Aviation News

ADS-B and Privacy We are not properly addressing the privacy (in personal transportation) issues that are created by this system. Part of that discussion has to be the growing network of at-home computer users that are tracking private aircraft with FlightAware devices that are being pushed on the techie community by the flight tracking websites […]

As the huge Stratolaunch aircraft prepares for its first flight at Mojave, company founder Paul Allen is thinking about using it not just to deliver satellites to space, but perhaps also to carry an all-new space shuttle. “I would love to see us have a full reusable system and have weekly, if not more often, […]

Aircraft engines are normally designated by obscure numbers only an engineer could love but as a clear expression of market intent, GE is giving its new turboprop engine a name: the GE Catalyst Advanced Turboprop engine. (Heretofore, it was simply the ATP engine.) GE announced the new engine in 2015 and last fall, it reported […]

The White House plans to request that law enforcement and security agencies be permitted to track and shoot down civilian drones, according to Endgadget, a technology site. The proposal thus far lacks specifics, but would reportedly apply to multiple U.S. government agencies charged with security responsibilities. The report surfaced at the FAA’s third annual Unmanned […]

Gail Halvorsen. Some readers will instantly recognize that name, some will search the mists of their memories and others will draw a blank. Which are you? In 1948, Gail Halvorsen was a 27-year-old prematurely balding Air Force transport pilot who gained overnight fame as the beloved Candy Bomber during the Berlin Airlift. At 97, Halvorsen […]

The FAA is expanding a program that will provide “near real-time” processing of requests for access to controlled airspace from drone operators, the agency said on Tuesday. A prototype system that was deployed last November has performed successfully, the FAA said, and the agency will now conduct a nationwide beta test, beginning April 30, that […]

Pal-V unveiled the production model for its “flying car,” the Pal-V Liberty, at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland on Tuesday. “The production model is the moment of truth,” said CEO Robert Dingemanse in a news release. “All certifications required for commercialization will be granted on the basis of this production model.” He said the […]

Nine advocacy groups representing general aviation interests wrote to members of Congress this week urging support for the FAA’s contract tower program. About $172 million in funding is needed for the 254 towers now in the program, plus several new towers that are expected to be added in the next fiscal year, according to the […]

Eviation, based in Israel, has announced they will work with Kokam, a South Korean company, to supply batteries for their all-electric aircraft design, called Alice. Kokam also supplied the custom batteries used by Solar Impulse 2 in their record-setting global flight. The Alice commuter airplane is designed to carry nine passengers up to 650 miles […]

Six months after announcing the move, the FAA’s reorganization of its flight standards (AFS) and certification services (AIR) became official as of March 5. The agency has been running those operations under the new regime since last August but the rule that enshrines the reorganization in the regulations became effective March 5. The reorganization eliminates […]