Business & Military

Airbus Helicopters announced its latest project at the Paris Air Show this week – developing a heavy-lift helicopter for civilian industry, with plans to have the new model enter service after 2020. Concepts for the X6 design will be evaluated with customer input sought over the next two years.While Airbus’ H160, which had its first […]

AVweb’s search of news in aviation around the world found an upcoming NTSB safety seminar on instructional accidents, the return of the successful Pilot Proficiency Center at this year’s EAA AirVenture, an announcement of Girls in Aviation Day from Women in Aviation International, and a successful first aviation camp for Auburn University.The National TransportationSafety Board […]

FAA rules on commercial use of unmanned aircraft systems will be on the books within a year, officials told a congressional panel Wednesday. But it remains to be seen whether the pending regulations will meet the timeline and the needs of companies like Amazon, which wants to offer consumers 30-minute package deliveries with drones. According […]

The FAA has given its final stamp of approval to Icon’s A5 amphibious light sport aircraft, and the first customer delivery will take place July 20 at EAA AirVenture, Icon announced on Wednesday. The final FAA audit took place at the company’s facility in Tehachapi, California, on June 11. “This is just the beginning for […]

I came, I saw, I flew. After three years of trying, frustrated by weather, schedules and airplanes that just weren’t ready, I flew my first electric airplane this week, Pipistrel’s Alpha Electro. And? From the inside the cabin, it was underwhelming. Listening to it whistle by on the ground was quite another thing, however. As […]

DeltaHawk Engines, based in Racine, Wisconsin, has sold a controlling interest in the company to the local Ruud family, and plans to start production on their four-cylinder diesel/jet-A engine design sometime this year. The investment enabled the company to immediately hire seven engineers and make plans to hire 100 workers by the end of 2016. […]

United Technologies Corp., the parent company of Sikorsky, said on Monday at the Paris Air Show it plans to spin off or sell the helicopter company. “Our strategic review has confirmed that exiting the helicopter business is the best path forward for United Technologies,” said Gregory Hayes, CEO of UTC, in a news release. “Separation […]

After more than a year of speculation, the chairman of the powerful House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has formally announced his intention to separate air traffic control services from the FAA. In a speech to the Washington Aero Club Monday, Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., chairman of the committee, said he wants to create a federally […]

An amendment to a House transportation and housing appropriations bill would cut funding for the controversial biological questionnaire used by the FAA to pre-screen candidates for air traffic control training. In proposing the amendment, Rep. Randy Hultgren, R-Ill., said the FAA needs to stop using that part of the controller hiring process in light of […]

Airbus engineers made a small splash this week at the Venturefest business expo held in Bristol, England, with a display of their side project — the little-known two-seat electric Bristol Eco-Flyer. It could be called a single-engine cousin of the twin E-Fan, which Airbus has been showing around the world as it works towardflight certification […]