briefs

Dean Borgman, president of Sikorsky, told Reuters on Monday that he thinks the U.S. has too many helicopter makers, and he’s interested in consolidation with other companies. In an interview at the Paris Air Show, Borgman said there probably would have been consolidation already, if not for the fact that the main players are part […]

Money is tight all over, and the Civil Air Patrol is feeling its share of the pinch. Case in point, Alaska’s wing went into a tizzy recently, expecting a total shutdown, before the state government came through in the breach with a half-million dollars late last week. On Monday, the national CAP organization announced a […]

The flying cars we all know and love share many attributes: They climb jauntily above traffic jams, park easily in a garage, and they’re (so far) imaginary. UrbanAero’s X-Hawk concept of the flying car is more like a flying truck — a utilitarian VTOL powered-lift ducted-fan vehicle designed for ambulance chores, powerline maintenance, bridge inspection, […]

Foiled and frustrated at every turn, the Friends of Meigs (FOM) soldier on, and this week the organization sent out a plea for supporters to contribute to the next round of legal efforts. The group is drafting an appeal to the Illinois state Supreme Court. “I cannot emphasize enough the importance of this appeal to […]

It’s not often that an aviation issue is front and center in a political tug of war between the White House and Congress but that’s what’s shaping up in September with the FAA Reauthorization Bill. The administration has threatened to veto the bill if the final version contains language that would outlaw the privatization of […]

Getting around the airport could take on a whole new meaning at DFW International Airport in the future. The airport intends to build huge taxiways that encircle the runways, thus eliminating the need for aircraft to cross runways on the way to the one they’re using. “We believe the implementation of perimeter taxiways will enhance […]

As custody battles go, this is one for the (history) books. North Carolina politicians are going ballistic after Congress decided that Dayton, Ohio, where Orville and Wilbur Wright converted a bicycle shop into the first airplane plant, is the birthplace of aviation. Three North Carolina politicians were the only ones to vote against the resolution […]

What does Boeing have in common with Lancair, Cirrus, Liberty and host of other light plane and homebuilt manufacturers? A belief that composites help make better airplanes. The Chicago-headquartered aerospace icon announced June 12 that its 7E7 airliner — if it’s ever built — will be made almost entirely of resin imbedded with graphite and […]

Looks like it won’t be long before the plane in front of you holding short might have all the patience in the world. Altair, the test bed for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) designed to share the airspace with piloted aircraft, completed its first flight June 9. The long-winged version of the military Predator UAV (86 […]

Embittered though many of us may be over the destruction of Meigs Field, some would concede it could yet be a fabulous park … but a ping-pong emporium? According to a story in the Chicago Sun-Times, initial plans by the Chicago Park District are to fill the terminal building with ping-pong (more properly known as […]