Recent Updates

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 […]

Vertical Aerospace has identified a propeller issue as the most likely cause of an Aug. 9 flight testing accident involving its VX4 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) prototype. According to the company, “an unexpected fault occurred causing the aircraft to enter a stable descent, before being damaged on impact with the ground.” Vertical reported […]

With all the kits available, why did Art Zemon choose a 50-year-old design? It’s a question he gets often, usually followed by “Are you nuts?” The BD-4 “is not pretty,” said the 59-year-old computer engineer based at the St. Charles County Airport west of St. Louis, Missouri. “It looks like the box the airplane came […]

Korean researchers are developing a humanoid “pibot” that looks like a character from a 1960s science fiction sitcom but unlike most autonomous flight systems, this one can literally fill in for pilots in any aircraft. The team at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) say their creation can fly a plane without […]

So here I am. A 23-year-old with my own airplane. I’ve made the investment but don’t (yet) know how to fly it or fix it. I knew that N2165U, my Van’s RV-6, was going to need a lot of love, and I wanted to start immediately so I could fly it as soon as possible. As […]

Coming changes to Light Sport rules are expected to bring a boon to the still-nascent eVTOL industry, according to manufacturer Doroni Aerospace. In a news release this week the company says the new Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) initiative will include eVTOLs and allow them to be developed under the more permissive and less […]

Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developers Archer Aviation and Boeing-owned Wisk Aero have reached a settlement to resolve federal and state litigation between them. Wisk filed the lawsuit, which alleged that Archer misappropriated trade secrets and infringed on Wisk’s patents, in April 2021. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed. Along with […]

Vertical Aerospace has reported that its VX4 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft prototype was involved in an incident during flight testing on Wednesday. The extent of the damage to the prototype, which was piloted remotely, has not been disclosed. The incident occurred at Vertical’s flight test center at Cotswold Airport (GBA) in the […]

Voyager Space and Airbus Defence and Space have launched a joint venture to develop, build and operate a commercial space station. According to the companies, the U.S.-led project “will bring together world-class leaders in the space domain, while further uniting American and European interests in space exploration.” Called Starlab, it is intended to succeed the […]

The FAA has approved commercial use of the biggest electric drone it’s ever certified and it may be coming to a farm near you. The Pelican Spray, developed by Oakland-based startup Pyka, is a Cub-sized cropdusting drone that’s already in operation in Costa Rica, Honduras and Brazil to spray bananas, cotton, soy and corn. The […]