 11-seat P-volt to work on the numerous short-hop routes it flies in the rugged country. “Norway’s extensive network of […]

SpaceX has caught the eye of the U.S. Air Force and not because of the occasionally explosive nature of its testing programs. Air Force contractor Ball Aerospace, whose sole business is “building conformal antennas for tactical aircraft,” is working with SpaceX to see if the Starlink satellite internet service has military applications. The deal was […]

The $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package called the American Rescue Plan was signed by President Biden today and will set up far-reaching economic aid that will directly impact commercial aviation. Some $65 billion of the program is intended to shore up industries that have been hardest hit by the pandemic, including aviation, tourism and restaurants, […]

Textron Aviation’s latest turboprop has received FAA certification. The Beechcraft King Air 260, announced late last year, has been approved, while the company has quietly discontinued the smaller C90 series King Airs after declining sales. As previously announced, the 260 features upgrades including the Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) ThrustSense autothrottle, a new digital pressurization […]

Dassault Aviation’s promise to fly the Falcon 6X in 2021 has been kept with a 2 1/2-hour flight from Dassault’s Mérignac facility near Bordeaux. The Falcon 6X reached 40,000 feet and Mach 0.8, according to the company. The second flight is scheduled as a repositioning flight to the company’s test center near Marseilles. “Today’s flight […]

While the investigation is still in the very early stages, the National Transportation Safety Board has provided an update that sheds a bit more light on the failure of the Boeing 777’s Pratt & Whitney PW4000-series engine that led to a grounding of all so equipped models. Among the observations was the fact that the […]

Vertical Aerospace’s four-passenger, all-electric eVTOL design will be powered by Rolls-Royce electric motors. The design, which uses a total of eight motors, is said to be capable of 200-MPH cruise, 120-mile range and vertical takeoff and landing. Four of the eight motors are housed in pivoting pods that allow them to provide vertical as well […]

As we spool up for a smaller, COVID-19-aware Sun ’n Fun in April, AirVenture is also pushing ahead with tweaks to help improve social distancing. A new program called Express Arrival allows EAA members to buy their show tickets in advance and have their parking passes, wristbands and access passes to the campsites mailed ahead […]

Some military brass say that unmanned aircraft need too many people to keep them flying. The issue came up with a proposed program called Operation Overwatch to supply armed airborne support for special operations personnel in isolated places. Those forces currently rely on the U-28A Draco, a militarized Pilatus PC-12 that bristles with sensors and […]

The stimulus package passed Saturday contained about $14 billion in continued support for airlines and mandates relative employment stability until the end of September. The funding is the third round of relief under the Payroll Support Program and precludes recipients from furloughing, laying off or cutting the pay of existing workers until Sept. 30. It […]