Aviation News

Boeing plans to start flight tests next year of an artificial-intelligence system that would be capable of flying a commercial jet, Mike Sinnett, vice president of product development at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said at a recent press briefing. Sinnett said his team will fly a simulator later this year with the AI system making some […]

The first Cessna Citation Longitude jet rolled out of the hangar in Wichita on Tuesday. Production of the new clean-sheet design super-midsize business jet has benefited from new manufacturing systems, the company said. “We’re incorporating a number of new and innovative fabrication and assembly techniques that will improve processes, reduce the number of parts and […]

Surf Air, which operates an “all you can fly” membership service with its fleet of Pilatus PC-12 turboprops based in northern California, has acquired Rise, a similar operation based in Texas, and its closest competitor. The consolidation brings the total number of weekly flights for Surf Air up to 445, serving 17 destinations. “Today, the […]

Bell Helicopter’s 505 Jet Ranger X is now certified by the FAA, the company has announced. The aircraft, which falls into the short light-single class of helicopters, incorporates “the latest advancements in safety and aviation technology,” according to Bell CEO Mitch Snyder. Customer response from around the world has been “outstanding,” he added, with about […]

 A corporate flight crew reportedly deadsticked a Hawker Beechcraft 400XP to a safe landing at Buffalo International Airport on Saturday in an incident that would have made international headlines if it had gone any other way. The aircraft was carrying movie star Jennifer Lawrence from her hometown of Louisville to Teterboro. The aircraft took […]

N-numbered routes in France are sort of like our better state roads or U.S.-numbered highways. Some are dual-lane divided, some just two lanes. Like most airports, the one at Tarbes has just such a highway that runs by the southeast perimeter of the airfield. When you tip out of the inevitable roundabout, there it is […]

NASA has winnowed a list of over 18,300 applicants down to twelve astronaut candidates—ASCANs in the NASA terminology. “We look forward to the energy and talent of these astronauts fueling our exciting future of discovery,” said acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot. “Between expanding the crew on board the space station to conduct more research than […]

Although there’s been a death watch over Learjet for a year or more, the Bombardier subsidiary had cause for celebration last week. The iconic bizjet brand sold its 3,000th aircraft on June 2 and it coincidentally happened to be the 100th Learjet 75 produced by the Wichita plant. The aircraft was handed over to Leggett […]

President Donald Trump will use a proposal to privatize air traffic control in the U.S. to kick off a weeklong blitz of announcements to push his infrastructure revitalization plan. At an announcement that includes an Oval Office ceremony and White House Rose Garden event on Monday morning, White House officials have confirmed Trump will affirm […]

The newest version of ForeFlight’s electronic flight bag software will include advanced fuel and performance planning tools for an additional $100 per year ($200 per year over the basic subscription price). Tyson Weihs, ForeFlight co-founder and CEO, said, “The new performance product that we’re launching delivers high performance flight planning for high performance airplanes.” The […]