Recent Updates

This much we can all agree on: Pilots are supposed to give their passengers a detailed, pre-takeoff safety briefing. But I have sleepwalked through more of these than I care to remember. I know, I’m a terrible person, but I’ve gotten used to myself. I urge others to do better. The pre-takeoff briefing topic caught […]

Jet packs are back in the news this week, with Jet Pack Aviation buzzing the Statue of Liberty, “Jetman” Yves Rossy flying in formation with an A380, and the Martin Jetpack headed to China for its first flight there. Jet Pack Aviation, based in Australia, calls its hardware “the only true jetpack,” because it’s powered […]

When the FAA reveals its new drone regulations, which are expected to be finalized as soon as next month, they will be easy to comply with and free, sources told The Wall Street Journal. The task force that met for three days last week is expected to recommend that registration will be required for all […]

The neutering of Chicago O’Hare, once not only the busiest airport in the world, but also the baddest, is nearly complete: The 2015 version of ORD has three control towers, half a dozen east/west parallel runways … and no character whatsoever. While a couple of the old diagonal runways escaped the bulldozers, they might as […]

New GA airplane shipments so far this year are down 6.5 percent over 2014, according to third-quarter numbers reported by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. Piston airplanes led the decline with a 10.8 percent drop for the first nine months of the year, followed by turboprop airplanes, which were down 9.4 percent. Meanwhile, business jet […]

NASA, which posts want ads when it needs more astronauts, will accept applications in a few weeks for new candidates. The agency will open up the submission process on the federal job-application website between Dec. 14 through mid-February. Among the base qualifications are a degree in engineering, math, biology or physical science, and at least […]

AVweb’s search of aviation news this week found milestones from high school and college students, a recent maintenance competition, and new research on “millennial pilots.” The Flying Musicians Association announced that its first FMA Solo Scholarship Award recipient, Drew Medina of Vero Beach, Florida, a senior in the Vero Beach High School Jazz, Symphonic, and […]

A researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has flight-tested a drone that can detect obstacles and avoid them in fight without any input from an operator, MIT said this week. Andrew Barry, a graduate student in the school’s artificial-intelligence lab, has tested the system in a tree-filled field at speeds of about 30 mph. […]

The industry task force convened to advise the FAA on its plan to require registration of most small drones got together today in Washington to figure out which of the millions of little aircraft to keep tabs on and how to do it without driving everyone crazy. And they need to do it by Nov. […]

The hypersonic Sabre engine under development by Reaction Engines has attracted an investment of about $30 million from global aerospace company BAE Systems, the companies announced on Tuesday, and they also said a $90 million research grant from the British government is expected to be finalized soon. The injection of cash will accelerate development of […]