Recent Updates

The FAA’s proposed rule for allowing small unmanned aircraft systems (under 55 pounds) into the federal airspace drew more than 4,400 comments, including input from aviation advocacy groups. Several of the advocacy groups, including EAA, AOPA and GAMA, said the FAA should lower its ceiling for small UAS ops to 400 feet, instead of 500, […]

Piaggio Aerospace has delivered the first Avanti Evo, its third-generation version of the twin turboprop, to a customer in Greece, the company has announced. The seven-seat airplane, with a VIP interior, will be used for charter. Piaggio CEO Carlo Logli said the company expects to deliver five more of the airplanes by the end of […]

Although there were widespread predictions (including by the FAA itself) that the agency’s proposed rule (PDF) for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) would overwhelm the bureaucracy with comments, only a relatively manageable 4,428 people and organizations took the time to make their feelings known. The devil is in the details, however, and some of the comment […]

The heads of all seven unions representing FAA employees have jointly condemned Congress’s exploration of privatization of the air traffic operation, saying what’s needed is reliable funding for the agency. “On behalf of the thousands of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees represented by our organisations, we are writing to express our viewpoint regarding recent discussions […]

The Breitling Jet Team, a seven-ship formation team that uses L-39 Albatros trainers, is starting its first U.S. tour at Sun ‘n Fun this week. AVweb’s Russ Niles spoke with team lead Jacques Bothelin. Duration: 3:23 File Size: 3.1 MB download here

The X-47B unmanned aircraft successfully demonstrated the first-ever fully autonomous aerial re-fueling on Wednesday, Northrop Grumman has announced. The X-47B launched from the Naval Air Station at Patuxent River, Maryland, and flew to a test site offshore. The UAS flew in close formation flight with an Omega K-707 tanker, and upon clearance from the tanker […]

A first at Sun ‘n Fun, the Chinese aviation company Yuneec was demonstrating quadcopter drones in a net cage near the center of the vendor area. AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli interviewed Craig Clover about what the company is offering. view on YouTube

It was probably inevitable that drone demos would be a part of a major show and this year they’re appearing at Sun ‘n Fun in the exhibit area for the first time. In a booth sponsored by Yuneec and Drone23, you can see small quadcopters demonstrated inside a large net cage that’s big enough to […]

Cirrus Aircraft has started production of the Vision SF50 single-engine jet at its facility in Duluth, Minnesota. In an exclusive video interview with AVweb at the plant earlier this week, Matt Bergwall, project manager for the jet, said limited production will be done through 2015 in advance of certification by the end of the year. […]

The FAA is exploring the idea, and the small airplane groups are gathering the information. AVweb’s Russ Niles spoke with Dan Johnson of the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association (LAMA) at Sun ‘n Fun 2015. Duration: 5:35 File Size: 5.1 MB download here