Aviation News

The FAA has issued a safety notice telling pilots something many have already found out the hard way. It’s warning that air traffic control facilities can suddenly close for cleaning after the discovery of COVID-19 infection in staff members. In some cases that means crews have to fend for themselves in maintaining separation in some […]

Flight attendants are applauding a new zero-tolerance stance by the FAA for bad behavior by passengers. The agency has announced that misbehaving passengers will no longer get a warning before they face significant punishment. The action, which is in force until the end of March, stems from a rash of airborne confrontations between unruly passengers […]

An  FAA air traffic controller has been recognized for preventing the crash of a CV-22 Osprey by noticing a maintenance snag from the tower. The student crew was taking off on a challenging night brownout landing training mission at Kirtland Air Force Base/Sunport International Airport in Albuquerque when Wendy Smith, who’s been watching Ospreys take […]

This week, AVweb’s news roundup has uncovered reports on a propeller STC, the introduction of a cabin pressure control and monitoring system, a flight deck upgrade for the Hawker 800XP and a flight school welcoming a new class. Air Plains Services has gained a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) that will allow the Kansas-based company to […]

German air taxi startup Volocopter announced on Friday that the FAA has accepted its application for concurrent type certificate validation for its VoloCity electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The company is currently pursuing certification of the VoloCity under EASA’s SC-VTOL rule, which was published in July 2019. Volocopter hopes to receive that certification […]

A new report published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Transportation Research Board says multiple mitigation strategies are necessary to reduce lead emissions from piston aircraft. The study, “Options for Reducing Lead Emissions from Piston-Engine Aircraft,” was conducted by a ten-person committee in response to a congressional request laid out in the […]

Rolls-Royce announced on Thursday that it has completed the first engine run using its new testbed, Testbed 80, at the company’s facility in Derby, U.K. The engine used for the testbed’s initial run was a Trent XWB, but it will also be capable of testing the company’s UltraFan demonstrator, the blades of which measure 140 […]

Citing delays related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has pushed back the time frame for the first mission using its Dream Chaser spaceplane. Formerly scheduled for late 2021, the company now expects the Dream Chaser to make its initial flight to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2022. The cargo mission […]

Organizers of Florida’s DeLand Sport Aviation Showcase (DSAS) have announced that their Flyway to Highway event has been canceled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The one-day fly-in was co-sponsored by Tesla and scheduled for Jan. 30. In addition to Tesla test drives, the free event would have included an outdoor pancake breakfast hosted by […]

Boeing continues to reorganize its safety infrastructure, announcing on Wednesday that it has appointed Michael Delaney to the newly created role of chief aerospace safety officer. In his new position, Delaney will lead development of the company’s Global Aviation Safety program. He previously served as Boeing’s vice president of Commercial Airplanes Digital Transformation and led […]