Business & Military

Stratolaunch, the giant airplane in development in Mojave, is continuing taxi tests at higher speeds and longer durations, the company said this week. Paul Allen, the Microsoft co-founder who is funding the project, posted video of the taxiing airplane on Facebook on Monday. The airplane reached a top taxi speed of 40 knots, Allen said. […]

Bell introduced a new helicopter model, the 407GXi, at Heli-Expo 2018 in Las Vegas on Monday. The aircraft, based on the 407 airframe, offers new avionics, an upgraded engine and new executive interior design options. The cockpit is now equipped with Garmin’s G1000H NXi integrated flight deck, which provides faster speeds as well as brighter, […]

Airlines are urging Boeing to move forward with the so-called “797,” an aircraft they say passengers will love. Officially designated the “new mid-market airplane” by Boeing, the 797 would offer “a big step forward in comfort,” according to a report in PerthNow, with a 2-3-2 configuration in economy, 1-2-2 in premium economy and 1-1-1 in […]

An Indian airline captain and self-taughtaircraft designer who built an aircraft on the roof of a commercial building has reportedly parlayed the project into an industry. The Indian state of Maharashtra has reportedly signed a memorandum of understanding with 41-year-old Jet Airways Capt. Amol Yadav to turn his rooftop homebuilt into a 1,300-aircraft megaproject. Yadav, […]

News site Axios is reporting that President Donald Trump is promoting his longtime personal pilot as the next administrator of the FAA. Quoting unnamed administration sources, Axios, a relatively new news service made up mainly of ex-newspaper staff, said John Dunkin, who flew Trump’s personal Boeing 757 during the 21-month campaign, has been interviewed and […]

For more than 20 years, administrations on both sides of the aisle have proposed some form of ATC privatization for reasons ranging from ideological purity to hoped-for cost savings and increased efficiency. There was never hard evidence to support the savings and efficiency argument, despite the FAA’s historic snail-like speed in accomplishing major revisions to […]

President Donald Trump has again intervened in the negotiations with Boeing to modify two new 747-8i airliners to serve as the primary Air Force One aircraft and backup but it remains to be seen if the president’s promise of $1 billion in savings will be realized. Defense One reported Trump met with Boeing CEO Dennis […]

U.K.-based ejection seat manufacturer Martin-Baker has been fined $1.4 million by a British court after admitting its role in the death of a Royal Air Force Red Arrow Demonstration Team member who accidentally ejected from a team aircraft on the ground. Flight Lieutenant Sean Cunningham died in a local hospital near RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, on […]

If there were ever a need for corporate obfuscation and MBA-speak, I hereby nominate Textron to teach the master class. Herewith is how they replied to this simple, direct question: Have you canceled the TTx aircraft? “At Textron Aviation, we continuously monitor the market as it fluctuates and adjust our product offerings accordingly. Our strategy […]

GAMA released their year-end shipment and billings data on Wednesday, along with a “State of the Industry” news conference that was streamed live online. Their data shows that airplane shipments globally increased 2.5 percent in 2017 compared to 2016, and rotorcraft shipments rose 7.5 percent, from 861 units in 2016 to 926 in 2017. “Notable […]