Recent Updates

Five-year-old Hudson Hughes was the classic kid at the airport fence in July when a Southwest Airlines captain made his effort worthwhile. The young airplane nut was with his grandfather in the ramp viewing area at Albuquerque’s Sunport International Airport and waving enthusiastically at every passing plane. Southwest Capt. Mike Hickey noticed the flurry of […]

Government agencies and law enforcement have been quietly testing ways to disable rogue unmanned aerial systems, Reuters reported this week. In efforts to address security concerns that come with commercially available unmanned aircraft, authorities are developing technology to track and disable them. According to Reuters, New York’s police department tested a system over the winter […]

AVweb’s search of aviation news found a new owner for Twin Commander Aircraft, new headquarters underway at Hillsboro Aviation, a mountain flying anniversary event, and new award recipients for the Ninety-Nines. H-D Advanced Manufacturing Company, which specializes in high-precision severe-duty components, has acquired Twin Commander Aircraft LLC parent company Firstmark Corporation. The acquisition was effective […]

The U.S. Navy’s research lab recently released a new video showing progress on its “Flimmer” unmanned aerial vehicle, which has the capability to fly through the air, then dive into the ocean and propel itself underwater. “The Navy’s looking for unique solutions for emplacing sensors, for getting data in hard-to-reach locations,” said Dan Edwards, the […]

A Canadian soldier may have picked the wrong subject for target practice when he allegedly painted a Toronto police helicopter with the laser sight on a pellet pistol. And while the incident serves as a reminder to all those who haven’t gotten the message about shining their cheap little lasers at passing aircraft, it’s also […]

Last week, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry went to Cuba to raise the flag above the U.S. Embassy for the first time in 54 years — does this mean general aviation pilots will soon be able to fly their private planes there? No, it doesn’t, says Craig Spence, AOPA’s vice president for international affairs. […]

On my office wall is a print of a photograph any pilot will—or should—know. Its title is The First Twelve Seconds of the Age of Powered Flight. It’s a riveting photograph snapped by Tom Daniels, a Kill Devil Hills surfman, the moment Orville Wright lifted off from the sands of Kitty Hawk on December 17, […]

In doing news reporting, if you hear certain things enough, you quite naturally begin to believe that accepted truths are, well, true. That’s certainly the case with the economics of airframe manufacturing. It’s accepted wisdom that one reason airplanes are so expensive—not the only reason, but one reason—is low volume. This is a basic tenet […]

Air traffic on the Eastern Seaboard was getting back to normal Saturday evening after a major air traffic control system failure earlier in the day. The travel plans of thousands of people were upset when the flightplan processing computers went down at Washington Center around midday. The FAA had the system back about 4:15 p.m. […]

Solar Flight of California has completed a milestone for its third airplane, the Sunseeker Duo, which flew across the Alps and back this month on a tour to demonstrate the capabilities of the two-seat aircraft. Company founders Eric and Irena Raymond flew the Duo, repeating the 2009 Alps crossing of their second plane, Sunseeker II. […]