Recent Updates

NASA completed a successful test of the launch abort system (LAS) on its Orion spacecraft at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Tuesday. The Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) test involved launching a test version of the Orion crew module on a modified Peacekeeper missile to an altitude of approximately 31,000 feet, at which point the […]

The U.S. Navy has announced a $29.7 million contract with United Kingdom Ministry of Defense (U.K. MOD) for a C-130J Super Hercules to serve as the Blue Angels Naval Flight Demonstration Squadron’s next “Fat Albert” logistics cargo plane. According to the U.S. Navy, acquiring a used aircraft to fill the role was approximately $50 million […]

Gulfstream has announced that its G600 business jet received both its type and production certificates from the FAA last week. Gulfstream highlighted that the G600 is its third model to get its type and production certificates simultaneously after the G550 in 2003 and the G500 in 2018. G600 deliveries are expected to begin later this […]

A United A319 crew had their hands full on Saturday after the brakes on the left main gear apparently locked up either as they were taking off from La Guardia or shortly after. According to the Aviation Herals, they diverted immediately to Newark instead of taking the 128 passengers and three cabin crew to Houston. […]

NASA officially reopened the newly restored Apollo Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, on Friday. In time to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, the historic center has been restored to appear as it did during that time period. In order to help […]

Drone manufacturer DJI introduced a data solution for its unmanned aircraft systems (UAS/drones) designed for use by government agencies in high-security situations on Monday. The company says the DJI Government Edition “ensures that drone data—including photos and videos captured during flight—never leave the drone and therefore can never be shared with unauthorized parties including DJI.” […]

Boeing and Kitty Hawk Corporation will be working together on “future efforts to advance safe urban air mobility,” the companies announced on Tuesday. The partnership will focus on Kitty Hawk’s Cora division, which is developing a two-person, all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi. As previously reported by AVweb, Kitty Hawk introduced the Cora […]

From constructing play forts to rigging her little red wagon up to a self-propelled lawn mower for a wild ride down the street, pilot, writer and A&P Lisa Turner grew up with an interest in building things. It was an interest she chose to pursue—not a common path for a girl in the 1960s. She […]

Every so often I’ll get a casual inquiry from a “usta” pilot, someone who has a pilot’s license but hasn’t flown for a long time. Quite often, they’ll have an instrument rating and several hundreds, or even thousands, of hours of professed time. The conversation will start with “I used to fly, quite a bit. […]

An apparent administrative error may have cost Brussels Air $1 million after a flight from Brussels to Washington, D.C., was turned around over the Atlantic. According to various forum sources (but not confirmed by the airline) the A330 involved was a recent acquisition and a last-minute replacement for the flight. As the aircraft approached Canadian […]