News

Much to the surprise of drone pilots who assumed it was already illegal, the FAA announced today that it will restrict drone flights up to 400 feet within the lateral boundaries of 133 military facilities. Flight above 400 feet by unmanned vehicles is already prohibited without special authorization. The restrictions will be effective starting on […]

Able Flight, a nonprofit providing sport pilot training to people with significant disabilities, is at Sun ‘n Fun 2017 educating light sport aircraft makers about the demand for planes adapted for use by persons with disabilities. A basic adaptive airplane requires little more than a hand control for rudders and brakes. Many light sport aircraft […]

Diamond Aircraft launched three new diesel-powered singles at Aero Friedrichshafen but it won’t be supplying the engines itself. Flight International reported the Austrian company will produce the four-place DA50-IV, five-place DA50-V and seven-place DA50-VII with 230-, 260- and 360-horsepower Safran/SMA diesels. The -VII will also be available with a 375-horsepower Lycoming gas engine or a […]

Diamond Aircraft unveiled a design for a composite four-seat light-single piston helicopter at Aero Friedrichshafen on Thursday, Flight International has reported. The Dart 280 easy-to-fly trainer would be the first in a family of rotorcraft, which will include a hybrid-electric tilt rotor. “Diamond has been in the GA market for 30 years and it’s time […]

Boeing has created a new “innovation cell” called HorizonX that will seek out and encourage new emerging and “potentially transformative” technologies and business models in aviation, the company said this week. Among its first investments is three-year-old Zunum Aero, based in Kirkland, Washington, which is pursuing the development of electric-powered aircraft. “We are passionate about […]

The Planes of Fame Air Museum, in Chino, California, plans to celebrate its 60th anniversary with its 25th annual airshow on May 6 and 7, but now a judge is scheduled to decide on April 20 if the show will be shut down. According to local news reports, a group of commercial tenants at Chino […]

Earlier this month, Tecnam rolled out the P2012 Traveler mini-airliner it designed for Cape Air and showgoers at Aero in Friedrichshafen got their first look at the new model this week. The new twin has 11 seats and is designed to replace the aging Cessna 406s that have been the mainstay of Cape Air’s fleet […]

A week after unveiling plans to build a new factory on its Mobile, Alabama, site, Continental revealed that it’s finished up cert work on its six-cylinder 300-HP diesel and that EASA certification is expected shortly. Continental CEO Rhett Ross made the announcement at the Aero show in Friedrichshafen, Germany, which opened on Wednesday. Continental says […]

DARPA, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, announced this week they have completed sub-scale testing of their hybrid electric VTOL design and will move ahead with developing a full-scale aircraft. “The VTOL demonstrator was designed specifically to test the aerodynamic design of the aircraft, validate flight dynamics, and develop the flight and mission-systems controls […]

While the U.S. has been working to revise its Part 23certification rules for small aircraft, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has been working on a similar project, and this week EASA published its final rule. Both new rules are set to take effect in August. “This is a landmark day for the general aviation […]