Recent Updates

The U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says drone encounters accounted for almost the entire 58 percent increase in air proximity reports (airproxes) in the past five years. The BBC analyzed data from the CAA that says the airprox total jumped from 172 in 2013, when there were no drone complaints, to 272 in 2017, including […]

Lockheed Martin has reached a deal to shift production of F-16 wings to India, sparking speculation it might be planning to build the entire aircraft there in the near future. Tata Advanced Systems Ltd., of Hyderabad, already makes airframe components for the C-130J and Sikorsky S-92 helicopter but the F-16 deal is a major step […]

AVweb blogger Paul Berge recently observed–only half in jest–that an airplane would land itself if left unattended. It has happened, as this AVweb classic video shows. The incident, which occurred in 1970, has become known as the Cornfield Bomber. After the pilot ejected because he couldn’t recover from a flat spin, the airplane righted itself […]

A long time ago, I taxied my Cessna 182RG to St. Louis Lambert Field Runway 12L. I was first to the runway. There were about 18 Teenie Weenie Airlines (TWA) planes lined up on the taxiway for Runway 12R. An F‑18 appeared from the McDonnell Douglas facility on the north side of the field. Controllers […]

Dynon’s Installation Policy This is long overdue and a step in the right direction. Now if the other manufacturers would follow suit… Jonathan Cullifer I agree with everything you said, Larry. Good article. I’m one of the “capable” you referred to. And I’ll add a “twist” to your comments. I’m an A&P with 40 years […]

Altiscope, the Unmanned Traffic Management group from A3 by Airbus, released a document that it is calling a “roadmap for the safe integration of autonomous aircraft” on Wednesday. Airbus says its Blueprint for the Sky is designed to open conversation on industry evolution and the policies and rule-making that can regulate autonomous operations. “The shift […]

The FAA’s Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative (PAFI) will resume testing a possible unleaded replacement for avgas this fall, according to AOPA. The FAA suspended most PAFI testing operations in June to assess issues related to the differences between 100LL and the two unleaded test fuels—one developed by Shell and one by Swift Fuels. That announcement […]

In partnership with Alaska Airlines, NASA is testing cockpit-based flight planning software that is designed to save time and fuel using real-time flight data. Developed by NASA, the Traffic Aware Planner (TAP) software optimizes routes using factors like real-time weather, winds, air traffic and aircraft fuel burn, including associated weight and performance changes. The tablet-based […]

The FAA has granted a Supplemental Type Certificate to Boeing’s KC-46 tanker, the company announced this week. The STC is the second of two FAA certifications required for the aircraft. Next, Boeing will seek a Military Type Certificate from the U.S. Air Force, which is expected in the next few months. The required testing already […]