News

Robert Sumwalt, chair of the NTSB, posted a blog online this week critical of the FAA’s lack of action in the wake of a 2016 balloon crashthatwas the deadliest in U.S. history. Sixteen people, including the pilot, died when the hot-air balloon hit powerlines in Lockhart, Texas, while the pilot was attempting to land in […]

Aireon Alert has promised to provide free emergency response tracking for any ADS-B-equipped aircraft, anywhere in the world—yet if a general aviation pilot goes to their website to register, they might get a different impression. “The service is only available to commercial aircraft operators, ANSPs [air navigation service providers], regulators and search and rescue organizations,” […]

Swift Fuels announced that it has suspended its work activities with the FAA’s Piston Alternative Fuels Initiative (PAFI) unleaded 100LL replacement fuels program on Wednesday. The company says that it is now focusing on testing a high-octane unleaded avgas replacement that is not part of PAFI and working privately with the FAA and OEMs to […]

Engineers from NASA and Boeing have successfully used “shape memory alloys” to fold a full-sized wing section from an F/A-18 Hornet jet, NASA has reported. The technology enabled the team to fold the wing section in the lab 90 degrees, with very precise control enabling them to select any position within that sweep. The ability […]

California-based SkyRyse announced the launch of a new emergency response service using semi-autonomous aircraft and introduced its advanced pilot assistance system (APAS) on Tuesday. According to the company, APAS automates, adapts and enhances control systems on compatible aircraft by using artificial intelligence, a camera and sensor suite, and decision-making algorithms. For the immediate future, a […]

With a measure to lift the ban on supersonic flight above the U.S. in play in the Senate, a coalition of 38 environmental and health advocacy groups issued a news release this week urging lawmakers to uphold the current restrictions. The new jet designs would burn up to “seven times more fuel per passenger” compared […]

Aireon Alert, which promises to provide free emergency response tracking for any ADS-B-equipped aircraft, anywhere in the world, is now open to accept registrations, the company has announced. The Aireon Alert satellite-based service will provide to aircraft operators and search-and-rescue the last known position of any ADS-B-equipped aircraft that is in distress or has lost […]

Lake Aircraft has gone up for sale before, several times, but this week the company announced it’s trying again to find a new owner for its assets, including the only FAA-certified single-engine amphibious airplane on the market. The offering includes all the intellectual property and equipment needed to manufacture the Lake Renegade, Seafury and Seawolf […]

American Red Bull Air Race pilot Mike Goulian now leads the overall standings in the series after a second-place finish in Kazan, Russia, on Sunday. Goulian trailed the Czech Republic’s Martin Sonka by .115 seconds in the final round and edged fellow American Kirby Chambliss by .066 seconds. It was Goulian’s fourth top-three finish in […]

Burning Man, the massive art and culture festival in the Nevada desert, has always had an aviation angle (including an airport with a tower staffed by ATC volunteers) but the ostentatious gathering of dissimilar minds took that to a new level this year. The fuselage of a Boeing 747, minus the empennage, was towed to […]