Business & Military

SpaceX successfully landed its reusable booster rocket after launching a payload of 11 small satellites into orbit Monday evening.It was SpaceX’s first launch since a rocket boosting a re-supply capsule to the International Space Station was destroyed shortly after launch in late June. Monday’s launch was the fourth attempt at reusing the 15-story booster after […]

So Amazon is starting an airline and it’s because of me. Or people like me, evidently. As you read in this week’s news columns, Amazon hasn’t confirmed it yet, but sources say they’re trying to make a deal to lease a fleet of 20 or more 767s to fly their own packages around the country. […]

Last Thursday, December 17, marked the 80th anniversary of the first flight of the Douglas DC-3, probably the most remarkable and successful transport created in the first half-century of powered flight. A buddy of mine kindly texted some photos to me that day—he was in a DC-3 in southern California on a commemorative flight. Of […]

Amazon is said to be in talks to move into the air freight business after a trial involving five leased Boeing 767s flying out of a former air cargo terminal in Wilmington, Ohio. The Seattle Times, quoting mostly unnamed sources, said the company is in the market for 20 more 767s and will likely base […]

Congress approved $16.3 billion for the FAA’s current fiscal year on Friday, along with tax breaks including another extension of bonus depreciation for capital investments including aircraft. The bonus depreciation measure allows businesses to write off as much as 50 percent of the value of equipment depending on when it was bought and put into […]

It’s always amusing when the hardworking daily press gets wind of an aviation-related story that’s trending out there where the busses don’t run. Such was the case Thursday when several outlets picked up the announcement from Terrafugia that its flying car had been approved for test flights in the U.S. “The FAA Just Approved Test […]

AVweb’s search of aviation news around the world found a partnership between Envoy Air and ATP Flight School, new features for the Garmin Pilot app, EASA engine certification for the Bell 505 helicopter, and national recognition for two aerospace organizations. Garmin is bringing enhanced flight plan filing capabilities to Garmin Pilot, which now incorporates the […]

The Senate has passed the Pilot’s Bill of Rights 2 (PBR2) and the next step is for the House to consider it. The Senate version passed unanimously less than a week after it was sent to the full Senate by the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. The bill had strong support in the Senate, […]

The small-airplane industry has been eagerly awaiting changes in the FAA certification rules for several years, but GAMA President Pete Bunce said today the FAA has failed to meet today’s deadline, set by Congress, for issuing a proposed rule. “It is very disappointing that [FAA officials] have not found ways to comply with the law […]

Despite our cynical belief that it would never get it done before Christmas, the FAA announced on Monday that its new drone registration program for all but the smallest drones will be in place next week. After we’ve registered, we’ll let you know how it works. But in the meantime, we’ve given the FAA a […]