Aviation News

The NTSB says the pilot of a DJI Matrice drone suffered a serious hand injury after tangling with the uncooperative aircraft near Young Harris, Georgia, on May 6. According to a preliminary report (search CEN21LA224), the pilot was demonstrating the drone to a prospective customer but the aircraft wouldn’t respond correctly to control inputs. He […]

The NTSB says improperly installed trim tabs were a factor in the crash of a Piper Navajo in Myrtle Beach last May 21. A preliminary report (ERA21FA224) issued this week said investigators found the trim tabs were installed upside down and backward during an annual inspection completed two days before the flight. All the control […]

Bell Textron announced on Thursday that the fleet of AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom attack and utility helicopters has passed the 400,000-flight-hour mark. The aircraft, which have been deployed for military operations since 2010, are the result of an upgrade program for H-1 helicopters launched by the U.S. Marine Corps in 1996. The Marine Corps […]

Boeing has formed a partnership with Alaska Airlines to test around 20 aviation-oriented technologies as part of the latest iteration of its ecoDemonstrator program. Using a new 737-9 as a flying lab, the program will focus on technologies designed to “enhance the safety and sustainability of air travel.” Once testing is complete, the aircraft will […]

Garmin Autoland has been named the recipient of the 2020 Robert J. Collier Trophy for being “the world’s first certified autonomous system that activates during an emergency to safely control and land an aircraft without human intervention.” Garmin introduced its Emergency Autoland system in October 2019 and the first Autoland-equipped aircraft received its FAA type […]

United Airlines has signed an agreement with Boom Supersonic to purchase 15 Overture supersonic airliners once the model meets United’s “safety, operating and sustainability requirements.” Announced on Thursday, the deal also includes options for 35 additional aircraft. Boom is partnering with Rolls-Royce on a propulsion system for the Overture, which is expected to fly at […]

Bombardier confirmed on Wednesday that it has signed a deal to supply the U.S. Air Force with up to six modified Global 6000 aircraft. The jets will go to support the Air Force’s Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) program, which currently operates three Bombardier Global Express E-11As and four Global Hawk E-Q4Bs. Bombardier has delivered […]

Rolls-Royce officially opened the doors to its new 7,500-square-meter (80,729-square-foot) testbed facility in Derby, U.K., last week. Called Testbed 80, the testbed can collect data for more than 10,000 different engine parameters and detect vibrations at a rate of up to 200,000 samples per second. Along with being able to handle Rolls-Royce’s UltraFan demonstrator, which […]

Western information on advanced Chinese military aviation projects, including those involving stealth technology, is often derived from photos or video shot at public events such as airshows or heads of states’ visits to research institutions. Television cameras revealed a significant-looking new helicopter design on May 19 displayed in model form at government-controlled AVIC China Helicopter […]

The past weekend saw Southwest and American Airlines decide to delay their decisions to resume serving alcohol on flights. The decisions stem from a continued increase in incidents involving disruptive passengers. FAA reports for 2021 show that, as of May 24, there were roughly 2,500 reported incidents of “unruly behavior” by passengers. Some 1,900 of […]