Aviation News

This week’s announcement that the FAA closed comments on the NPRM for small UAS so caught me by surprise that I never got around to submitting my own comments. Not that it matters much; my views were well represented by many others, perhaps with just a couple of exceptions I’ll get to in a moment. […]

Blue Origin launched its experimental spacecraft this week from Texas, marking the start of the company’s unmanned test flights with plans to develop a space tourism vehicle.The New Shepard craft launched Wednesday from Blue Origin’s test site, reached an altitude of 58 miles, then separated from its rocket and deployed a parachute for landing, Reuters […]

AVweb’s search of aviation news around the world found an aircraft restoration competition, news from the upcoming Air Race Classic, a partnership between Jet Logistics and Medflight One, and the Aero Club of New England’s annual award announcement.The National Aviation Heritage Invitational (NAHI) is proud to be able to create the Best Contemporary trophy in […]

The ever-intriguing X-37B space plane is slated for its fourth mission in May, this time to experiment with a propulsion system for military satellites, the Air Force announced this week. The target launch date is May 20, according to multiple news sources. The military has revealed little about past missions, prompting broad speculation about what […]

CubCrafters debuted its EX-2 at Sun ‘n Fun 2015 with a number of airframe design improvements over the original EX model. view on YouTube

Anxious to get in the air? Join AVweb and Harrison Smith for a flight in Just Aircraft’s SuperSTOL Stretch XL at Sun ‘n Fun. view on YouTube

At Sun ‘n Fun 2015, Aerotrek is showing off its line of nicely made light sport aircraft. In an industry where the average LSA price is about $130,000, these airplanes are an excellent value at $89,000. Rob Rollinson gave AVweb a tour of the aircraft. view on YouTube

It was probably inevitable that drone demos would be a part of a major show and this year they’re appearing at Sun ‘n Fun in the exhibit area for the first time. In a booth sponsored by Yuneec and Drone23, you can see small quadcopters demonstrated inside a large net cage that’s big enough to […]

A first at Sun ‘n Fun, the Chinese aviation company Yuneec was demonstrating quadcopter drones in a net cage near the center of the vendor area. AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli interviewed Craig Clover about what the company is offering. view on YouTube

Cirrus started building the first production Vision SF50 this week. AVweb’s Russ Niles toured the plant in Duluth. view on YouTube