Recent Updates

An $11 million Air Force Reaper UAV stalled and spun to the ground because the pilot was fixated on completing a checklist, ignoring audible and visual stall warnings, according to the Air Force Aircraft Accident Investigation released Thursday. Immediately after receiving control of the aircraft from the launch team, the pilot of the unmanned turboprop […]

Bucking long-term trends, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s first-quarter data shows a 6.3% increase in sales of piston airplanes over the same quarter in 2016. The allocation of sales within the piston market was mostly unremarkable, though Cessna had real gains, shipping 41 piston singles compared to 27 for the prior year period. Although total […]

You may not have noticed, but computer chip maker Intel is big on drones. In this AVweb video shot at the AUVSI show in Dallas, Paul Bertorelli took a close look at Intel’s Falcon 8+ inspection drone. It’s selling to the North American market. view on YouTube

Most people think of drones as annoying little buzzing quadcopters. Don’t say that to the Griff Aviation Guardian, a 160-pound working drone that can lift its own weight and then some. At the AUVSI Xponential show in Dallas, Griff was showing a prototype and AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli shot a video describing it. view on YouTube

Responding to rumors circulating in the aviation press, Cessna confirmed on Thursday that the last Citation Mustang has rolled off the production line. In 12 years, Cessna has produced over 470 copies of the light twin-jet, marketed as the entry-level aircraft for the owner-operator transitioning to multi-engine jets. “The Mustang proved to be an incredible […]

Hilton Goldstein, CEO and Chief Architect of Hilton Software, was named the winner of a Gold Stevie Award for Executive of the Year in the Aerospace & Defense category in the 15th Annual American Business Awards earlier this week. Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word meaning “crowned,” the awards will be presented to winners […]

Spirit Airlines has had to cancel or delay 15% of flights in the last month due to a lack of pilots, according to the airline. Cancellations this week thrust the years-long contract negotiation between the ultra-low-cost carrier and the pilots union into the public eye when a small number of angry passengers started a brawl […]

As trade shows go, AUVSI’s bash—held this week in Dallas—is bigger than AEA, but smaller than NBAA. But it’s a lot more glitzy than either of those. When Intel—that’s $60 billion a year Intel—shows up to play on stage, they open their checkbook. Walking the show floor, there is so much stuff and so many […]

BVLOS or beyond visual line of sight is a desperate goal for the drone industry. But LiPo batteries and tiny electric motors aren’t going to do that. But there are plenty of engine makers out there working on hybrid and heavy fuel solutions. At AUVSI Exponential, AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli looked at four examples. view on […]

While drones can’t get spatial disorientation and don’t have to worry about seeing a runway in low visibility, weather could still be a significant problem for them in the delivery business. That was at least one sentiment expressed at a technical panel on the technology of drone delivery at AUVSI Xponential in Dallas this week. […]