Recent Updates

SpaceX has announced that Japanese fashion entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa has purchased a flight around the moon on the company’s still-conceptual Big Falcon Rocket (BFR). Maezawa, who is also an avid art collector, says he will be offering six to eight artists free seats for the flight in the hope that they will be inspired to […]

Flight simulator manufacturer Frasca International announced that it has been named subcontractor for the Navy TH-57 Aircrew Training Services Contract on Monday. Frasca says it will be providing ten Flight Simulation Training Devices (FTDs) as part of the ground-based training systems for the TH-57 helicopter. According to the company, the FTDs will be used for […]

What sounds like a dream flight will undoubtedly be a technical and logistical nightmare as a British group attempts the first circumnavigation in a Spitfire. Although the aircraft climbs like a scalded cat and can go more than 400 MPH, Spitfires were designed for 20-minute bouts of dogfighting, not 27,000-mile cross countries. With a combat […]

It seems likely legislators will miss a Sept. 30 deadline to pass an FAA reauthorization bill but they may not require yet another short-term extension. The Senate sent its suggested revisions of the House version of the bill back to the House for consideration last week. But the House is adjourned all next week and […]

Canadian researchers say they have debunked the long-held belief that facial hair interferes with the seal on pilot oxygen masks and at least one airline has lifted its decades-old beard ban. Air Canada, which commissioned the Simon Fraser University (Vancouver) study, says its pilots can now sport beards “to a maximum length of 12.5 millimeters […]

We were over Tennessee having a pretty decent ride at FL390, but lower altitudes were not faring as well, and the chatter between aircraft and Memphis Center reflected the hunt for smoother air. As the crew of a regional jet (RJ) checked on frequency, they asked about rides. Memphis Center: It won’t smooth out until […]

This week, AVweb‘s news roundup found reports on an event held by the Lancair Owners and Builders Organization, an upcoming aerospace exhibition, a new contract between CEFA Aviation and China’s aviation authority and the addition of more hubs for Airstream Jets’ Jet Card Program. The Lancair Owners and Builders Organization (LOBO) will be holding its […]

Space Race: Virgin Vs. Blue Origin The “race” between Blue Origin and Virgin seems to come down to sales hype. Branson, the ultimate showman, has the charisma to make his rocket powered shuttlecock look inviting while Bezos’ more mundane capsule has some actual historical experience to draw upon. Only recently has Blue Origin allowed real-time […]

Braille Battery announced the successful completion of a series of test trials on the company’s new customized lithium batteries for commercial drones (UAVs) last week. Braille says the trials demonstrated that its batteries provided “longer discharge cycles—with significantly less weight—than the incumbent battery,” although estimates of how much longer and lighter have not yet been […]

The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) says that its Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) rulemaking initiative has made substantial progress after a meeting with FAA officials in Washington, D.C., earlier this week. EAA also met with the FAA during AirVenture to discuss MOSAIC, which is designed to “relieve builders of well-proven homebuilts of some of […]