Recent Updates

Officials at Cape Air blamed a pilot shortage for recent flight cancellations at Billings Logan International Airport, in Montana, according to the Billings Gazette. Officials with the regional airline said 16 flights have been grounded over the last few days because pilots couldn’t be scheduled. An airline spokesperson said they have brought in pilots from […]

The FAA released its smartphone app for drone flyers on Wednesday, reminding users that it’s a tool to help with legal compliance. The B4UFLY app is available for iOS devices. A beta version for Android devices also is available along with a link to provide feedback. B4UFLY uses map and airport data, along with real-time […]

U.S. airlines could save more than $250 billion by 2050, thanks to technologies developed by a NASA program to boost fuel efficiency, NASA said this week. These new technologies, which were funded by NASA’s Environmentally Responsible Aviation project, could cut airline fuel use in half, reduce pollution by 75 percent, and dampen noise to one-eighth […]

The New London Airport, in Lynchburg, Virginia, has been bought by Liberty University, a nearby Christian school with an aeronautics program. The school paid $1.8 million for the general aviation field, according to The Associated Press. The field, which has been in operation since 1961, will remain open for public use. “Obviously, we’ll be making […]

AirMule, an autonomous VTOL aircraft built by Tactical Robots, made its first untethered flight on Dec. 30, in Israel, the company has announced. The aircraft is powered by internal rotors, and is designed to enable autonomous evacuation of one or two people. It also can be quickly reconfigured for a variety of other missions. Flight […]

The Mountain States Legal Foundation has launched a class action lawsuit against the FAA over an abrupt change in its air traffic controller hiring practices. As we’ve reported, two years ago, the agency announced that rather than give preference to graduates of college ATC programs, it was administering a “biographical” test as the first qualifying […]

The FAA has reminded more than 30 RC model and drone clubs in the Washington, D.C., area to at least temporarily shut down or risk enforcement action. In mid-December, the agency sent an email to the clubs saying it’s strictly enforcing a 30-mile zone around Reagan National Airport in which anything that flies must be […]

When it comes to the buying of gasoline, I may be the quintessential American in one sense and the atypical American in another. Regardless of what it costs, I’m going to buy it and do what I plan to do. I’m the last guy to care if one station has a price a nickel less […]

AVweb’s search of what’s new in aviation found a milestone for Rolls-Royce engines, this year’s Spirit of Flight Award winner, a new marketplace for drones and a new startup company for pilot training devices. Rolls-Royce AE civil engines have powered the Embraer ERJ series of regional jets, Embraer Legacy 600 and 650 corporate jets, Saab […]

An unmanned aerial system that can take off and land on destroyers and other small military ships is nearing reality. After completing initial design phases, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency this month awarded a contract to Northrop Grumman Corp. to build a full-scale demonstration model of the yet-to-be-named UAS.DARPA’s goal is to build a […]