News

Although it hasn’t been officially confirmed, last week’s reported collision between a drone and a Piper PA-23 was, in fact, a bird strike. Residue on the aircraft’s de-icing boot was analyzed by the Smithsonian Institution and found to contain the remains of a small, non-predatory bird, sources familiar with the investigation told AVweb on Friday. […]

Matching serial numbers from a piece of flaperon found on a French island in July confirm the debris is from Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, French investigators said Thursday. While Malaysian officials announced in August the 9-foot piece was from the Boeing 777 that disappeared in March 2014, the French government held off on its own […]

Two Army soldiers were injured Wednesday in central Colorado when their Blackhawk helicopter made a hard landing in a remote forest. The two unidentified soldiers were among four on board the helicopter, which was on a training flight at about 4:30 p.m., according to a report from KDVR in Denver. They were from Fort Carson’s […]

The FAA on Wednesday updated its 34-year-old Advisory Circular on personal model aircraft, issuing safety and airspace rules similar to the ones it has issued on consumer drones. The new version, which triples the length of the original 1981 AC(PDF) to three pages from one, limits model aircraft to 55 pounds unless certified by a […]

In one of the more unusual press releases we’ve seen, RAM Aircraft LP, a Waco, Texas, engine and mod shop, says Continental Motors’ recent acquisition of ECi “will cost everyone in general aviation.” RAM implies that the loss of competition will drive prices higher on certain engine components that both Continental and ECi, as an […]

The FAA has reported that an “unknown object” struck a Piper Apache while in flight near Romeoville, Illinois, but according to the drone website suasnews.com, that object was likely a small drone. Citing an “unconfirmed report,” suasnews states that a Piper PA-23 twin impacted the drone at about 2,500 feet near Lewis University Airport (KLOT) […]

ADS-B and TCAS will be disrupted during the whole month of September according to aNOTAM covering the U.S. Southeast. The FAA is warning all pilots flying from Virginia to Florida for the month of September that ADS-B and TCAS will be “unreliable” because of “military activities.” The NOTAM was posted less than 24 hours before […]

As part of its Fly Safe campaign aimed at general aviation pilots, the FAA on Tuesday posted information and links about the effect of drugs on flying skills — including prescription and over-the-counter medications, as well as illegal drugs. A 2011 study by the FAA found that 42 percent of toxicology reports from pilots who […]

Researchers from NASA have been experimenting with a 150-year-old photography technique that captures dramatic images of the shock waves created when airplanes fly at supersonic speeds. The images, which NASA posted online last week, reveal the effect of supersonic flight on the air-density gradient. Simple equipment is used to capture the images, which then are […]

NBAA this week filed its formal response to a recent announcement from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that it wants to regulate carbon emissions from airplanes. NBAA said it is not opposed to new regulations, but wants them to be standardized across the globe. The International Civil Aviation Organization already is working to develop a […]