Recent Updates

Regional airlines continue to blame a shortage of pilots for cutbacks in service to smaller airports, while the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) says those routes aren’t being flown because they’re uneconomical. SkyWest President and CEO Chip Childs told the House Transportation Aviation Subcommittee Wednesday that he estimates a shortfall of 15,000 pilots by 2026, […]

The new Airbus and Italdesign vision for urban transit separates the passenger cabin from the mode of transportation. “Pop.Up is a new mobility concept. It’s multi-modal and allows passengers a seamless and faster way of getting from A to B using the city sky,” says Mathias Thomsen, General Manager, Airbus Urban Air Mobility. In press […]

Text messaging may be old hat to cellphone users, but it is still new in the air-traffic control system, where the FAA this week announced that it is now operational at Miami International Airport, the 12th busiest airport in North America. The text-based communication system, known as “Data Comm,” represents “a whole new era of […]

NBAA filed a motion in a federal appeals court on Monday seeking a stop to any actions that would affect aviation operations at Santa Monica Airport, while the matter is under judicial review. The FAA and the city have announced plans to close the airport in 2028 and to immediately reduce the length of the […]

Russian adventurer Fedor Konyukhov, who last year flew around the world solo in a gas balloon, setting a new speed record, now is working on a plan to build the biggest-ever hot-air balloon and fly it to a record-setting altitude of 82,000 feet. The balloon envelope, to be built by Cameron Balloons in the United […]

When I was preparing this week’s Question of the Week, I was up to the third question when I realized that blood cheering for errant drone pilots to be jailed is not a good thing. In fact, it’s a distinctly bad thing, absent any malicious intent or egregious negligence. To review, this concerns the story […]

XTI Aircraft Company, which has been working since 2012 to develop a ducted-fan VTOL design, said on Monday they will work with Bye Aerospace to develop a hybrid-electric prototype of their TriFan aircraft. The new propulsion system will “significantly reduce” the weight and cost of producing the aircraft, according to TriFan CEO Robert LaBelle. Because […]

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta defended the agency’s rollout of the NextGen air traffic control modernization program to a blue-chip business audience last week, saying it’s ahead of schedule and its completion will be worth the wait. Huerta gave pointed remarks to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Summit in response to President Donald Trump’s comments after […]

The New Age Space Conference will convene March 11 at the MIT Samberg Conference Center to discuss the future of the commercial space industry. Barret Schlegelmilch, the conference organizer and an MIT graduate student, told AVweb the conference is “is one of the only places where you’ll find entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, astronauts, startup founders and […]

We often wonder why there are so many rules governing everyday life but some British Airways ramp attendants have provided an example. The airline had to remind workers at London Heathrow to please not urinate in the cargo holds of its aircraft rather than hike back into the building to a washroom. “Basically the guys […]