News

The fifth annual CAFE Electric Aircraft Symposium convened over the weekend in Santa Rosa, Calif., bringing together about 30 presenters with an enthusiastic audience to discuss emerging technologies for personal aircraft. Topics included STOL aerodynamics, new sources of energy production, lithium battery developments, flight deck automation, suburbia-based air-taxi systems, high-efficiency motors, quiet propeller designs, and […]

“Goodyear Airship” just doesn’t have the same ring to it but the iconic blimps are being phased out in favor of a rigid design. The rubber company announced Tuesday it’s teaming with Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik, of Friedrichshafen, Germany, to build three Zeppelin NT airships to replace the gas bags that now circle the stadiums of the […]

The recent buying spree of U.S. aviation companies by the Chinese appears to be a coordinated effort to ensure the country cashes in on the phased liberalization of airspace restrictions. People’s Daily, the official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, reported on Tuesday that state-owned AVIC International Holding Corporation recently […]

If you brought something home from Heli-Expo other than a nifty swag bag and a latent desire to hang a machine gun on your chopper, then the Center for Disease Control wants to know about it. The CDC has sent an e-mail letter (PDF) to everyone who registered for the event in early March to […]

In first-quarter reports released this week, Hawker Beechcraft reported aircraft deliveries in its business and general aviation segments were up compared to the same period last year, but revenues were down. Hawker said it delivered 45 business and GA aircraft in the first quarter 2011, compared to 34 in the first quarter 2010. “We are […]

A search team has recovered the cockpit voice recorder from Air France Flight 447, which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in June 2009, killing all 228 on board. A remotely operated vehicle retrieved the CVR from the ocean floor, 12,800 feet down, on Tuesday morning, and it appears to be intact and in good condition […]

Jack Pelton, the current chairman, president and CEO of Cessna, is retiring, parent company Textron announced on Monday. Scott Donnelly, the CEO of Textron, is now running Cessna, though Pelton doesn’t officially retire until June 1. Donnelly, who is based in Providence, R.I., has already been spending a lot of time in Wichita, Textron spokesman […]

The name Skycar may evoke images of futuristic “flying cars,” but Oma Sud’s version, built in Italy, is actually a fairly conventional utility aircraft that just won its FAA certification. “This important milestone for Oma Sud opens the market in the United States,” company President Valter Proietti wrote in an announcement on Monday. The piston […]

Do you use Lockheed Flight Service? Did you used to but you don’t any more? We’re planning to sit down for a chat with Lockheed and want to hear your thoughts before we do. Please take a moment to complete this short survey so your voice can be heard. Hey, you’re paying for the service […]

Everyone knows that air traffic controllers keep aircraft from bumping into each other, but just how much separation does ATC provide? That’s not an essay question. Instead, separate fact from misconceptions about ATC service in this quiz. Take the quiz. More Brainteasers