Recent Updates

Eight general aviation advocacy groups signed onto a letter this week protesting a bill now in the House that would put a cap on payments to veterans in flight-training programs. Other education tracks are not subject to caps, the advocates said. “Capping funds available for flight-training degree programs virtually guarantees that veterans seeking to use […]

When the press release on Cessna’s new twin turboprop came pixeling into my inbox Tuesday morning, my first reaction was: a new skydiving airplane! Woo-hoo! This further proves that self-interest easily overpowers rational thought, but in a more sober moment, I realized that in aviation as in everything else, history repeats. Even without a piece […]

CubCrafters has announced the latest upgrades to the experimental versions of its Carbon Cub adventure aircraft and they include an entirely new engine and a useful load equal to the plane’s empty weight. The new EX-3 (amateur-built experimental) and FX-3 (builder assist) models are significantly different from previous models. They look pretty much the same […]

Although the NTSB has yet to offer its own judgment, the builders of a replica of the Bugatti 100p that crashed in 2016, killing its main proponent, say they’ve concluded a clutch failure on the forward propeller assembly of the unusual aircraft led to its crash. Scotty Wilson, 66, died when the aircraft crashed shortly […]

Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Siemens are partnering to build a partially electric-powered airliner demonstrator intended to provide the initial data toward developing a fully electric-powered passenger aircraft. The high-powered partnership hopes to have a modified BAE 146 regional airliner, dubbed the E-Fan X, flying with one of its four engines running on electricity instead of kerosene […]

The really cool thing about the experimental aircraft field is that you can build anything you want. And that’s exactly what Lance Hooley and Robert Harris did with their GE58-powered composite single-seat canard design reminiscent of the famed Rutan Long-EZ. AVweb’s Geoff Rapoport spoke with Hooley and Harris about this unique airplane for this original […]

The military aircraft accident rate has jumped significantly in the past year and Sen. John McCain has said it’s the natural result of years of penny pinching with the military. “Perhaps the greatest harm to our national security and our military is self-inflicted. I repeat, self-inflicted,” McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said […]

Photos shared with AVweb show the Cobalt Co50 Valkyrie undergoing flight testing at Hayward Executive Airport (KHWD) this summer before a test flight setback in September sidelined the newer of Cobalt’s two test aircraft. According to the NTSB preliminary report, after determining that the ailerons were not effective, the ATP-rated test pilot “reasoned that he […]

Airbus has created a new innovation center in Shenzhen, China, near Hong Kong, where it will pursue research that would enable a single pilot to fly commercial aircraft, according to Bloomberg News. Airbus Chief Technology Officer Paul Eremenko told Bloomberg this week, “We’re pursuing single-pilot operation as a potential option, and a lot of the […]

A U.S. Navy C2-A aircraft with 11 crew and passengers on board crashed into the Philippine Sea on Wednesday afternoon, the Navy has reported. Eight of the personnel were rescued by the U.S. Navy “Golden Falcons” helicopter squadron, and all were reported in good condition. Three people are missing. “Our entire focus is on finding […]