News

Scaled Composites’ 100-percent carbon composite WhiteKnightTwo, the aircraft designed to eventually haul SpaceShipTwo and its first sampling of some 254 people who have already deposited cash to be hurtled toward space, is expected to make its debut late next month (July) in Mojave, Calif.. The rollout will mark a milestone step toward seeing suborbital space […]

It had already suffered damage from a forced landing last Saturday, but was sitting harmlessly in a field (with its pilots in a local hospital) when vandals smashed the canopy and cockpit instruments and set fire to both wings. The Pilatus P2 was one of only two in the UK, and following the attack it […]

Hopefully the people of London do not spend much time dwelling on history as a German airship operator is set to next month start flying a Zeppelin over the city’s most famous landmarks. It may be consolation that the flights will originate in east London at Damyns Hall airfield, and not across the Channel. After […]

In an effort to increase and maintain the accuracy of aircraft registration in the U.S., the FAA issued a notice of proposed rule making (NPRM) titled “Re-Registration and Renewal of Aircraft Registration.” This NPRM would replace the current non-expiring aircraft registration with a registration that is only good for three years. If the registration expires […]

click for video The crash on takeoff of a 509th Air Wing, Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber, Feb. 23, operating at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, was caused by water in the aircraft’s sensors, according to an Air Combat report issued Thursday. Specifically, moisture in three port transducer units “distorted data introduced by a B-2 […]

A Mayoral Task Force on Aviation Safety, composed mostly of local pilots, noted last week that changes to non-towered Corona Airport (Calif.), which in January suffered a fatal midair, would likely do more “to improve public relations” than to alter current procedures, according to a local news report at PE.com. The crash, which killed two […]

Scaled Composites, based in Mojave, Calif., announced on Wednesday that Douglas Shane has been appointed president and will assume responsibility for day-to-day operations of the company. Company founder Burt Rutan is named chief technology officer and chairman emeritus. “I suggested this change to our organizational structure because I want to focus on developing our talented, […]

The Evergreen Aviation Museum, known as the home of Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose flying boat and a rare SR-71 Blackbird, will open a new space facility this Friday. The new museum will feature Titan missiles, a replica Lunar Module and Lunar Rover, and the Russian Photon Space Capsule. The new 120,000-square-foot building is a twin […]

AERO Friedrichshafen, a general aviation show in Germany, has been growing in recent years — as shown by its recent decision to switch from an every-other-year schedule to an annual event — and this week, AERO organizers announced a new strategic relationship with EAA. “We’re convinced that this will lead to more aviation enthusiasm and […]

Recognizing global concerns about the immediate and long-term availability of aviation-grade 100LL fuel, Lycoming Engines announced this week that it is working to get approval for the use of unleaded automotive gasoline for its standard-compression-ratio O-360 and IO-360 product lines. Ian Walsh, general manager for Lycoming Engines, told AVweb the approval will not require any […]