Recent Updates

Sun Flyer brought the prototype of its electric trainer to AirVenture. CEO George Bye took us through the airplane. view on YouTube

At AirVenture 2016, OpenAirplane revealed a new sister service called FlyOtto. It makes on-demand charter services from A to B available to any public-use airport in the U.S. via tablet, smartphone or computer. AVweb interviewed OpenAirplane’s Rod Rakic at the show. Duration: 10:16 File Size: 9.8 MB download here

While it’s true that the Third Class medical exemption has been signed into law, the FAA still has six months to a year to publish the final rules. Could the agency devise rules to negate the law’s effect? We hope not, but in this AirVenture podcast, we asked AOPA’s legislative VP,Jim Coon, about just how […]

Having been around for two decades, the four-place Bearhawk EAB is prized for its large payload and STOL capability, and at AirVenture 2016, the company is unveiling the new Bearhawk Bravo. The B gets aRiblett 30-413.5 airfoil that delivers better speed, similar stall speeds and greater stall stability over the NACA 4412 used in the […]

The latest version of the Airbus Group’s E-Fan “Plus” twin-engine demonstrator aircraft is on display this week at EAA AirVenture, providing insight into how the company’s vision has evolved as they experiment with the new technology. The E-Fan on display is a hybrid version, with longer flight range and more endurance than the original all-electric […]

In a new video posted online this week, eVolo shows the latest unmanned flight tests of its VTOL electric-powered Volocopter. The tests, which took place in Germany last month, demonstrated various dynamic flight maneuvers at higher speeds for the first time. “These test flights did not only serve as a presentation of possible flight dynamics,” […]

Small piston aircraft were exempted from today’s “endangerment finding” issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, but the finding means new regulations will be forthcoming to target greenhouse-gas emissions from many jet engines, the agency said. “Aircraft are the third largest contributor to GHG emissions in the U.S. transportation sector, and these emissions are expected […]

Powered only by sunlight, the Solar Impulse aircraft has completed its odyssey around the planet, and landed tonight back in Abu Dhabi, where it took off in March 2015. Bertrand Piccard flew the final leg, and guided the airplane in to the airport where he was greeted by dozens of crew members, a marching band […]

Sonex aims to work with local partners to promote the idea of home-building airplanes from kits in China, the company said this week in a news conference at EAA AirVenture. Sonex will work with Francis Chao, of the Beijing Aviation Technology Company, to promote its line of kit airplanes and help grow the base of […]

Amid the rapid growth of China’s aviation industry, there’s a movement afoot to bring personal flying, including homebuilding, into the general public. Among its advocates is aviation business consultant Francis Chao. His company, Uniworld, recently expanded its North American partnerships to include kitplane maker Sonex Aircraft. Chao talked to AVweb’s Elaine Kauhduring AirVenture 2016 about […]