Recent Updates

German air taxi startup Volocopter announced on Friday that the FAA has accepted its application for concurrent type certificate validation for its VoloCity electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The company is currently pursuing certification of the VoloCity under EASA’s SC-VTOL rule, which was published in July 2019. Volocopter hopes to receive that certification […]

Citing delays related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has pushed back the time frame for the first mission using its Dream Chaser spaceplane. Formerly scheduled for late 2021, the company now expects the Dream Chaser to make its initial flight to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2022. The cargo mission […]

Urban air mobility (UAM) startup Archer has formed a partnership with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) to “accelerate” production of Archer’s all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. According to the companies, the agreement will allow Archer to access FCA’s supply chain and advanced composite material capabilities, along with benefiting from its engineering and design experience. […]

Israel-based urban air mobility (UAM) company Urban Aeronautics announced on Tuesday that it has reached an agreement with Hatzolah Air to supply four CityHawk vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft for emergency medical service (EMS) applications. As part of the deal, Hatzolah will become an Urban Aeronautics sales representative and distribution channel. The companies signed […]

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced new appointments to the FAA’s Drone Advisory Committee (DAC) on Tuesday. According to the FAA, the twelve new DAC members represent unmanned aircraft systems (UAS/drone) interests in areas such as industry, research, academia, retail, technology, and state and local government. Members will serve a two-year term. “As […]

A series of transitions defines every pilot’s life. For Bill Anton of Satanta, Kansas, retiring after 35 years as an ag banker coincided with maturing flying desires, “from cross-country and aerobatics to fun flying out in the boondocks.” Now 72, “I’m thinking of how many more years of good flying I might have left,” he […]

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced last week that his company is making plans to attempt to catch its reusable Super Heavy rocket with the arm of the launch tower. Currently in development, the Super Heavy is the first stage of the company’s Starship system. While SpaceX hasn’t yet tried anything quite like the launch tower […]

The FAA is proposing a total of $182,000 in fines to an unlicensed drone pilot who was warned three times to stop making illegal flights around Philadelphia. After a warning letter was sent in October of 2019, the FAA contacted him twice more in November of 2019 to explain the ways in which he was […]

Urban air mobility (UAM) company EHang has launched an aerial tourism service using its two-seat EH216 autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV). Conducted in partnership with real estate company Greenland Hong Kong Holdings Limited, the service will include an aerial sightseeing program and aerial media shows at Greenland Hong Kong’s Forest Lake real estate project in Guangdong, […]

Unmanned aerial vehicles operating in FAA airspace will soon be required to have Remote ID identification capabilities. Initially proposed one year ago, the Remote ID rule will go into effect 60 days after its publishing in the Federal Register, which is expected to happen in January. Remote ID transmits the location and identity of the […]