Recent Updates

NASA has successfully completed testing of a new high-aspect ratio wing for its X-57 Maxwell all-electric research aircraft. The goal of the wing tests, which took place at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, was to “calibrate installed strain gauges for real-time loads monitoring and to verify the wing has met design specifications.” The […]

The cancellations caused by the collapse of Thomas Cook Airlines and its parent company, U.K.-based Thomas Cook Group, on Monday have reportedly stranded more than 150,000 customers abroad. According to the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the failure of the 178-year-old tourism company, which ceased trading and filed for bankruptcy on Monday morning, has necessitated […]

The U.S. Navy and Boeing successfully completed the first test flight of the MQ-25 unmanned aerial refueler on Thursday. The test lasted approximately two hours and included an autonomous taxi and takeoff followed by flight along a predetermined route. According to Boeing, the goal of Thursday’s flight was to “validate the aircraft’s basic flight functions […]

Boeing and Safran have announced that they will be making a joint investment in energy solutions company Electric Power Systems (EPS). Boeing says the investment is intended to go toward the development of “a highly automated industrial base capable of producing aviation-grade energy storage systems” along with supporting technological advancements aimed at reducing the cost […]

Germany-based aircraft manufacturer Stemme AG announced the appointment of Bart Slager as the company’s new CEO last Friday. Slager is replacing Paul Masschelein, who announced last August that he would be stepping down after six and a half years in the position. Slager officially assumed the role on Aug. 28. “Mr. Slager brings with him […]

Embraer delivered the first of its new E195-E2 passenger jets to aircraft leasing company AerCap and Brazilian airline Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras on Thursday. The aircraft was handed over in a ceremony at Embraer’s facility in São José dos Campos, Brazil. Azul has an order for 50 additional E195-E2s with deliveries of the next five […]

Lufthansa is no longer selling the last row of seats on its Airbus A320neo fleet. According to reports, a company memo cited a recent airworthiness directive (AD) issued by EASA as its reasoning for the change. The AD, which implements temporary revisions to the A320neo flight manual to limit the aircraft’s center of gravity envelope, […]

The hardware for NASA’s Artemis 1 lunar mission is beginning to come together. According to NASA, the engine section of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is now assembled and ready to be joined to the rest of the SLS core stage. As shown in the video below, the engine section serves as the attachment […]

Austrian Airlines is testing out a new system that uses autonomous drones to inspect its aircraft for paintwork and structural damage. The company says it has been using the drones—supervised by an aircraft technician—to inspect its 36 Airbuses since the middle of the year. It plans to continue the tests until the end of 2019 […]

Airbus announced the delivery of its 1,000th Super Puma twin-engine utility helicopter on Friday. The aircraft, an H215 model, went to Germany’s Federal Police (Bundespolizei) for use by the agency’s maritime emergency management command. The delivery brings the Bundespolizei’s Super Puma fleet up to 23. According to Airbus, Super Puma helicopters are operated by nearly […]