Aviation News

One of general aviation’s most prolific aircraft designers and a pioneer of the modern homebuilt movement, Zenair founder Chris Heintz died at his home in France on April 30. He was 82. In his more than 40 years as the head of Zenair, Heintz designed at least 12 aircraft that became acclaimed kits and plans-built […]

A Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) pilot checked in on time for his flight but will carry a stain on his record for the expense and disruption it caused. Capt. Nathaniel D’Arcy was commanding a CP-140 Aurora, the RCAF equivalent of the U.S. Navy P-3 Orion, in a training exercise off the west coast of […]

Airshow performer Matt Younkin is fine but his pristine Beech 18 is a little banged up after a partial gear-up landing in St. Joseph, Missouri, on Thursday. Younkin was headed to perform his spectacular twin aerobatics routine at the Sound of Speed Airshow. “As you may have heard, we had an interesting arrival at the […]

ZeroAvia’s ambitious program to develop hydrogen-powered aircraft suffered a setback on April 29 when its Piper Malibu Mirage testbed was severely damaged in an off-airport landing in the U.K. The aircraft landed in a field adjacent to Cranfield Airport. The left wing was sheared off in the mishap, as was the nosegear. There was also […]

This week, AVweb’s news roundup found reports on emergency power inverters for Gulfstream aircraft, a collaboration to advance sustainable aviation fuel and the results of an FBO survey. True Blue Power has announced that it will offer emergency power inverters for Gulfstream G550, GV and G450 aircraft. According to the company, its 1200-watt TI1204 DC-to-AC […]

The U.S. Senate voted unanimously on Thursday to confirm former astronaut and senator Bill Nelson as the 14th administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). He takes over from acting NASA administrator Steve Jurczyk. Nelson, who went to space in 1986 as payload specialist on space shuttle Columbia, represented Florida in the U.S. […]

Textron Aviation announced on Wednesday that its Beechcraft King Air 360/360ER and King Air 260 aircraft have received certifications from Brazil’s Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC/National Civil Aviation Authority). With that hurdle cleared, the company is planning to begin deliveries of its newest twin-engine turboprop models in the country this quarter. According to Textron, […]

The massive Stratloaunch aerial launch platform took to the air on Thursday for the first time since its initial flight in April 2019. The test flight, which lasted approximately 3 hours and ten minutes, departed from California’s Mojave Air and Space Port at about 7:30 a.m. local time. According to the company, the flight was […]

Robinson Helicopter Company announced on Tuesday that it has delivered its 13,000th helicopter. The aircraft, an R44, went to Robinson dealer SKY Helicopters in Dallas, Texas, for its Part 135 air taxi and tour operations. The helicopter will be the 27th Robinson model in SKY’s fleet. “Robinson Helicopter Company has a come a long way […]

An unmanned MQ-8B Fire Scout helicopter crashed into the side of USS Charleston shortly after taking off from the ship on Monday. No one was injured in the incident, but U.S. Navy officials reported that the aircraft fell into the water and was not recovered. The crash occurred at approximately 3:40 p.m. local time. “The […]