Aviation News

After weeks of trying, SpaceX on Wednesday finally succeeded in landing its Mars Starship booster. But five minutes after touchdown—possibly due to a methane leak—the rocket exploded in a spectacular ball of fire on the Boca Chica, Texas, recovery pad. Two previous attempts to land the booster after successful low-altitude test flights ended in fiery […]

The FAA has chosen five host airports to test technologies designed to “detect and mitigate potential safety risks” presented by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS/drones). The airports selected are New Jersey’s Atlantic City International Airport (ACY); Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR) in New York; Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK) in Columbus, Ohio; Huntsville International Airport (HSV) in […]

NetJets has signed an agreement with supersonic aircraft developer Aerion that includes purchase options for 20 Aerion AS2 supersonic business jets. According to Aerion, the deal brings the value of its order backlog to approximately $10 billion. The company also announced plans to collaborate with aviation training provider FlightSafety International to develop a flight training […]

The FAA has approved the Johnson & Johnson “one-shot” COVID-19 vaccine for pilots and others who “perform safety sensitive duties.” Previously, the agency had approved the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines and, as with those, the J&J alternative carries a brief waiting period before resuming duties. The approval came on the same day the FDA issued […]

Boeing’s Loyal Wingman uncrewed military aircraft successfully completed its first flight this week at the at the Woomera Range Complex in Australia. Monitored from a ground control station, the autonomous aircraft flew a predetermined route for the flight, testing flight functionality and performance. The Loyal Wingman, which is the first military aircraft to be designed […]

All-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer Kitty Hawk and international health care company Falck have announced that they will be collaborating on adapting Kitty Hawk’s Heaviside eVTOL for emergency response operations. According to the companies, the partnership’s first priority will be developing a framework for integrating Heaviside into emergency services. Falck intends to […]

The Rolls-Royce ACCEL program, short for Accelerating the Electrification of Flight, has successfully completed its initial taxi tests, an important milestone prior to first flight. The airframe is based on the Nemesis NXT homebuilt, which was designed as a Reno air racer and 10 kits were put into the world. According to Rolls-Royce’s minister for […]

Described as a labor of love, stop-action animator Augustus Danko (who goes by the name OnBeatMan), has recreated the trailer for “Top Gun: Maverick,” due to reach theaters this summer. The movie is a continuation of the “Top Gun” franchise, a mere 35 years after the original debuted. As we wait for the film, we’ve […]

United Airlines is adding 25 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to its order, describing the single-aisle jet as “the right aircraft at the right time” and increasing the total order to more than 180 aircraft. Meanwhile, China has not yet cleared the MAX for return to service, citing “major safety concerns.” China was among the first […]

A woman who belted a Delta flight attendant in defense of her anti-mask, anti-seatbelt male traveling companion is finding out just how tough the FAA’s new passenger behavior crackdown can be. The FAA announced on Friday it’s proposing a $27,500 civil penalty against the woman, who went after the FA on a plane that should […]