Recent Updates

British inventor Alan Bond will reportedly receive more than $90 million from the British government to further develop technology for a hybrid jet-rocket engine that he expects will be capable of more than 3,500 mph in flight. Bond runs Reaction Engines, which seeks to develop a reusable space plane dubbed Skylon. The vehicle’s performance hinges […]

GreenWing International Monday announced that German certification of its single-seat eSpyder may mark the aircraft as the first electric airplane to be certified by a national authority, and the company expects to bring details and pricing information to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013. The eSpyder, which resembles a more conventional ultralight with tube and fabric construction, […]

The Navy this week said its X-47B drone successfully landed on an aircraft carrier at sea, using the arrested landing system to control its rollout on the deck. The drone had launched from the Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland, and flew to the carrier USS George H.W. Bush, which was sailing off the […]

In the end, one of the most photographed aircraft journeys in U.S. history will have one shot missing, but for the crew of Solar Impulse the mission to fly their solar-powered aircraft across the country has been accomplished. The fragile aircraft, which makes power on its solar-cell-covered wings and stores it in batteries, landed about […]

Researchers at MIT have been experimenting with ionic thrusters and say their results show the technology may potentially provide a “far more efficient source of propulsion than conventional jet engines.” In a news release posted in April, the university said Steven Barrett, an assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics, and his research team have published […]

After unanimous Senate confirmation, Anthony Foxx was sworn in as the new Secretary of Transportation Tuesday. Foxx repeated the oath to Judge Nathaniel Jones in a private ceremony attended by his family. Foxx wasted little time setting the agenda for his coming term. Safety will remain our top priority at DOT,” he said in a […]

Bombardier says it needs to tweak the software of its CSeries test aircraft and has delayed the maiden flight of the aircraft until sometime in late July. The company announced the decision last week even though executives had put a hard deadline of the end of June on the first flight. Bombardier spokesman Marc Duchesne […]

Helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky sent layoff notices to 200 workers last week, according to local news sources. The helicopter manufacturer, based in Stratford, Conn., told the Hartford Business Journal that government spending is being cut in the U.S. and internationally, and many customers are delaying purchase decisions as economic uncertainty persists. “Given all this, we must […]

With more than five years of work behind it, a replica of The Lark of Duluth (a 1913 Benoist flying boat) has officially received its airworthiness certificate from the FAA, clearing it for first flight, the Duluth Aviation Institute said Thursday, and also a centennial celebration. The Institute recognizes the two-seat aircraft as “the world’s […]

Florida-based fractional Avantair employs about 500 people, is the target of a class-action lawsuit, and Wednesday said that it is furloughing pilots and workers while seeking financing to keep its aircraft and continue operations. Last summer, a company Piaggio Avanti turboprop lost its left elevator during flight and landed safely with passengers on board. And […]