Recent Updates

The FAA has issued conditional approval for the country’s first vertiport at Allen C. Perkinson Blackstone Army Airfield (KBKT), in Blackstone, Virginia. The public-use vertiport is the cornerstone of a research project that will look into key aspects of integration of uncrewed aircraft into the National Airspace System. The project, sponsored by the Virginia government, […]

The FAA has officially closed its investigation into the crash of Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital rocket system shortly after launch on Sept. 12, 2022. According to the agency, the loss of the uncrewed research mission was the result of the “structural failure of an engine nozzle caused by higher than expected engine operating temperatures.” […]

Eddie Sanches herds an American Airlines 777 around for a living, but on the weekends he enjoys the rough and tumble world of STOL drag racing. Three years ago he purchased and raced a Just Aircraft Highlander with a Rotax 914 engine, which he later upgraded to an EP 912, putting out 155 hp. At ArkanSTOL 2022 (what a […]

Zenith Aircraft Company hosted its 32nd annual Homecoming fly-in last week, welcoming an estimated 500 visitors during the two-day event. The fly-in took place Sept. 15-16 at the kit aircraft manufacturer’s factory on Mexico Memorial Airport (KMYJ) in Mexico, Missouri. Zenith Homecoming organizers reported that around 50 aircraft flew in for the event with a […]

The FAA has authorized drone delivery and logistics company Zipline to make commercial deliveries using drones flying beyond the operator’s line of sight. According to the agency, Zipline will use its Sparrow drone, which releases payloads via parachute and is capable of traveling up to 120 miles, for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations. […]

Dayton, Ohio, on Monday was announced as the site of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer Joby Aviation’s first full-scale manufacturing plant. Joby passed over potential locations in Michigan, North Carolina, and Marina, California, which had hoped to lure back the company for more after it opened its pilot production line there a few […]

So what can you do with a multi-engine seaplane rating? You can fly firefighting aircraft that scoop water from lakes and dump it on big fires. You can fly an air taxi at a couple of small operations in Florida or Washington. You can fly PBYs with the Commemorative Air Force. Or, perhaps best of […]

Vertical flight solutions company Bristow Group has entered into a partnership with Germany-based urban air mobility (UAM) startup Volocopter to develop commercial passenger and cargo services using electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in the U.S. and U.K. According to the companies, the partnership will include cooperating on building a UAM ecosystem with the […]

The NASA-SpaceX Crew-6 mission made a safe return to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday, splashing down off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida. NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev spent 186 days in space for Crew-6. The mission was the […]

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has released an official opinion proposing new rules for the operation of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. The proposal includes regulations governing operations, flight crew licensing, rules of the air and air traffic management for crewed, VTOL-capable air taxis. It also looks to establish criteria and processes […]