Business & Military

Virgin Galactic is keeping SpaceShipTwo’s flight schedule under wraps even as the company unveiled the new model at a splashy ceremony Friday at the Mojave Air and Space Port. The company did emphasize the spacecraft is already undergoing an elaborate series of component tests in the name of safety. “Our commitment to safety can be […]

U.S. Army researchers are experimenting with making 3D-printed drones on demand. The Army Research Laboratory recently proposed the concept as a means to quickly build and deploy small unmanned aircraft in the field. The idea won a spot in the 2017 Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiments, which allow selected project teams to demonstrate new technologies, the […]

Virgin Galactic will roll out a replacement SpaceShipTwo suborbital space plane on Friday and while it will look the same as the one that crashed in 2014 there are some important internal differences. According to the Verge, the company says the new vehicle has more automation and failsafe systems designed to prevent the kind of […]

AVweb’s search of aviation news around the world found announcements from Sonex Aircraft, The Squawk App, Parkland College and Advent Aircraft Systems.Sonex Aircraft announced its latest aircraft development project: Sonex and Waiex B-Models, offering more room and comfort, more panel space, more fuel, more engine choices, and more standard features combined with reduced build time.Pilots […]

The Hypstair hybrid-electric powertrain ran for the first time this month, launching a test series for the project led by Slovenian aircraft maker Pipistrel. Hypstair, which has been making the rounds at European aviation events, features 200 kilowatts of takeoff power and 150 kilowatts of continuous power suitable for a light GA aircraft. It can […]

I spent a good portion of January conducting interviews and research for a major print piece on electric aircraft to appear in the March issue of Aviation Consumer. My impression is that there’s as much going on in this field beneath the surface as there are known projects. Expect to learn more in 2016. Last […]

Today at the Singapore Airshow, Bombardier introduced a new variant of its Q400 aircraft, which it says will be the world’s only commercial turboprop capable of carrying 90 passengers. The 90-seat configuration comes with a 2,000-pound increase in payload. Bombardier says those 12 to 14 extra seats help deliver a 20 percent advantage in operating […]

Regular airline service between the U.S. and Cuba will resume but don’t pack the sunscreen yet. While the Department of Transportation has formally signed an agreementreached two months ago allowing up to 110 daily roundtrip airline flights between the U.S. and the island country, there are still significant restrictions on who can buy those flights. […]

If you own a drone that weighs more than 0.55 pounds and less than 55 pounds, and you fly it outdoors, you are required to register it in the FAA’s registry by this Friday. “Besides being required by law, registration provides an excellent opportunity to educate yourself if you are new to aviation, and it […]

Viking, a Canadian company that has been building brand-new Twin Otters for a few years now, this week introduced a new variation, the 400S Seaplane, at the Singapore Airshow. While the twin was previously available with optional floats, the 400S is optimized for water-based operations, with corrosion-resistant packages for the airframe, powerplant and fuel system. […]