Recent Updates

This story originally appeared in AVweb sister publication KITPLANES. Every time we go to‭ ‬a major show‭, ‬we try to make sure to drop in on Nick‭ ‬Otterback to see what he’s been working on‭. ‬The designer behind the Arion‭ ‬Lightning is always forthcoming and‭ ‬never gets ahead of himself‭. ‬He lets us know what’s […]

ASTM International has approved a new standard establishing minimum training requirements for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS/drone) operators. The new standard, which will be published as F3379, addresses general, field and search-specific knowledge and skills for UAS pilots operating from remote locations. According to ASTM, it was designed to support public safety agencies fielding UAS teams. […]

Sonex’s JSX-2T, a two-seat follow on to the solo SubSonex, has been making strong progress toward its live debut at Oshkosh this summer. Over the chilly Wisconsin winter, Sonex will begin constructing a prototype with the aim of having a flying example at the big summer airshow. According to the company, “Most of the work […]

Boeing has pushed its estimate for the when regulators will begin to unground of the 737 MAX to mid-2020, according to a statement issued by the company on Tuesday. Boeing had previously announced that it might be able to resume deliveries of the MAX as early as December 2019 with a return to service in […]

Airbus has announced that its Autonomous Taxi, Take-Off and Landing (ATTOL) project has reached a significant milestone with the successful completion of its first fully automatic vision-based takeoff. The system being tested is designed to use image recognition technology installed on the aircraft to navigate and detect obstacles during an autonomous takeoff. The test included […]

Joby Aviation announced that it has raised $590 million in its recent round of Series C funding and formed a partnership with the Toyota Motor Corporation aimed at the certification and deployment of all-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs) for use in air taxi services. As part of the partnership, Toyota Executive Vice President […]

This article originally appeared in our sister brand KITPLANES. It’s part of an ongoing series of articles written for pilots new to the Experimental/Amateur-Built world. Its purpose is to provide a good stepping off point for, shall we say, the homebuilt-curious. Designs to be covered in future installments include the massively popular Van’s RV-6/A and […]

California-based OPENER has announced that Ben Diachun will be stepping into the role of Chief Executive Officer as the company moves toward bringing its BlackFly fixed-wing, all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) ultralight to market. The position of CEO was previously held by OPENER founder Marcus Leng, who will move to overseeing “next-generation manufacturing and […]

David Calhoun officially took over as president and chief executive officer of The Boeing Company on Monday. Calhoun follows Dennis Muilenburg, who stepped down from the CEO position at the end of December amidst ongoing criticism for his handling of the problems surrounding the company’s grounded 737 MAX model. Upon assuming his new role, Calhoun […]

Airbus has announced that it will increase the production rate for its A320 family from four to seven aircraft per month at the company’s Mobile, Alabama, manufacturing facility by the beginning of 2021. To support both the production increase along and continued recruiting efforts for the A220 manufacturing team, Airbus says it will be adding […]