Recent Updates

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 […]

Wisk Aero conducted the first public demonstration flight of its fully autonomous, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL), fixed-wing air taxi at AirVenture 2023. AVweb’s Kate O’Connor stopped by at the show to learn more about the aircraft and the company’s plans for the future.

You never know quite what to expect from CubCrafters these days. The company started by the late Jim Richmond in 1980 grew conventionally enough at first, refurbishing the Piper Cub in its many forms and then seeking to improve the design with more modern materials and practices than could ever be envisioned by Piper during […]

Kitfox Aircraft showed not one but two Experimentals powered by the new 160-hp Rotax 916 at AirVenture 2023. We caught up with Kitfox’s Brandon Petersen, whose own Kitfox has pride of place at the corner of the company booth. Builder of the “no-compromises” airplane, he describes the performance and capability of Kitfox’s newest model. For more information: www.kitfoxaircraft.com […]

Van’s Aircraft responded to reports of cracking of dimpled parts found in recent kits here at AirVenture on Tuesday morning. The defects are the result of changes in the process for laser-cutting parts by an outside vendor. From February 2022 through June 2023, Van’s transitioned some parts from traditional punch-press manufacturing to an outside vendor […]

Part of Van’s Aircraft’s public forum at AirVenture this morning focused on the development of the high-wing RV-15, which made a splashy debut here last year. Skeptics might wonder if much is happening given that the airplane on display here looks a lot like it did last year. But that would be to ignore the tremendous amount […]