Recent Updates

The first flight of the KC-46 next-generation tanker took place on Friday and, as expected for a mature design like the Boeing 767, it did fine on its four-hour shakedown. Now that Boeing has shown the airplane can fly, it’s getting ready for the so-called “Milestone C” testing that will show whether the plane can […]

In my lofty role as editorial director here at AVweb, I am also self-appointed Chief of Word Police. We all have our little foibles and sacred cows, no? I actually have only two. I sweep the copy for two things; one is a word, the other a phrase. The word is “upbeat,” the phrase is […]

AVweb’s search of aviation news around the world found a new aviation conference for the younger crowd, an executive director announced for LightHawk, a high-profile partner announced for the Purdue Research Park, and the latest recipients of the AOPA Foundation’s GA grants. The first MODAERO Fly-In & Conference is specifically scheduled to coincide with collegiate […]

The Perlan 2 glider made its first test flight Wednesday above Redmond Municipal Airport in Oregon, completing another step in the project team’s goal to set a new altitude record next year. Pilots Jim Payne and Morgan Sandercock flew the glider to 5,000 feet above the field during the first of what will be a […]

NASA is now testing a tablet-based “super-app” that it says will help airlines and other operators to save time and reduce fuel consumption by constantly working to help fine-tune the aircraft’s route and altitude. The Traffic Aware Planner application connects directly to the avionics information hub on the aircraft. “It reads the current position and […]

A man is in the hospital in Waco, Texas, for a mental evaluation after he allegedly tried to steal a Learjet at the local airport. Police issued a statement saying the man drove his car through a security gate and parked beside the aircraft about noon on Thursday. He was approached by an off-duty police […]

The B-29 Superfortress “Doc” came alive Friday morning as the restoration team fired up each engine for the first time – persisting through 15 tense minutes when no. 2 failed to start after multiple attempts. The event, captured on webcam from Wichita, marked the start of a series of test runs before the Superfortress gets […]

The restoration team working on the B-29 Superfortress “Doc” will go on live webcam Friday morning for the first engine startups. The event will start at 8 a.m. CT in Wichita, where Doc is undergoing work at its hangar. Tom Bertels, a Doc’s Friends board member, told AVweb in an email Thursday the team wants […]

AVweb’s search of aviation news turned up several items in the world of e-cockpits: A new digital standby instrument from L-3, an upgraded simulation station from one-G, a milestone at PilotAptitudeTest.com, and a new service launched by Fltplan. L-3 Aviation Products introduced its next-generation Electronic Standby Instrument (ESI), the Genesis ESI-500. The standby unit is […]

Beacon flew its first flights on Tuesday for a new all-you-can-fly service. The company charges a monthly fee of $2,000 and offers 18 flights every day between Boston Logan Airport and Westchester Airport in New York. CEO Wade Eyerly says the service will get travelers point-to-point in about two hours, which is about half the […]