Recent Updates

China-based EHang introduced a version of its EHang 216 autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) last week designed to operate as an aerial firefighting solution. The company says its 216F AAV is specifically targeted at high-rise firefighting, aiming to address issues such as the insufficient height of fire rescue ladders, reach of fire nozzles and potential for […]

Bell Textron held a ceremony to mark the official opening of its new facility in Wichita, Kansas, on Thursday. The facility will be used for Bell engineering, supply chain, professional manufacturing and corporate services operations. Bell, a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. “The new Bell facility in Wichita […]

Aspen Avionics announced on Tuesday that it has entered into an agreement to become a member of the AIRO Group. As part of the group, Aspen says it will be able to expand its investments, resources and technologies in general aviation avionics as well as allowing the company to move into offering “avionics solutions for […]

An opinion writer for Forbes has postulated that the future of the pilot trade is just that, “semi-professional” monitors of autonomous machines that actually discourage human intervention because we are so sloppy. In a column, Paul Kennard says humans are too imprecise to get the best performance and longevity out of aircraft systems and cost […]

Autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) technology company EHang has announced plans to build a new production facility at its site in Yunfu City in Guangdong, China. The AAV production center will also include an air mobility solutions R&D facility and a training center for “operations and technical talents.” According to the company, it is investing RMB […]

As part of an announcement addressing a $2.4 billion second-quarter (Q2) net loss, Boeing has confirmed that it plans to end production of its iconic 747 jet in 2022. The company also intends to reduce the combined 777/777X production rate to two per month along with dropping 787 production to six per month for 2021, […]

The FAA had no idea who was flying swarms of drones over Colorado and Nebraska around the New Year and still doesn’t according to documents obtained through a Freedom of Information request filed by a group that normally investigates UFO sightings. The Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies unearthed emails and documents from the FAA, including […]

Boeing has been awarded a contract extending its support of the International Space Station (ISS) through September 2024. The company has been contracted to supply engineering support services, resources and personnel for the ISS activities along with management of some station systems. ISS operations are currently slated to continue until at least 2024. “As the […]

Urban air mobility company EHang announced on Tuesday that it has successfully conducted several aerial sightseeing trial flights using its EHang 216 autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV). The trial flights took place in Yantai, China, as part of the company’s world flight tour campaign, which is aimed at demonstrating “the reliability and versatility of its passenger-grade […]

Sonex Aircraft has announced that it is now offering plans and parts for Sonerai I, Sonerai II and Sonerai IIS aircraft. The Sonerai was designed by Sonex founder John Monnett for competition in Formula Vee air racing. The single-seat Sonerai I was introduced at the 1971 Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) fly-in convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, […]