Business & Military

The House bill sponsored by Republican Bill Shuster to privatize the U.S. air traffic management system failed to appear on the Congressional schedule for the week of Oct. 9—seemingly a surprise to the Pennsylvania congressman and Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, who had expected it to come to a vote next […]

Safran, the French multinational aerospace and technology firm, celebrated the start of ground testing for its Open Rotor concept engine earlier this week. The Open Rotor is a variation on the propfan or unducted fan concept where a turbine engine drives one or more external fans. The Open Rotor utilizes two counter-rotating, unshrouded fans, which, […]

Boeing announced on Thursday it plans to acquire Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation, a technology company that specializes in autonomous systems and robotic aircraft. “The combined strength and innovation of our teams will advance the development of autonomy for our commercial and military systems,” saidGreg Hyslop, chief technology officer and senior vice president of Boeing Engineering, […]

Zunum Aero, a startup based in Seattle that plans to build a family of hybrid-to-electric regional aircraft, released details of its initial design on Thursday. The aircraft, the company said, will seat up to 12 passengers, and will be ready for flight tests in 2019 and first deliveries in 2022. The company also announced the […]

After a fashion, airplanes are toys. No, not all of them, because an Air Tractor earns its keep applying chemicals and Caravans haul skydivers and boxes. But if you own an old taildragger or a beater Cherokee, it’s a recreational toy. With that in mind, I’ve noticed some new developments in the toy market and […]

Bell Helicopter’s V-280 Valor prototype is ready to fly and on track for its first flight this November, the company said this week, and is now completing ground-run tests at the Bell assembly center in Amarillo, Texas. The V-280 is a clean-sheet next-generation tilt-rotor designed for military use. It will be simple to operate and […]

U.S. Navy officials have identified the two pilots in Sunday’s crash of a T-45 Goshawk as Lt. Patrick Ruth and Lt. J.G. Wallace Burch, both based at NAS Meridian with the VT-7 training squadron. Lt. Ruth, the instructor pilot, 31 years old, was from Metairie, Louisiana. He previously flew the E-2 Hawkeye with the VAW-126 […]

A two-seat autonomous aircraft with 16 electric rotors flew for the first time in May, and carried passengers on board for several flights in early September, the company recently announced. The “PassengerDrone” aircraft, built in Switzerland, looks similar to a Volocopter, but with its rotors placed along two straight booms instead of Volocopter’s circular rotor […]

Santa Monica Airport (KSMO) is preparing to start work next week on shortening its single runway from 4,973 feet to 3,500 feet. Authorization to shorten the runway at the airport was the result of a controversial settlement between the city government and the FAA in January. Initial work will take place in the evenings, with […]

Facing down a critical shortage of pilots, the Air Force is turning to its retirees to pick up the slack. Under the Voluntary Retired Return to Active Duty (VRRAD) program, the Air Force plans to put retirees back in uniform to serve in roles that require aviation experience, but don’t involve actual flying. The goal […]