News

Along with announcing his retirement last Friday, John Monnett, founder and president of Sonex Aircraft, is also inviting offers from individuals and companies interested in purchasing the company. According to Sonex, Monnett is looking for a buyer who is “interested in continuing the successful heritage of Sonex Aircraft into the next generation, or in assisting […]

The FAA has accepted the type certification application for Workhorse’s hybrid-electric SureFly VTOL, the company announced on Wednesday. According to Workhorse, “the SureFly design appears to be the first hybrid-electric eVTOL multi-copter to reach this important milestone with the FAA.” As we previously reported, the company has said that its goal is to have the […]

Kitty Hawk’s new version of its eVTOL Flyer is now available for sale, the company announced this week, and since it’s classified as an ultralight by the FAA, no pilot’s certificate is required to fly it. The aircraft, revealed on Wednesday, is much sleeker than the experimental version, and is equipped with 10 propellers and […]

The FAA needs to do more to improve its management of the safety risks of drones in the national airspace, according to a recent report (PDF) by the federal Government Accountability Office. The report said the FAA needs to collect better data on drone safety, and also needs to focus on risk management. “FAA officials […]

It might have escaped your notice that June 5 is officially National Hot-Air Balloon Day in the U.S., but Red Bull made the most of it, enlisting air-race pilot Kirby Chambliss to fly in and out of a row of four balloons as if they were race pylons. The flight took place at dawn, close […]

A GippsAero GA10 turbo Airvan was destroyed after a test flight on Monday when it crashed in the Mojave Desert, in southern California. Both pilots on board bailed out at about 5,000 feet AGL and landed safely under parachutes, according to news reports. Earle Boyter, a spokesperson for Mahindra Aerospace, the parent company of GippsAero, […]

Researchers in France have developed a drone that can reorient its arms in flight to alter its profile, enabling it to reduce its wingspan and navigate in tight spaces. The “quad-morphing” design comprises two rotating arms, each equipped with two propellers, for helicopter-like flight. A system of elastic and rigid wires allows the robot to […]

Diamond’s special-mission version of its DA62 light twin, the MPP (multi-purpose platform), which was introduced last year at the Paris Air Show, has been delivered to its first customer, the company said this week. DEA Specialised Airborne Operations, based in the UK, will use the aircraft to provide airborne-sensing services, such as surveillance and surveys. […]

The FAA has updated airman certification standards to reflect recent changes in its operation and new rules that have been adopted and they go into effect on June 11. AOPA says the changes were developed by the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee Airman Certification System working group and are mostly designed to accommodate recent changes, such […]

Dan Buchanan, a paraplegic hang glider pilot who performed at airshows all over the world for almost 30 years, died in a crash at an Idaho show on Saturday. Buchanan was doing his routine, which usually included aerobatics and pyrotechnics, at the Gunfighter Skies airshow at Mountain Home Air Force Base. Witnesses said Buchanan had […]