Business & Military

The S-97 Raider, a helicopter prototype based on Sikorsky’s Collier-Prize-winning X2 technology, flew for the first time last Friday, the company has announced. The S-97 is designed to demonstrate “a game-changing combination of maneuverability, hover ability, range, speed, endurance and survivability,” the company said. The coaxial counter-rotating main rotors and pusher propeller are expected to […]

The pilot of actor Johnny Depp’s aircraft is facing up to two years in prison for his role in the alleged smuggling of the Pirates of the Caribbean star’s two Yorkshire terriers into Australia. The country’s justice system is now considering what to do with Depp, who faces up to 10 years in jail, and […]

When life gives it thunderstorms and tornadoes, Delta Air Lines has apparently decided to give its passengers pizza. Passengers on several flights headed to Delta’s home hub of Atlanta reported that after landing at diversion airports because of weather the flight crew had pizza delivered via baggage cart to the aircraft, which were sitting on […]

The FAA’s plans regarding ADS-B, or automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast services, don’t offer enough protection for operators’ privacy, security and business competitiveness, NBAA President Ed Bolen said in an op-ed this week. “ADS-B transmits an unencrypted, real-time signal that includes the aircraft’s Mode S transponder code, its call sign, aircraft type, position and airspeed, as determined […]

The Canadian government has thrown a wrench into a tentative plan for the Navy’s National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola to acquire the one aircraft missing from its collection. The Navy is working on a deal with Coulson Flying Tankers, of Port Alberni, British Columbia, owner of the last two Martin Mars flying boats to […]

When I tour around to report on airplane projects, I have basically two reactions and having the imagination of a turnip, these are consistent. The first is wide-eyed wonderment at the audacity of it all; building machines that lift and hurl themselves through the atmosphere with people in them. The second, upon realizing the staggering […]

AVweb’s search of aviation news around the world found an engine upgrade for the Cessna Caravan, scholarship awards from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association and The Racing Aces, and an upcoming convention for unmanned aerial systems hosted by NASA. Blackhawk Modifications announced that FAA certification is imminent for a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-140 new engine […]

Dynon Avionics, the maker of experimental and light-sport panels, has rolled out anew Remote Magnetometer for its SkyView panel as well as a software update for its transponder. The new magnetometer providesprimary flight instrument data in a compact unit that will make installation easier and save panel space, the company said. It’s offering the SV-MAG-236 […]

Once again, it’s the season to talk about fixing the FAA, this time by moving the air traffic function out of the agency and into a separate agency or a privatized corporation of some sort. As we reported, Rep. John Mica has introduced a billin the House of Representatives that would turn ATC into an […]

Horizon Unmanned Systems, a drone company based in Singapore, says it has developed micro fuel cells powered by hydrogen that will enable small multi-rotor drones to fly for up to four hours, instead of the 20 to 30 minutes that’s typical with lithium batteries. The prototype Hycopter stores compressed hydrogen fuel inside its tubular structure, […]