Aviation News

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 […]

Pilot, astronaut and author Michael Collins passed away on Wednesday at the age of 90. Chosen as one of fourteen members of NASA’s third astronaut group in 1963, Collins first went to space as pilot of the 1966 Gemini 10 mission. He also flew the Apollo 11 mission, piloting the command module while crew members […]

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has approved Piper’s M600/SLS HALO safety system, driven by Garmin Autoland technology. Ron Gunnarson, Piper vice president of sales, marketing and customer support, said, “Our customers are looking for the kind of unique value proposition only available in the M600/SLS as well as the peace of mind that comes with […]

It might seem surprising that after all these years of tracking magenta lines, GPS navigation is still considered “cheating.” But there are many procedures where it remains unclear when using satellite navigation as a primary source is a no-no, and the distinction can be confusing. The American Bonanza Society (ABS) is presenting an FAA FAAST-sponsored […]

NASA signed a memorandum of understanding this week with the National Science Foundation (NSF) “to collaborate on an initiative to open new avenues to engineering careers for communities underserved and underrepresented in STEM [science, technology, engineering, and math].” The collaboration will tap Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) in recruiting and educating the engineers it cites as “essential […]

Canadian-based Top Aces has announced a new contract with the German armed forces to provide adversary air training services. Top Aces has been serving in that role with Germany for the past six years and will invest in new technology capabilities for its A-4N Skyhawk and F-16. Now the exclusive provider of adversary air services […]

The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) officially broke ground on a two-story, 30,000-square-foot addition to the EAA Aviation Center in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on Monday. Part of the organization’s Project 21 museum revitalization initiative, the expansion will feature a Pilot Proficiency Center and hands-on youth education center. The new facility, which will be connected to the EAA […]

Two active duty U.S. Air Force officers have taken the unusual step of publicly scolding their superiors over pilot retention efforts and suggesting they hire outsiders to fix the problem. Brian Kruchkow and Tobias Switzer (ranks were not provided) wrote in Defense One that Air Force brass have botched the effort so badly it’s time […]

American is the latest in a parade of airlines announcing it will recall its idled pilots and start hiring more by the end of the year as it plays catch-up on the surprisingly fast recovery of airline travel. “We intend to resume pilot hiring this fall,” Capt. Chip Long, VP of Operations for American, said […]