Recent Updates

Bell Helicopter’s V-280 Valor prototype is ready to fly and on track for its first flight this November, the company said this week, and is now completing ground-run tests at the Bell assembly center in Amarillo, Texas. The V-280 is a clean-sheet next-generation tilt-rotor designed for military use. It will be simple to operate and […]

U.S. Navy officials have identified the two pilots in Sunday’s crash of a T-45 Goshawk as Lt. Patrick Ruth and Lt. J.G. Wallace Burch, both based at NAS Meridian with the VT-7 training squadron. Lt. Ruth, the instructor pilot, 31 years old, was from Metairie, Louisiana. He previously flew the E-2 Hawkeye with the VAW-126 […]

A two-seat autonomous aircraft with 16 electric rotors flew for the first time in May, and carried passengers on board for several flights in early September, the company recently announced. The “PassengerDrone” aircraft, built in Switzerland, looks similar to a Volocopter, but with its rotors placed along two straight booms instead of Volocopter’s circular rotor […]

Santa Monica Airport (KSMO) is preparing to start work next week on shortening its single runway from 4,973 feet to 3,500 feet. Authorization to shorten the runway at the airport was the result of a controversial settlement between the city government and the FAA in January. Initial work will take place in the evenings, with […]

Facing down a critical shortage of pilots, the Air Force is turning to its retirees to pick up the slack. Under the Voluntary Retired Return to Active Duty (VRRAD) program, the Air Force plans to put retirees back in uniform to serve in roles that require aviation experience, but don’t involve actual flying. The goal […]

The FAA has banned drones from flying within 400 feet of several U.S. landmarks and five of the largest dams in the U.S. a day after FBI Director Christopher Wray said he was worried about terrorists using drones against the U.S. The 10 specific locations are all landmarks under the jurisdiction of the Department of […]

The other night, I was watching one of the Bond films, The Spy Who Loved Me, and, true to form, fell into my usual annoying habit of obtuseness. How do the bad guys get all the money to pay for their fabulous technological infrastructure? I mean, they’re spending millions on color-coordinated jump suits alone. I […]

Air France is facing a daunting technical challenge to repair an extensively damaged A380 at one of Canada’s most remote airports. Flight 66 from Paris to Los Angeles was almost across the Atlantic when the No. 4 engine had an uncontained failure that blew off the cowl and caused the fan to separate. The crew […]

Elon Musk says his SpaceX company is developing a new booster system that will launch a cargo mission to Mars by 2022, followed by manned missions in 2024. Moreover, the new system, which he calls the BFR, will be capable of re-entry and reuse, making hypersonic passenger service between cities on earth practical and affordable. […]

view on YouTube A Southwest passenger traveling from Baltimore to Los Angeles earlier this week was removed from her flight after telling flight attendants she was deathly allergic to dogs. The passenger, Anila Daulatzai, 46, is a college professor from Baltimore. Two passengers aboard the flight were traveling with canine companions. Video shot by one […]