Recent Updates

The only fatalities resulting from the magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Mexico on Friday were 13 people on the ground hit by a crashing military Blackhawk helicopter on Saturday. The helicopter was carrying government officials surveying the damage in Santiago Jamiltepec in Oaxaca state in southern Mexico when it crashed while attempting to land in a […]

All 65 people aboard an Aseman Airlines ATR-72 turboprop were killed when the aircraft crashed in bad weather in the mountains of southern Iran Sunday. The aircraft hit Mt. Dena, which is almost 14,000 feet tall, while on approach to Yasuj on a flight from Tehran just after midnight. Wind, snow and dense fog prevented […]

Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) has certified the Pipistrel Alpha Electro in its advanced ultralight category, the first certification of an electric aircraft in North America. The certification means the aircraft can be used commercially in its intended role as an economical trainer. Electricairplanes can’t qualify for the factory-built light sport category (S-LSA) because FAA […]

The FAA and NTSB are now mulling the circumstances of a relatively minor helicopter crash in South Carolina that may go down in history as the first U.S. aircraft crash caused by a drone. According to the narrative available so far, the drone didn’t directly cause the crash but the pilot’s evasive maneuvers to avoid […]

FBOs and local airports across Canada have been affected by a quarantine of avgas following a quality control problem at the only refinery that makes 100LL in Canada. Imperial Oil’s Strathcona refinery in Edmonton issued a directive Wednesday to its wholesale customers saying any avgas they obtained from the refinery from Dec. 28, 2017, shouldn’t […]

A company in Wyoming has secured FAA approval to start flight tests with a large twin-engine drone, the Flyox Mark II, built by Singular Aircraft of Barcelona, Spain. The amphibious drone has a 35-foot wingspan and can carry up to 4,000 pounds of water for dropping on forest fires. According to Singular, it’s the world’s […]

The FAA appears to be ramping up its promotion of ADS-B equipage now that the clock is really ticking on getting the gear. With less than two years to go until the Jan. 1, 2020, mandate, the agency is appealing to pilots’ safety sense to encourage them to get it done. The following video, featuring […]

Voom, the on-demand helicopter service that Airbus launched in Sao Paulo last April as part of its A^3 incubator program, is now officially part of Airbus Helicopters, the company announced on Tuesday. Voom has flown thousands of passengers, and the company plans to expand its operations this year. “Urban transportation on and below ground is […]

The U.S. Air Force detailed plans to address its aircrew shortage and modernize its fleet in the Fiscal Year 2019 budget request released on Monday. “There is a bow wave of modernization over the next 10 years,” said Heather Wilson, secretary of the Air Force, in a statement posted online. “Bombers, fighters, tankers, satellites, helicopters […]

President Trump’s budget plan was released on Monday, including a proposal to privatize the air traffic control system, and aviation advocates were quick to respond. “The idea of handing over the nation’s ATC system to what amounts to an airline cartel … is bad policy,” said NBAA President Ed Bolen. AOPA said the proposal doesn’t […]