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The Secret Service announced it will conduct “exercises” using unmanned aerial vehicles around Washington, D.C., in the coming weeks. While the agency didn’t disclose further details, including what kinds of drones are involved or the nature of the activities, it’s fair to surmise they will include some kind of security-related testing. A Washington Post blog […]

A Delta MD-88 overran a runway at New York’s La Guardia Airport just after 11 a.m. Thursday and it appears there were no serious injuries to the 125 passengers and five crew. It was snowing at the time. The aircraft came to rest with its nose on a berm after going through a fence. The […]

The case of the storied 1959 Beech Bonanza crash that killed Buddy Holly, two fellow singers and the pilot could reopen at the request of a New England man who has his own theories about what happened on that February night. L. J. Coon, who describes himself as a retired pilot and aircraft dispatcher, has […]

FreeFlight Systems is expanding its line of radar altimeters for rotorcraft, announcing on Wednesday the FRA-5500 system for transport-category helicopters. The system is similar to its RA-4000 series of radar altimeters, certified for Part 29 rotorcraft to comply with equipment mandates related to a 2014 FAA rule that targets helicopter air ambulance operations. FreeFlight says […]

The manager of Kathmandu Airport in Nepal said Wednesday that all 227 people aboard a Turkish Airlines A330 are safe after the aircraft “somehow missed the runway and ended up in the grassland area.” Birenda Prasad Shrestha told AFP that the plane was on its second attempt to land at the airport. Officials refuted earlier […]

It appears that FlightPro, the well-regarded Android flight planner and chart app, will not be back anytime soon, thanks to increasingly intense legal wrangling among the shareholders and entities involved. FlightPro missed the Feb. 5 update for its subscribers and at least some of those involved were hopeful the service could be restored. That doesn’t […]

The first civilian tiltrotor aircraft could be available for sale in 2017 and it will be built in Philadelphia. Agusta Westland announced Tuesday the AW609 will be certified in the U.S. and go into production at facilities it already operates in Philadelphia. In a series of presentations at its sprawling display area at HAI Heli-Expo […]

Airbus Helicopters presented its clean-sheet medium-class rotorcraft design, the H160, at Heli-Expo, in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday. The new design features two firsts — the largest-ever shrouded tail rotor, which is double-canted at 12-degree angles to enhance anti-torque control efficiency, and an all-new “biplane stabilizer” with a staggered placement of two dual-level, interconnected stabilizer surfaces. […]

Bell Helicopter introduced its new 407GXP at Heli-Expo, in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday. The new aircraft is an upgrade of the 407GX, with a payload increase of 50 pounds, a new fuel-efficient M250 Rolls-Royce engine with FADEC, and new avionics features that the company says will lessen pilot workload. “The Bell 407 has proven to […]

The sixth annual “Fly It Forward Challenge” is underway this week, calling on pilots around the world to take a non-pilot woman or girl on a short flight to introduce her to general aviation. “Salute the girls and women in your life that inspired you and/or supported you,” say the event organizers at the Institute […]