Recent Updates

The mysterious fatal crash of an Air Force aircraft at the Nevada Test and Training Range on Sept. 5 is raising speculation a new aircraft is under development at the fabled Area 51, the famous super-secret test center on the dry bed of Groom Lake in the Nevada desert. The Air Force announced that Lt. […]

Claims of theft by TSA employees are a constant irritant for airline travelers so a jet charter company looked at how those claims are resolved and found that almost half were denied. Of the 7,900 claims filed with the TSA over the 14 months from January 2016 to February 2017, only 4,300 were resolved, says […]

At Reno 2013, Andy Chiavetta asked me if I would be available in the coming months to help him with a bunch of work he was hoping to finish. During the winter and spring of 2014, Andy would be delivering two Lancair Super Legacys—both clones of Darryl Greenamyer’s champion aircraft. These fire-breathing monsters would need […]

Lilium, a start-up aviation company based in Munich, announced on Thursday they have raised $90 million in investment to develop the five-seat Lilium aircraft. The funding, which brings the total capital raised to $100 million, will enable the company to grow its staff to more than 70 and work toward a first manned flight in […]

A Boeing 747-400 SuperTanker whose owners have been disputing a rule of the U.S. Forest Service that keeps them from flying fought a fire in the U.S. for the first time last week, contracted by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The SuperTanker can drop more than 19,000 gallons of water or retardant […]

As Hurricane Irma bears down on what may be a landfall somewhere in Florida, aircraft owners across the state are considering whether to move their airplanes or just lash them down and hope for the best. Insurance companies may or may not be willing to help. AIG, for instance, will reimburse owners for a portion […]

Every few years, airplane owners in Florida are confronted with the unsolvable conundrum: A hurricane bears down on the state and they have to decide whether to move their airplanes out of harm’s way or just button up the hangar and ride it out. Thirteen years ago, when Hurricane Charley threatened, here’s what I thought […]

The innovation that took AirVenture 2008 by storm may be headed for oblivion as shares for the company that now controls the Martin Jetpack have been suspended from trading on the Australian Stock Exchange. The company couldn’t meet its statutory reporting requirements by the Aug. 31 deadline so the stock, which was trading at six […]

United Technologies (UTC) announced a deal to buy Rockwell-Collins over the weekend, growing United Technologies’ already huge aerospace portfolio. UTC already owns, among others, Pratt & Whitney, the jet engine manufacturer. The $23 billion purchase price for Rockwell-Collins will be among the biggest aerospace acquisitions ever. Executives for the companies announced that they expect the […]

Airbus’ Perlan II glider set the altitude record for soaring on Sunday by riding a mountain wave in Argentina. According to the Argentinian online news site clarin.com, the glider reached at least 52,172 feet on a flight from El Calafate Airport in Tierra del Fuego, near the southern tip of South America. There was some […]