News

Bug smasher pilots everywhere have hope that NASA may be flying to the rescue to save them from the summer chore of cleaning shattered insect bodies from the leading-edge surfaces of their aircraft. NASA, along with Boeing, will be testing five non-stick coatings that are the finalists in a years-long effort to foil the sticky […]

The company that built its business around automating airplanes is now saying it’s time for airline pilots to brush up on their stick and rudder skills. TheWall Street Journal reportsthat Harry Nelson, the former VP of flight testing and now a product safety executive for Airbus, told the 70th annual meeting of the International Federation […]

The Atol amphibian, a light sport airplane built in Finland, completed its first test flight on Thursday, April 9, the company said in a news release. The airplane flew for 26 minutes. The flight comprised a number of different tests, said test pilot and head designer Markku Koivurova, including stalls. “The flight characteristics of the […]

As a promotional effort for its emerging flight training technology, Redbird Flight Simulations plans to train three zero-time would-be pilots to solo status during the week of Sun ‘n Fun. The candidates will use a combination of Redbird’s motion-based simulators and its diesel-powered Redhawk Cessna 172 conversions flying out of Plant City, just west of […]

Restoration of a Windecker Eagle, the first composite aircraft to be FAA-certified, is on schedule for completion this summer, with hopes to show it at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, this July. A Chinese entrepreneur, Wei Hang, has purchased two copies of the Eagle and commissioned a restoration team in Moorseville, North Carolina, to rebuild […]

Amazon received an updated letter of approval from the FAA this week to test its package delivery drones after the company said its initial waiver came so late it was “obsolete.” Meanwhile, the FAA stated on its website it’s expediting these types of updated approvals and will also allow sport pilots with driver’s licenses to […]

In an apparent effort to prime the ADS-B pump, L-3 sent a bulletin to its dealers this week announcing that the first 1000 buyers of its Lynx ADS-B equipment–any model from the NGT-1000 through the NGT-9000– will get free installation hardware, including antennas, installation kits and configuration modules. L-3 rolled out its extensive ADS-B line […]

If you’ve got a spare $75,000, the quickest way to get into space may be to send a check to World View, which says it’s on track to launch paying customers into near space sometime in 2017. The company’s CEO, Jane Poynter, told an audience at the Aircraft Electronics Association convention in Dallas that development […]

After some six years in the doldrums, the general aviation industry—aircraft manufacturing, avionics sales and hiring—are showing clear signs of modest expansion and record attendance at the Aircraft Electronics Association convention this week seems to bear out the claims. “The buzz is back in the industry now and I haven’t seen this kind of excitement […]

Glasair Aviation’s new Merlin LSA had its first flight this week, launching the in-air test phase for the composite light-sport airplane. The flight departed from Arlington, Washington, on Tuesday and lasted for 57 minutes. Following ground tests including engine run-up, high-speed taxi, and ground roll liftoff, test pilot Grant Smith conducted the flight to evaluate […]