Aviation News

A trifecta of business cataclysms—COVID-19’s impact on air travel, the 737 MAX grounding, and a slow recovery in international air travel that has depressed demand for widebody aircraft—has dramatically impacted Boeing’s bottom line. In releasing its fourth-quarter 2020 financials today, Boeing says revenue declined by 15 percent in the fourth quarter and was down overall […]

Terrafugia announced on Tuesday that it has obtained a Special Light-Sport Aircraft (SLSA) airworthiness certificate from the FAA for its Transition roadable aircraft. While designed to meet both FAA and National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) safety standards, the initial version of the Transition is a flight-only model. Terrafugia says intends to produce and […]

The uAvionix tailBeaconX tail-mounted Mode S transponder has received TSO approval, paving the way for its use in certified aircraft. Already used on experimental aircraft, the tailBeaconX includes a Mode S transponder, internal GPS and LED position light in one 5-oz. package. The transponder is controlled by the AV-30-C all-in-one EFIS with special control software.  […]

Frontier Airlines and ATP Flight School have launched a pathway program for ATP graduates and flight instructors looking for employment as first officers at Frontier. Through the Frontier Direct Program, ATP says graduates will work as flight instructors at the school until reaching 1250 to 1500 hours total flight time, at which point recommended individuals […]

Ligado Networks’ terrestrial 5G program will continue its development despite aviation-industry pushback concerned with the potential for GPS interference. Earlier this year, aviation groups sent a request to the FCC to reconsider its prior approval, but the FCC last week denied “a request to stay its unanimous decision,” authorizing the program to move forward.   […]

Sikorsky and Boeing officially introduced their latest assault helicopter design for the U.S. Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program, the Defiant X, on Monday. Based on the Sikorsky-Boeing team’s technology demonstrator, SB>1 Defiant, the Defiant X features a coaxial rotor system, fly-by-wire flight controls, pusher prop, composite construction and retractable landing gear. According […]

A full range of webinars focusing on homebuilt aircraft starts tomorrow as the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Homebuilders Week. These free webinars do not require association membership to view, although registration is required. They will cover topics as general as which kit aircraft to consider and as specific as how to work with composites and electrical […]

A California man has set a world speed record for RC aircraft by using an aerodynamic oddity to push his glider to 548 MPH. Spencer Lisenby used a technique called dynamic soaring to whip his heavily reinforced composite glider to almost Mach levels over a mountaintop near Los Angeles on Jan. 19. The Santa Anna […]

A Boeing 787 captain from Livermore, California, is the latest winner of the AOPA Sweepstakes aircraft. Aaron Benedetti was presented with the Vans RV-10 at Livermore Municipal Airport by AOPA President Mark Baker. “This can’t be possible. The RV–10 is a phenomenal aircraft,” Benedetti said. “I’m speechless.” In addition to flying international routes for a […]

SpaceX set a new record for payloads on Sunday with the successful delivery of 143 small satellites to various orbits. The Falcon 9 launched from Cape Canaveral at 7 a.m. on Sunday and within an hour it was shedding tiny satellites. On board were 133 spacecraft for missions varying from personal locator beacon detection to […]