Recent Updates

Lt. Col. Kevin Walsh, the Thunderbirds operations officer for the 2016 and 2017 show seasons, will command the squadron as Thunderbird No. 1 for the 2018 season. Brig. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, Commander of the 57th Wing at Nellis Air Force Base, removed Walsh’s predecessor, Lt. Col. Jason Heard, in November after losing confidence in Heard’s […]

Boeing and Embraer confirmed on Thursday they are “engaged in discussions regarding a potential combination, the basis of which remains under discussion.” The brief statement was released after the Wall Street Journal reported that Boeing was in takeover talks with the Brazilian company. A merger would expand Boeing’s presence in the regional jet market and […]

The development of the CityAirbus VTOL demonstrator is moving forward, Airbus said in a news release this week. The first structural parts are complete and will soon be assembled. The ground-test facility in Germany is also complete, which will enable Airbus engineers to verify the electric propulsion system. The facility can test the system’s components, […]

You’d think a flight instructor would limit stupidity. You’d be wrong, as many accidents involved CFIs reacting too slowly to student silliness. Then there’s the Kentucky instructor whose student wouldn’t do anything dumb, so he intervened, setting the Cessna 172’s fuel selector to OFF within, he thought, gliding distance of the runway. Only the instructor […]

The new federal tax regulations that will take effect on Jan. 1 are mainly good news for aviation, according to AOPA and NBAA. The legislation passed this week will “directly lead to growth for the general aviation industry,” said NBAA President Ed Bolen. For example, the new rules allow for “immediate expensing,” Bolen said, which […]

The V-280 Valor, a tilt-rotor under development by Bell Helicopters, flew for the first time on Monday, in Amarillo, Texas, the company has announced. The Valor aims to deliver twice the speed and range of conventional helicopters, according to Bell, and is designed to be versatile and affordable. “The V-280 intends to completely transform what […]

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) heard opening arguments this week in Boeing’s complaint against Bombardier for allegedly dumping the narrow-body C Series jets on the U.S. market below cost. The Commerce Department entered a preliminary ruling on Boeing’s behalf assessing a nearly 300% tariff on the 108- to 133-seat CS100s that Bombardier had planned […]

Boeing Phantom Works took the cover off its refueling-drone project on Tuesday, revealing for the first time its entry in the U.S. Navy’s competition. The MQ-25 drone is designed to extend the combat range of fighter jets such as the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, Boeing EA-18G Growler and Lockheed Martin F-35C, which are deployed from […]

After first putting weight on wheels this spring, the Stratolaunch completed its first taxi tests over the weekend—steering from the cockpit and moving under its own power. Joe Sweat, one of the project’s test pilots, said of the event, “It was a lot less intimidating once we had it out there, in terms of how […]

After their plane crashed in the wilderness of northern Saskatchewan passengers aboard a West Wind Aviation ATR 42 spent about a half hour freeing themselves from the wreckage as local police and volunteers mustered a rescue effort. The aircraft carrying 22 passengers and three crew took off from Fond du Lac, a fly-in-only First Nations […]