Aviation News

One of the largest civilian helicopter rescue operations ever undertaken ended Sunday when the crew of a foundering cruise ship managed to restore power and sail to a nearby port. Before the ship was able to move again, a total of 476 of 1,300 passengers and crew on the Viking Sky were winched to one […]

James Baker famously called it “the worst ^%$&ing job in government.” He was referring to the job of White House chief of staff but he may as well have been talking about being FAA administrator. If it’s not the second-worst job in government, it’s surely in the top five. Now comes Steve Dickson, late of […]

AVweb’s weekly news roundup found reports on a new partnership for Transcend Air Corporation, Air Astana’s adoption of a flight safety tool, an agreement between SKYTRAC and Vmo Solutions, and an upcoming documentary series on the history and future of the world’s fastest vehicles. Whole aircraft rescue parachute system manufacturer BRS Aerospace and Transcend Air […]

The Sikorsky-Boeing SB>1 Defiant helicopter successfully completed its first flight on Thursday. The aircraft was developed by Lockheed Martin subsidiary Sikorsky in partnership with Boeing to be part of the U.S. Army’s Future Vertical Lift program. It was designed using technology developed from Sikorsky’s X2 Technology Demonstrator, which won the Collier Trophy in 2010. Features […]

In this image from the FAA, the arrow shows the correct presence of safety wire securing the bolt head. On the accident SR20, the bolt was missing, presumably from breakage of the safety wire or the failure of maintenance personnel to reinstall it after maintenance. The FAA issued an Aviation Maintenance Alert this week pertaining […]

Last month, the Aircraft Electronics Association reported a 17.6% bump in overall avionics sales. And while a good portion of that gain was attributed to a generally stronger new-airplane market, the bulk was pegged on the looming deadline for ADS-B Out equipage. That sounds plausible enough, but we decided to see what’s really happening down […]

Time waits for no one and, certainly, no machine. But even with that in mind, light-aircraft aficionados might be surprised to know that a few popular aircraft designs are having significant anniversaries at Oshkosh this year. Baby Ace, 90 years. The high-wing homebuilt was first offered as a plans-built design in 1929. Of course, nine […]

To be certified as a factory-built LSA, Texas Aircraft Manufacturing’s Colt is set to debut at Oshkosh this year featuring an aluminum airframe, chromoly steel-tube “safety cell” and a ballistic parachute. If you think it looks a lot like the INPAER Conquest 180, you’d be right; Caio Jordo, who led the Brazilian lightplane manufacturer, is […]

Some of the Air Force’s most expensive and strategically sensitive aircraft have been evacuated from Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska, after it was flooded by the Missouri River over the weekend. At least nine aircraft were flown to other bases and crews were working around the clock to try to protect facilities that […]

The future of package delivery has arrived in Reno, Nevada with the FAA’s approval of beyond-visual-line-of-sight drone operations by Flirtey. The company’s drones will first be able to deliver automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to medical emergencies. The drones will be operated by pilots using onboard cameras to maneuver the aircraft. The medical deliveries are a […]