News

Famed aircraft authority Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft says there’s convincing evidence that Gustav Whitehead, not the Wright brothers, was the first to achieve powered controlled flight, but critics may be unmoved. In the foreword of the 100th edition of Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft, Jane’s editor Paul Jackson cites the work of Australian aviation […]

Integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the U.S. national airspace system is scheduled for 2015 and, according to the UAS industry itself, that will create more than 70,000 jobs and have a broader economic impact of more than $13.6 billion by 2019. The numbers are not from an independent study but from a study […]

Laser chemist and researcher Jayan Thomas of the University of Central Florida is working to create eyewear that could use gold to prevent pilots from being temporarily blinded or injured by laser light shot into the cockpit from the ground. Thomas is working in collaboration with other researchers at the Carnegie Mellon Institute in the […]

Eight high-school students will win a free trip to the Glasair build center in Arlington, Wash., this June, in a new educational competition announced this week by GAMA and Build-A-Plane. The students will participate in Glasair’s “Two Weeks to Taxi” program, building two Sportsman airplanes and learning about science, technology, engineering and math. “This competition […]

As federal agencies scramble to cope with looming federal budget cuts, GA advocacy groups are pressing to minimize the impact on flight operations. NBAA President Ed Bolen this week asked FAA officials to consider more factors than simply the total number of operations at an airport in deciding which towers will close. For example, Tracon […]

The FAA has approved flight testing of what Boeing hopes will be a permanent fix for the lithium ion batteries on its 787 airliners. Two test aircraft have been cleared for flight to test a three-part solution to the issue that has grounded the fleet since the middle of January. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said […]

The FCC says it wants to get on with the process of phasing out 121.5 MHz emergency locator transmitters and anyone with comments or concerns has until April 1 to make them known. On Jan. 7 the commission issued its third Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (PDF) on the topic, calling for an end to the […]

Bombardier says it will fly its first CSeries passenger airliner by the end of June and it’s already making changes to the original design by squeezing more seats onboard. The company unveiled its first flight test article last week and announced that the larger version of the airplane, which was initially envisioned with 130 seats, […]

The NASA/JPL Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity Project Team will receive the 2012 Robert J. Collier Trophy, the National Aeronautic Association announced on Tuesday. In choosing the project from a field of seven nominees, the committee cited the”extraordinary achievements of successfully landing Curiosity on Mars, advancing the nation’s technological and engineering capabilities, and significantly improving humanity’s understanding […]

The FAA has paid millions of dollars worth of settlements to 65 people who were on a Continental Airlines Boeing 737 that was blown off a runway at Denver International Airport on Dec. 21, 2008. KMGH-TV reported that the agency was facing a lawsuit for its role in the accident, in which several people were […]