Aviation News

Boeing has created a new “innovation cell” called HorizonX that will seek out and encourage new emerging and “potentially transformative” technologies and business models in aviation, the company said this week. Among its first investments is three-year-old Zunum Aero, based in Kirkland, Washington, which is pursuing the development of electric-powered aircraft. “We are passionate about […]

DARPA, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, announced this week they have completed sub-scale testing of their hybrid electric VTOL design and will move ahead with developing a full-scale aircraft. “The VTOL demonstrator was designed specifically to test the aerodynamic design of the aircraft, validate flight dynamics, and develop the flight and mission-systems controls […]

While the U.S. has been working to revise its Part 23certification rules for small aircraft, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has been working on a similar project, and this week EASA published its final rule. Both new rules are set to take effect in August. “This is a landmark day for the general aviation […]

E-volo is debuting its new electric-powered VTOL, the Volocopter 2X, at Aero, in Friedrichshafen, Germany, this week. The new version of the company’s two-seat multicopter represents the “evolution of the VC200 prototype towards everyday use,” the company said. The 2X has been developed for approval as an ultralight aircraft and is expected to be certified […]

If drones can do pipeline patrol and survey work, why can’t a light sport aircraft do the same? That’s the question the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association is asking the FAA to consider and the answer may eventually result in an approval for just such work. “We’ve adopted the term aerial work, which is a European […]

Some FBOs are charging too much for minimal services to general aviation pilots, AOPA said in a report posted online last week. “No one is watching,” said AOPA general counsel Ken Mead. “There’s a fox in the henhouse and no one is paying attention.” AOPA has complained to the FAA, citing incidents of transient pilots […]

Embraer Executive Jets delivered the first Phenom 100 EV to an undisclosed U.S. customer last Friday, the company announced this week. The new aircraft model has been certified both in Brazil and the U.S. An evolution of the Phenom 100, which entered service in 2008, the Phenom 100EV delivers enhanced performance, with new avionics and […]

The first Airbus A319neo flew for the first time, on Friday, the company has announced. The airplane took off from Hamburg, Germany, and landed in Toulouse, France, five hours later. The crew used that flight time to assess the general handling of the aircraft and check the main systems, the company said. The airplane now […]

The Antonov 132, a twin turboprop developed for multipurpose military and civil use by a Saudi-Ukrainian partnership, flew for the first time on Friday. The airplane took off from Kiev, Ukraine, and flew for 1 hour and 45 minutes. The aircraft is intended for operation on short- and medium−haul routes, the company said, and will […]

An Icon A5 light sport aircraft partially sank into the ocean off Biscayne National Park in Miami on Saturday afternoon after a landing mishap, according to the Flight Safety Foundation’s Aviation Safety Network. Both the pilot and passenger escaped unhurt and did not require medical attention, fire officials told the local ABC-10 News. The aircraft […]