Recent Updates

As we discussed in Part 1 last month, after buying and testing a new Sterba wood propeller for my Hatz biplane, it was clear it had too much pitch. For reasons discussed in the previous article, I had decided to replace the old Sensenich metal prop with a new wood prop. Selecting a propeller for an Experimental aircraft […]

The Commemorative Air Force is expanding and is offering one new chapter its first classic aircraft to pamper. The CAF says it’s looking for communities that share its passion to showcase and honor U.S. military aviation history. There 83 units that care for and fly 170 aircraft worldwide and three were added last year. CAF […]

The FAA announced on Thursday that its updated training courses for Part 107 unmanned aircraft systems (UAS/drone) pilots are now live online. The free courses meet the training requirement for operations under the new Operation of Small Unmanned Aircraft Over People rule, which is scheduled to go into effect on April 21, 2021. The Operations […]

UPS and its UPS Flight Forward subsidiary have announced plans to purchase up to 150 Beta Technologies Alia-250 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) cargo aircraft. The first ten aircraft, which will be used to support the company’s small and mid-size markets, are scheduled to begin arriving in 2024. UPS says it has also reserved […]

Wisk Aero has filed a lawsuit against Archer Aviation alleging that Archer misappropriated trade secrets and infringed on patents related to Wisk’s electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Wisk claims that former employees who left the company to work for Archer downloaded and shared files “related to Wisk’s confidential aircraft designs, component designs, system […]

Subaru Corporation has filed for a U.S. patent for a “land-and-air vehicle”—a tilt-rotor/motorcycle. And the application wasn’t dated April 1. Drawings show a heavily faired gas engine-powered motorcycle with conventional throttle, clutch and front-brake controls on its handlebars. It also shows a piggyback airframe component with a pair of wings folded back against the side […]

Touting changes that could “revolutionize” flight testing for experimental/amateur-built aircraft, the Experimental Aircraft Association says that the FAA recent draft guidance on Phase I flight testing could change from a pure hours-based system (25 or 40 hours for most homebuilts) to a task-based system that could cut flight hours and improve the quality of the […]

Air taxi developer Lilium unveiled a seven-seat version of its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft on Friday. Aimed at the regional shuttle segment, the “7-Seater Lilium Jet” is expected to cruise at 175 MPH with a range of around 155 miles. Lilium, which has flown two- and five-seat versions of its eVTOL, reports […]

Pipistrel has chosen Honeywell’s AH-2000 attitude heading reference system and air data module (ADM) for its Nuuva V300 autonomous cargo aircraft. According to Honeywell, the AH-2000 uses the company’s Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS)-based inertial sensors to provide aircraft attitude and velocity information. Pipistrel announced last October that the Nuuva V300 would also use the Honeywell Compact […]

Virgin Galactic introduced the first of its SpaceShip III suborbital spaceplanes, named VSS Imagine, on Tuesday. The third generation SpaceShip features a modular design that will, the company says, “enable improved performance in terms of maintenance access and flight rate.” Virgin Galactic is also in the process of building the second member of the SpaceShip […]