News

The body of the pilot of a hot air balloon that caught fire at a Virginia balloon festival was found Sunday. Daniel T. Kirk was an experienced pilot and witnesses said he did everything possible to keep the balloon from climbing after it struck power lines and the basket ignited Friday night. The bodies of […]

A regional airliner on approach to Tallahassee, Fla., in March nearly collided with a drone, an FAA official said on Thursday. Speaking before a drone conference in San Francisco,Jim Williams, head of the FAA’s UAV office, said the near-collision occurred at about 2300 feet nearTallahassee Regional Airport in Florida. The flight was operated by USAirways, […]

A year ago Diamond Aircraft laid off more than 200 employees at its London, Ontario, Canada plant, cutting the staff to 40 and prompting other aircraft manufacturers, notably Bombardier, to hire skilled Diamond workers. Now, according to the London Free Press, staffing has reached 130, thanks to diversification that includes manufacturing aviation parts. Its a […]

Sikorsky Aircraft has been awarded an initial $1.24 billion contract to develop and build six new U.S. presidential helicopters based on the model S-92, the first step toward a fleet of 21 new aircraft by 2023, the Pentagon announced on Wednesday. The award capped years of efforts by the U.S. Navy to replace the current […]

AVwebs weekly news roundup uncovered reports about the tight competition in the Red Bull Air Race series as it touches down in Asia, the success of the Pilatus PC-7 trainer in service with the Indian air force, Embry-Riddle Universitys new Masters degree program in Unmanned Systems and an upcoming NTSB meeting on ag aircraft safety. […]

Sixteen media organizations filed a brief (PDF) with the National Transportation Safety Board in support of aerial photographer Raphael Pirker. Pirker was fined $10,000 by the FAA for flying a drone near the University of Virginia to make a commercial video in October 2011. An administrative law judge ruled in March that the FAA can’t […]

Alaska Airlines is making a $2.5 million gift to theMuseum of Flight to create the Alaska Airlines Aerospace Education Center. Funds will be used to renovate existing facilities, support and sustain educational programs, increase staff, expand outreach to underrepresented communities, and enhance financial assistance. The Alaska Airlines Aerospace Education Center, to be located in the […]

The Black Knight Transformer is not a pretty aircraft — it looks like a mashup of a trailer truck, four rubber tires off a go-kart, and a swarm of quadcopters — but it flies and drives, as Advanced Tactics proved with a video posted online this week. The optionally-piloted vehicle aims to combine the capabilities […]

As Textron works through the integration of Beechcraft into its newly formed Textron Aviation unit, some complications have arisen that put millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded incentives in question. According to the Wichita Eagle, detailed discussions between Textron and state officials are planned to sort out the future of a total of $45 million in […]

Officials at two national parks have told visitors the use of drones within their boundaries is illegal but the absence of laws and regulations governing their use could make the ban short-lived. Last Friday, officials at Yosemite National Park in northern California reminded visitors via social media that drone use is “prohibited” and on Monday […]