Business & Military

After a missed approach, the fuel condition of a Virgin-operated Boeing 737-800 with 91 aboard forced an emergency landing at a fog-shrouded alternate airport in Australia on June 18 that left the jet with 15 minutes of fuel remaining when it stopped, the ATSB said. According to the ATSB’s preliminary incident report, released Wednesday, the […]

Deer Trail, Colorado, is expected to vote August 6 on an ordinance that would sell hunting licenses and provide rewards to its citizens for destroying federal property if it appears overhead in the form of an unmanned aerial drone. The ordinance was drafted by town resident Phillip Steel. It states that Deer Trail will offer […]

According to the CDC, the weight of the average American has significantly increased since 1960 and that may be starting to have an impact on air medical transport providers, especially those that operate helicopters. The average weight for men aged 20-74 rose nearly 30 pounds over four decades ending in 2002, according a CDC report. […]

British inventor Alan Bond will reportedly receive more than $90 million from the British government to further develop technology for a hybrid jet-rocket engine that he expects will be capable of more than 3,500 mph in flight. Bond runs Reaction Engines, which seeks to develop a reusable space plane dubbed Skylon. The vehicle’s performance hinges […]

The Navy this week said its X-47B drone successfully landed on an aircraft carrier at sea, using the arrested landing system to control its rollout on the deck. The drone had launched from the Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland, and flew to the carrier USS George H.W. Bush, which was sailing off the […]

Researchers at MIT have been experimenting with ionic thrusters and say their results show the technology may potentially provide a “far more efficient source of propulsion than conventional jet engines.” In a news release posted in April, the university said Steven Barrett, an assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics, and his research team have published […]

After unanimous Senate confirmation, Anthony Foxx was sworn in as the new Secretary of Transportation Tuesday. Foxx repeated the oath to Judge Nathaniel Jones in a private ceremony attended by his family. Foxx wasted little time setting the agenda for his coming term. Safety will remain our top priority at DOT,” he said in a […]

Bombardier says it needs to tweak the software of its CSeries test aircraft and has delayed the maiden flight of the aircraft until sometime in late July. The company announced the decision last week even though executives had put a hard deadline of the end of June on the first flight. Bombardier spokesman Marc Duchesne […]

Helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky sent layoff notices to 200 workers last week, according to local news sources. The helicopter manufacturer, based in Stratford, Conn., told the Hartford Business Journal that government spending is being cut in the U.S. and internationally, and many customers are delaying purchase decisions as economic uncertainty persists. “Given all this, we must […]

Florida-based fractional Avantair employs about 500 people, is the target of a class-action lawsuit, and Wednesday said that it is furloughing pilots and workers while seeking financing to keep its aircraft and continue operations. Last summer, a company Piaggio Avanti turboprop lost its left elevator during flight and landed safely with passengers on board. And […]