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The FAA may be planning rulemaking that will allow the use of non-military unmanned aerial vehicles in civilian airspace, according to USA Today. The newspaper quotes FAA spokesman Les Dorr as saying the proposed rules could be released this year and a public comment period will be included. He also told USA Today that the […]

CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGES each image will open in a new window NASA has released images of what three aerospace companies predict the near future of airliners might be, but given the typical development time and the economics of such projects the 2025 target date seems optimistic for these radical designs. Boeing’s projection of a […]

The TSA is investigating after a passenger mistakenly picked up a bag holding a gun belonging to a Federal Flight Deck Officer at New York’s JFK Airport on Thursday. Michael Connery Jr., a first officer for JetBlue, was waiting to board the aircraft he was to help fly to Pittsburgh and set his bag next […]

Delta Air Lines is using a potential order for 100 to 200 aircraft, with options for 200 more, to inspire proposals from major airframe manufacturers on the heels of a record $15.6 billion order for 180 aircraft from IndiGo, landed by Airbus. The company said Thursday that it hopes to take delivery starting in 2013, […]

In an act of kindness not often seen in the hectic world of airline flying, a Southwest captain delayed a departure for 12 minutes to allow a grandfather rushing to his dying grandson’s bedside to board the flight. Mark Dickerson, a Northrop Grumman engineer, was in Los Angeles when he learned that a child abuse […]

AeroVironment Inc. announced Tuesday that it has successfully flown at Edwards Air Force Base its Global Observer drone, a hydrogen-fuel-powered unmanned aircraft sporting a 175-foot wingspan and one-week-long endurance. The aircraft’s internal-combustion engine burns cryogenically stored liquid hydrogen, leaving water vapor for exhaust. That system powers a generator that delivers electricity to the aircraft’s four […]

The FCC has stayed their rule (PDF) on the prohibition of 121.5 MHz ELTs (signals no longer processed by satellites) and is “planning a new Notice requesting public comment on the future of legacy 121.5 ELTs.” The action is a response to concerns expressed by the FAA, one of which is supply. The FAA warned […]

Investigators poring over the American Airlines Boeing 757-200 that ran off Runway 19 while landing at Jackson Hole, Nov. 19, have so far found that a bushing was missing on part of the auto speed brake mechanism. During testing, investigators found “no discrepancies” in the aircraft’s air/ground, autobrake, and thrust reverser systems. They found the […]

Wednesday, Piper Aircraft Inc. announced that it will no longer be marketing the PiperSport LSA, citing “differences in business philosophies,” with Czech Republic-based Czech Sport Aircraft (CSA), the PiperSport’s manufacturer. The two companies had worked together for roughly one year in an arrangement that had Piper brand a version of CZAW’s SportCruiser Light Sport Aircraft […]

The Gulfstream G650 flight-test aircraft recently flew for the first time using only an electrically powered, fly-by-wire backup flight-control actuation system, the company said this week. “There was no difference in handling qualities between the electrically and hydraulically powered modes,” said Pres Henne, of Gulfstream. The flight, on Dec. 21, evaluated the electric backup system […]