Business & Military

On December 5, 2014, NASA flew the new Orion deep space vehicle for the first time, launched by a Delta Heavy booster. In this NASA-provided footage, the first part of the mission is detailed. view on YouTube

NASA’s Orion unmanned spacecraft successfully launched, orbited the Earth and splashed downFriday morning on its first test flight, one day after the liftoff was scrubbed due to weather and mechanical problems.Orion, a prototype capsule for future manned space missions, made two laps around the Earth, rode its Delta IV rocket up to 3,600 miles, then […]

Watching the Orion launch on NASA’s splendid live feed on Friday, I was asking myself if it made me feel that old Apollo magic. The answer: it did. Even though the vehicle was unmanned, its ultimate purpose is to put the U.S. back into the manned spaceflight business. That’s on my short list of worthy […]

A union lawsuit filed this week against NetJets Inc. alleges the private charter company illegally accessed a pilots union message board and created an imposter Twitter account in efforts to undermine the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots, which represents about 2,700 pilots who fly for the company. The action is the latest in heated […]

AVweb’s search of the latest in aviation news turned up previews of 2015 events including EAA’s AirVenture and the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo, and announcements from manufacturers including Hartzell Propeller, Quest Aircraft and Waco Aircraft.One of the most harrowing and triumphant adventures in space exploration history will be commemorated atEAAAirVentureOshkosh 2015, as members of the […]

After dealing with a variety of delays including mechanical issues, NASAscrubbed the launch of the Orion capsule Thursday morning and scheduled another attempt in less than 24 hours.The original 7:05 a.m. launch was delayed when a stray boat was spotted in the launch zone, according to Florida Today. Strong winds then delayed new launch times […]

Video camera maker GoPro Inc. will enter the burgeoning drone market with its own camera-equipped unmanned aerial systems in late 2015, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.GoPro, which sells small high-definition cameras in the $200 to $500 range, is developing multi-rotor helicopters to sell between $500 and $1,000, according to the report. […]

The European Union is clarifying tax rules for foreign-registered business aircraft flying in European airspace. A working paper was issued this week by the European Union and its eventual implementation is expected to end the confusion, according to NBAA. Many owners of aircraft registered in the U.S. and other countries were unsure whether their operations […]

Transport Canada just released some proposed guidance on the commercial operation of light unmanned aerial systems. Drones. If you haven’t had a chance to look it over, here’s the link (PDF). I suggest at least skimming it. (I’ll wait while you do that.) Clearly, our friends north of the border have come adrift from reality […]

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said Sunday that rulemaking planned for the end of this year on unmanned aerial systems (UAS) will focus on aircraft certification and “qualifications” of pilots. “I can’t say what is going to be in it but broadly speaking, what we are looking at are all the questions relating to how we […]