Business & Military

Bell Helicopter recently unveiled its new design for an autonomous tiltrotor, the V-247 Vigilant, which will have a 65-foot wingspan and will be capable of carrying a payload of up to 6.5 tons of fuel, armament and sensors. The aircraft, designed for military use, will be able to operate from land or sea, and will […]

Last week, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk promised that his plan to colonize Mars would be, if nothing else, entertaining. The man has a flair for understatement. As our news story reports today, Musk unveiled his Mars ambitions at the Astronautical Congress meeting in Guadalajara, Mexico. Ambitious hardly does it justice for if anyone other than […]

Uber is taking a serious look at autonomous VTOL aircraft for urban transport, and could have a fleet flying within a decade, chief products officer Jeff Holden said at a Nantucket conference on Sunday. In an interview with Kara Swisher of Re/code, Holden said the technology “could change cities and how we work and live.” […]

A study conducted by NBAA has found that 15 percent of flights in business jets begin without a complete flight-control check, the association reported last week. The NTSB suggested a need for the study after its investigation of a fatal 2014 accident involving a Gulfstream G-IV at Hanscom Field, in Bedford, Mass. The safety board […]

Golf legend Arnold Palmer, one of business aviation’s most prominent cheerleaders, died Sunday in Pittsburgh at the age of 87. Palmer, who became one of golf’s first superstars, was also a tireless promoter of the use of private aircraft to boost productivity. He was a frequent speaker and guest at the National Business Aviation Association […]

The F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter may be the latest example of the U.S. military resurrecting a retired aircraft type. The website theaviationist.com is showing video apparently shot in July of two of the bat-wing fighters flying together at the Tonopah Test Range in Nevada. The site says it has previously documented that the Air Force […]

NavWorx says it is working to resolve an issue with the FAA, which is refusing to process $500 rebate reservations for two models of transceivers the company makes. The agency is telling those who bought ADS600-B 200-0012 and 0013 models that they don’t qualify for the rebate because they are not fully in compliance with […]

NavWorx says it is working to resolve an issue with the FAA, which is refusing to process $500 rebate reservations for two models of transceivers the company makes. The agency is telling those who bought ADS600-B 200-0012 and 0013 models that they don’t qualify for the rebate because they are not fully in compliance with […]

The ground explosion of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Sept. 1 was likely caused by a “large breach” of the helium system, the company said Friday. SpaceX, NASA and the FAA, among others, continue to investigate the cause of the fiery incident at Cape Canaveral that destroyed the rocket and its payload as it stood […]

The rapid growth of the commercial satellite-launch industry has the FAA moving ahead to take over some safety oversight duties from the Department of Defense. Someone has to be responsible for overseeing collision avoidance for objects in orbit, and traditionally that has been the military’s role. But the FAA and the Pentagon appear to be […]