News

At the ILA show in Berlin this week, a German company called Bauhaus Luftfahrt showed off an intriguing new aircraft engine that combines piston engines with a conventional turbofan design in what it calls a composite cycle engine. A long-term concept powerplant, the company estimates such an engine could be ready for introduction in 2050. […]

After GA advocates had breathed a sigh of relief, believing that the ATC privatization battle was won for this year, House Transportation Committee chairman Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa, introduced a last-minute amendment to the FAA funding bill on Tuesday that raised alarm. Section 5 of the amendment calls for moving the FAA Air Traffic Organization, […]

With Sun ‘n Fun and Aero now done for this year, it’s time for aviators to start planning for EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh, the summer’s biggest aviation event. The FAA Notam is now available for pilots planning to fly in to Wittman Regional Airport. The EAA website also features links to weather and fuel services, […]

The first pylon race to feature all-electric aircraft is in the works for 2020, the organizers recently announced. Air Race E, an event-planning team based in Dubai, has “secured all the key components to make this vision a reality,” said CEO Jeff Zaltman. He said the pilots and venues are ready to go and aircraft […]

Uber plans to host a second Elevate conference, May 8-9, in Los Angeles, bringing together more than 700 leaders from around the world to discuss the future of aeronautical technology for urban transit. Last year’s summit roster included leaders from industry, government and academia, including Embraer, Bell Helicopter, Pipistrel, Aurora Flight Sciences, Mooney, NASA, Airbus […]

The FAA funding bill now under consideration in Congress includes allocations for research into single-piloted commercial aircraft, and several pilot advocacy groups are lobbying hard against it, citing safety and security concerns. “The desire by some in the industry to pursue single-piloted or autonomously piloted cargo aircraft seriously places the American public and the flight […]

Timed just ahead of Aero Friedrichshafen, Siemens claims the world’s first serial production-capable hybrid aircraft completed its maiden flight in Hungary. Siemens, which has embarked upon intensive development in aircraft electric motors, teamed with FlyEco to produce a hybrid model driven by both batteries and a three-cylinder diesel engine. The aircraft is called the Magnus […]

Electric airplanes have been making inroads at Aero in Friedrichshafen and this year’s bumper crop included a model from the Czech-based Jihlavan Airplanes in concert with MGM COMPRO. The two companies were showing a pure electric version of the Skyleader 400, a slick, low-wing light sport model. The airplane actually appeared at Aero last year […]

Fran Bera, who set an unbroken National Aeronautic Association record for highest altitude attained in a twin-engine Piper Aztec—40,154 feet—died in February. Bera caught the flying bug young and worked odd jobs as a teen to save for flight lessons. She earned her first pilot certificate at 16 and became a designated examiner certifying new […]

An F-22 Raptor attempting takeoff at Naval Air Station Fallon may have lost an engine and ended up touching down with the gear up last week. The aircraft slid and came to rest on the runway. The jet was from the 3rd Air Force Wing at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska. After the incident, […]