Recent Updates

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 […]

The FAA has approved Reliable Robotics process to certify a system designed to turn a variety of aircraft into remotely piloted vehicles. Rather than concentrate on the airframe, the company is instead working on the technology to apply remotely operated flight systems to existing aircraft. Its initial testbed has been a Cessna Caravan but the […]

In the early 1960s, a young Jim Katz was absorbing page after page in Air Progress magazine, and when he saw an article that included three-view drawings of the Bowers Fly Baby, his eyes widened. “Man, I could build that!” he said to himself. That thought never left him. In 1971, when Jim was in […]

Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer Joby Aviation released its first Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) report on Thursday. The report (PDF) covers topics including the company’s approach to safety strategy, the environmental impact of Joby and its aircraft, team member demographics and corporate governance structure. Its development was headed by newly appointed Joby […]

The Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) will be holding its UAS4STEM competition at the 2023 Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture Oshkosh fly-in convention. Now in its third year, the competition will include both beginner and advanced divisions for the first time. UAS4STEM is open to teams of students ages 11 to 19. “As the competition […]

Urban air mobility (UAM) startup Archer Aviation has hosted a delegation from the Federal Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Interagency Working Group at its flight test facility. The group included more than 70 people representing agencies and departments such as the FAA, NASA, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Defense (DOD) and […]

Transport Canada has signed a one-year contract with an autonomous aircraft startup to provide pilotless cargo service to remote northern communities using a light aircraft. Ribbit Airlines founder Jeremy Yang told CTV News the Ontario-based company has developed software and hardware that will enable the autonomous missions to operate on a schedule with minimal human […]

We’ve talked in general terms about how to mount the electric motor from the Zero motorcycle into the eXenos and covered the electrical connections and wiring in detail. But what about all the fiddly bits? As anyone who has ever built an airplane knows, the devil is always in the details. So let’s look at a few […]

Alef Aeronautics caused some excitement in the flying car media this weekend with the announcement that it had received special airworthiness certification for the prototype of its unusual design. While some outlets had the skies imminently crowded with the traffic-hopping creation, it turns out the FAA certification has some pretty tight restrictions, including flying it […]