News

An element of intrigue has been added to the investigation of the explosion of SpaceX rocket on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral last month. The Washington Post, quoting unnamed sources, says SpaceX is investigating the possibility of sabotage in the mishap, which destroyed the rocket and its payload, an internet-beaming satellite being deployed by […]

Four people survived the crash of a chartered seaplane operated by Kenmore Air in the waters off Washington State Friday. The de Havilland Beaver crashed near its destination, Lopez Island, part of the San Juan Islands, just before 9 a.m. according to news reports. The crew members on a fishing boat rescued all four from […]

Sierra Nevada Corp., which is testing a reusable space vehicle for future NASA missions, will partner with the United Nations for a low-orbit flight in 2021. The company’s Dream Chaser folding-wing vehicle, which can land on a runway, was selected for the U.N.’s first spaceflight slated to last two weeks in low orbit. A little-known […]

When a family survived a wilderness crash in California in 1967 in their Cessna 195, only to die while waiting for rescue that never came, their story brought home the need for general aviation aircraft to carry ELTs, says Alaska author Ross Nixon. In his book, “Finding Carla,” now in bookstores, Nixon details what went […]

A four-seat airplane powered by hydrogen fuel cells completed a first test flight this week in Germany, reaching milestones in both size and emissions-free technology. Researchers at the German aerospace center, the DLR, have been developing the HY4 model with a mission to prove that hydrogen can be a viable aviation fuel. The flight from […]

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, said on Tuesday his company is working on a plan for manned flights to Mars, with the aim of establishing a permanent colony there. Speaking before a crowd at the International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico, he set out a number of parameters and goals for the project, noting that […]

Bell Helicopter recently unveiled its new design for an autonomous tiltrotor, the V-247 Vigilant, which will have a 65-foot wingspan and will be capable of carrying a payload of up to 6.5 tons of fuel, armament and sensors. The aircraft, designed for military use, will be able to operate from land or sea, and will […]

Uber is taking a serious look at autonomous VTOL aircraft for urban transport, and could have a fleet flying within a decade, chief products officer Jeff Holden said at a Nantucket conference on Sunday. In an interview with Kara Swisher of Re/code, Holden said the technology “could change cities and how we work and live.” […]

A study conducted by NBAA has found that 15 percent of flights in business jets begin without a complete flight-control check, the association reported last week. The NTSB suggested a need for the study after its investigation of a fatal 2014 accident involving a Gulfstream G-IV at Hanscom Field, in Bedford, Mass. The safety board […]

Golf legend Arnold Palmer, one of business aviation’s most prominent cheerleaders, died Sunday in Pittsburgh at the age of 87. Palmer, who became one of golf’s first superstars, was also a tireless promoter of the use of private aircraft to boost productivity. He was a frequent speaker and guest at the National Business Aviation Association […]