Business & Military

The giant Airlander 10 went aloft for the first time today from Cardington Airfield in Bedfordshire, England, completing a successful test for its maker, Hybrid Air Vehicles. The 300-foot, blimp-like aircraft landed before dark after about 15 minutes. Crews spent much of the day preparing for the first flight, which was postponed from Sunday after […]

The AC312E, a new light twin-engine helicopter developed by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, has completed its first flight, the company has announced. The helicopter, designed to carry up to nine passengers or more than 1,300 pounds of cargo, is aimed at both the domestic and international markets. It can be used for a […]

Two unique aircraft now ready to start flight tests are waiting on the ground as crews deal with various glitches. Doc, the B-29 that has been under restoration for years, finally flew last month, but the flight lasted just 15 minutes, shorter than was planned. The flight was cut short after a chip detector device, […]

The FAA has issued its final rule on the controversial airworthiness directive that will require the replacement of cylinders on 6,200 high-displacement Continental engines. It takes effect on Sept. 15. The AD, which scraps thousands of aftermarket cylinders made by ECi, was initially proposed in 2013 for 520, 550 and some 470 model Continentals that […]

Mooney International has appointed Dr. Vivek Saxena as CEO of the company, replacing Jerry Chen, who has led the firm for the last three years. The change at the top, confirmed by AVweb on Monday, was officially announced by the company in a news release on Tuesday. Chen, who is from Taiwan, is the head […]

Whoever said success is its own reward probably wasn’t talking about the aviation business and the folks who run Surf Air know that all too well. The company has made a go out of a potentially risky membership business model offering patrons an “all-you-can-fly” package for $1,950 a month in Pilatus PC-12s. They picked the […]

At least once a year, I try to take the temperature of the emerging aircraft diesel engine market. What’s selling? Who’s buying it? How are they doing with it?A recent sweep through this topic revealed that in new airplanes, not much is selling at all, diesel or otherwise. (See the most recent GAMA production and […]

The Air Force’s pilot shortage continues to grow as its aviators move to airline flying jobs, military officials said this week. The USAF estimates it will be short 700 fighter pilots by year’s end, up from the 500-plus gap officials told Congress about earlier this year. The shortage could increase to 1,000 in the coming […]

AVweb‘s search of news in aviation found announcements from Kansas State Polytechnic, Global Aerospace, the Payson Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol and the Air Care Alliance. Kansas State Polytechnic is offering FAA Certified Drone Pilot courses in August and September. This course covers the basics of unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV) flight, UAS flight safety, […]

In politics, the third rail—that thing you do not touch—is Social Security. Aviation journalism has its own third rail and it’s called aircraft emissions as a cause of global warming. The reason this subject is untouchable is because by and large, readers of aviation publications view flying airplanes as a quiet refuge away from the […]