News

The FAA has proposed a regulatory change that would allow flight training in experimental light sport aircraft (E-LSA) to be conducted for compensation or hire under a letter of deviation authority (LODA). Aviation organizations including the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association (LAMA) and United States Ultralight Association (USUA) have been working toward […]

American Magic, the U.S. challenger for the 36th America’s Cup sailing competition, named Airbus its official innovation partner on Tuesday. Together, they will design, build and test a cutting-edge AC75 Class monohull sailboat in time for the Cup races in 2021. As shown in the AC75 concept video below, the 75-foot boat will incorporate hydrofoil […]

Volocopter announced that it will be performing urban flight tests with its Volocopter 2X eVTOL in Singapore in the second half of 2019. The company says the tests are designed to validate the aircraft’s ability to operate in an urban environment and that it is looking to enable air taxi service in Singapore. Volocopter will […]

Wind tunnel testing of NASA’s X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) aircraft is breaking new ground, according to NASA aeronautics researcher Corey Diebler. The X-59 QueSST is part of NASA’s Low-Boom Flight Demonstration mission and is one of the first aircraft specifically shaped to prevent shockwaves from creating sonic booms when it exceeds the speed of […]

Researchers in France have found that birds display an aversion to “large looming eyespots,” and will avoid locations where they can see the eyespot display. The results were “significant,” the researchers said, and “suggest a high potential for application.” The eyespots are projected on a screen and animated to grow larger, as if approaching the […]

An Embry-Riddle research study found that remotely operated consumer drones exceeded 400 feet AGL in 6.8 percent of flights tracked and that one flew as close as 0.25 NM from Daytona Beach International’s approach path. The study sought to evaluate “potential aviation interference and safety hazards” caused by small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS/drone) flights. To […]

As if it wasn’t enough to be planning to fly a fleet of vintage C-47s above Normandy next June, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the project also includes about 300 parachute jumpers from a variety of historic-recreation groups who aim to honor the veterans of WWII. This week, they flew their first practice […]

uAvionix has announced a manufacturer’s rebate on some of its ADS-B products for light sport and experimental aircraft. “The FAA’s ADS-B rebate program excludes non-certified products, yet this is often the most affordable solution for experimental and LSA aircraft owners,” said uAvionix CEO Paul Beard. “We feel a kinship with the experimental aircraft owners as […]

Just a few days after the death of Paul Allen, whose tech fortune has been paying for its development, the huge Stratolaunch airplane completed its latest round of taxi tests in Mojave. The airplane, designed to carry payloads into low Earth orbit, reached speeds up to 90 MPH, which the company called “medium-speed” taxi testing. […]

Last week, EAA committed a million dollars to flight-training scholarships, and this week, FedEx stepped up, funding $2.5 million in scholarships for students pursuing aviation professions—not just pilots, but also maintenance technicians and more. “E-commerce is driving increasing demands on both air and ground transportation networks at a time when large numbers of workers in […]