Business & Military

Best radio call I ever got to make: I was a student pilot in the USAF, on my T‑38 cross country. Our final leg was a short hop from ABQ to home at Reese AFB (Lubbock, Texas). Of course, all surplus gas would be consumed with approach and landing practice. Departing ABQ, the TRACON asked […]

This week, AVweb’s news roundup uncovered reports on a new investment in Southern Airways, an operational expansion for Airstream Jets, the launch of a flight training academy and a successful aviation safety event in the U.K. Southern Airways Corporation has announced a strategic minority investment by SkyWest. According to Southern, the investment will boost the […]

uAvionix SkyBeacon ADS-B Installations In his article on the uAvionix SkyBeacon, Larry Anglisano said that a pilot could ask ATC if they see his ADS-B. It is true that ATC has the capability to see whether an aircraft is ADS-B equipped, we discourage pilots from asking that question. It encourages unnecessary frequency congestion and the […]

Test pilots on the Boeing 737 MAX weren’t provided key details on how the MCAS stability system functioned and apparently weren’t aware of its aggressive trim capability. The Wall Street Journal reports that MAX flight test pilots were also unaware that MCAS relied on data from a single angle-of-attack sensor. The report follows a revelation […]

Nearly two weeks after the event, SpaceX has confirmed that its Crew Dragon capsule was destroyed during ground testing on April 20 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. As previously reported by AVweb, the incident occurred during tests of the capsule’s abort thrusters. According to SpaceX Vice President of Build and Flight Reliability Hans Koenigsmann, the problem […]

Bombardier has announced that it will consolidate its aerospace assets into a single business unit under the heading Bombardier Aviation. As part of the consolidation, Bombardier will be looking to sell its Belfast and Morocco aerostructures businesses. The company says the move will allow it to better focus on its Global, Challenger, Learjet and CRJ […]

The Unmanned Safety Institute (USI) will be collaborating with Textron Systems to bring Aerosonde Small Unmanned Aircraft System (SUAS/drone) operator training into university curriculums. According to the companies, the agreement will create an employment pipeline for college students, secondary students, exiting military personnel and adult learners “interested in pursuing an unmanned career pathway.” The new […]

When Boeing finally digs itself out of the self-inflicted PR disaster of the 737 MAX story—if it ever does—I wonder how it will be graded on handling the crisis. I wonder, but I’m kinda disposed to think it will become a textbook case of how not to behave in the searing glare of catastrophic bad […]

Blackhawk Modifications has announced that it will be celebrating its twentieth year in business with a facility expansion and by pulling together four of its aviation-based companies under the new brand name of Blackhawk Aerospace. Blackhawk Aerospace will include Blackhawk Modifications, Blackhawk Composites, Blackhawk Aerospace Solutions (formerly Vector-Hawk Aerospace) and Blackhawk Aircraft Sales. “Blackhawk Aerospace […]

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) and Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) are forming a Blue Ribbon Task Force on the mitigation of unauthorized unmanned aircraft system (UAS/drone) operation at airports. According to AUVSI, the task force will be looking at ways to “refine procedural practices and provide a policy framework” to address […]