Recent Updates

Former astronaut and retired U.S. Air Force officer Pam Melroy was sworn in as NASA Deputy Administrator during a ceremony at the agency’s Washington headquarters on Monday. Melroy was nominated for the position in April and confirmed by the Senate on June 17. Selected as an astronaut candidate in 1994, she served as pilot on […]

The first crew-capable eVTOL racing aircraft has flown and its developer says things will move quickly from here toward an organized race series. The Alauda Aeronautics EXA Mk3 took off from an undisclosed location in the deserts of Southern Australia with reps from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. The EXA was flown autonomously but there’s […]

An Alaskan airline says its rebirth will involve embracing electric short takeoff and landing aircraft to serve the far-flung communities of the rugged state. Ravn Alaska has been flying for 70 years and has flown dozens of different aircraft types over the years, most recently Dash-8s. It serves more than 100 communities, many of which have […]

A flurry of consolidations and new alliances is giving form to the future eVTOL industry as aviation big guns jump in the mix. On Friday, American Airlines and Virgin Atlantic both announced plans to buy billions of dollars’ worth of urban mobility aircraft from U.K.-based Vertical Aerospace. American said it will buy as many as […]

Urban air mobility (UAM) company Lilium has partnered with Honeywell to develop avionics and flight control systems for its seven-seat Lilium Jet. The electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft will be outfitted with Honeywell’s Compact Fly-by-Wire System and an integrated avionics system tailored specifically for the Lilium Jet. Lilium, which is also building a […]

Boeing and the U.S. Navy successfully refueled an airborne F/A-18 Super Hornet with an MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aircraft system (UAS/drone) last Friday. The demonstration is the first-ever air-to-air refueling to be conducted using a UAS tanker to supply a crewed aircraft. According to Boeing, the test aircraft flew 25 flights prior to Friday’s attempt to […]

The NTSB says the pilot of a DJI Matrice drone suffered a serious hand injury after tangling with the uncooperative aircraft near Young Harris, Georgia, on May 6. According to a preliminary report (search CEN21LA224), the pilot was demonstrating the drone to a prospective customer but the aircraft wouldn’t respond correctly to control inputs. He […]

United Airlines has signed an agreement with Boom Supersonic to purchase 15 Overture supersonic airliners once the model meets United’s “safety, operating and sustainability requirements.” Announced on Thursday, the deal also includes options for 35 additional aircraft. Boom is partnering with Rolls-Royce on a propulsion system for the Overture, which is expected to fly at […]

OneSky Flight’s Halo business unit has placed an order for 200 Eve eVTOL aircraft. With deliveries expected to start in 2026, the developmental urban air mobility vehicles are seen as the next step in OneSky’s strategy of providing a door-to-door solution for private air travel. Initial Halo services are planned for New York and London. […]

China-based urban air mobility (UAM) company EHang has officially introduced its new VT-30 “long-range” autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV). The two-passenger autonomous electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft will feature eight propellers on each side, a pusher prop and fly-by-wire control system. With an expected range of up to 300 km (162 NM), the company […]