News

The first Chinese-produced transport airplane, the Y-20, officially entered service this week with the nation’s air force. After several years of development and testing with few details released, the heavy airlifter was touted as a reliable, modern workhorse with a maximum takeoff weight of about 200 tons.“The Y-20 entering into service marks a crucial step […]

Two Bell Helicopter employees were killed Wednesday when the twin-engine rotorcraft they were test flying crashed near the company’s facility in eastern Texas. Debris from the 525 model helicopter was concentrated at the crash site in Ellis County, but pieces of the aircraft were discovered farther away, including a part of the boom found about […]

The FAA will get a 14-month funding extension that includes third-class medical reform as part of joint approvals announced Wednesday by House and Senate transportation committees. The extension (PDF) would take effect when the FAA’s current authorization expires on July 15 and continue through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, 2017. Medical […]

Comments filed by the NTSB in reaction to the FAA’s proposal to overhaul Part 23 aircraft certification were not wholly supportive of the changes, and now AOPA, EAA and the Aircraft Electronics Association have weighed in with a response. The three groups sent a joint letter to NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart noting that they share […]

Two of aviation’s biggest events are coming up soon, with the Farnborough Air Show next week in the United Kingdom, running July 11 to 17, and EAA AirVenture arriving soon after, July 25 to 31, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Among the most anticipated debuts for Farnborough is the first flight in Europe of Lockheed Martin’s F-35B […]

The pilot of a skydiving plane faced a challenging situation after his engine died shortly after takeoff on Sunday, with a crowded Texas beach below. “I saw a truck, tent, people, a truck, tent, people… I’m like, oh gosh, we’re going to kill somebody,” passenger Robert Bertrand told the local KFDM news. The Cessna 206 […]

Fargo, North Dakota-based Appareo announced that it earned FAA TSO authorization for its panel-mounted Stratus ADS-B transponder. Starting at $2995, the 1090ES ADS-B Out transponder—which has an integrated GPS WAAS receiver— is available in two kits. The Stratus ESG has a mandate-compliant ADS-B transmitter, while the $3495 Stratus ESGi kit also includes a non-certified ADS-B […]

European regulators have long restricted the use of single-engine turbine and turboprop airplanes for commercial operations at night or in instrument meteorological conditions, but that’s about to change. After 20 years of work and negotiations between industry and government agencies, a key EASA committee has voted to approve a new regulatory framework that will allow […]

A Harmon Rocket flown by Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., ran off the runway after landing in Ketchum, Oklahoma, about 7 p.m. Sunday night, ABC News reported this morning. ABC said a spokesperson for the senator confirmed that Inhofe was flying the airplane, and that he had told the FAA he veered into the brush to […]

AVweb actually has a policy about ignoring coverage of “youngest pilot” aviation exploits since they can and have led to disaster but a story out of the U.K. is one of the exceptions. Budget carrier easyJet has welcomed the U.K.’s youngest airline pilot and he said few have noticed, which is as it should be. […]