Recent Updates

Levil Aviation has announced that it is ceasing development of its Beacon ADS-B Out module effective immediately. The company says that “irregularities and installation diversity have caused us to have FAA report compliance issues that we could not have foreseen.Because of this, we will no longer be moving forward with the Beacon project.” Announced at […]

A simpler, more robust five-bladed main rotor will give the Airbus H145 increased useful load, improved ride comfort and reduced maintenance considerations. Debuting at Heli-Expo in Atlanta this week, the H145 gains a main rotor blade that in turn allows for a smaller rotor diameter while also providing a 331-pound increase in useful load, according […]

Military aviation forums are buzzing with reaction to a Facebook posting by the Dutch-based Scramble Magazine that four F-117 Nighthawks were pulled out of retirement and snuck into Syria to fly clandestine missions on behalf of the U.S. in 2017. Giving some credence to the report, which is classified as a rumor by most military […]

This week, AVweb’s blog space will feature a two-part story from James Belton, a Gen X pilot who has done what the previous generation of pilots could not: Evolved from pistons, to jets, to drones. Here’s part one. When I was a young man, I desperately wanted to fly. I wanted to fly fighter jets […]

That telltale trail of smoke from the Air Force’s longest serving airframe will soon be a thing of the past but that’s not because the B-52 is going anywhere. A request for proposal will be issued in March to re-engine 76 of the venerable bombers as part of the Air Force’s long-range bombing strategy through […]

SpaceX celebrated the successful launch of its Crew Dragon capsule followed by the successful autonomous docking of the spacecraft at the International Space Station on the weekend as a prelude to the resumption of manned U.S. space flights, possibly in the next year. The crew capsule was unmanned but carried a life-sized mannequin named Ripley […]

ICON’s St. Louis Demonstration Flights The St. Louis demo flights by an Icon sales rep caused quite a stir in the local media. What was not reported by you is the aircraft was operating between two heavily trafficked bridges that are only four thousand feet apart. The bridges (over one hundred feet above the water) […]

This week, AVweb‘snews roundup uncovered reports on a sun shade package for Cirrus owners, a new digital audio controller, an acquisition for Southern Airlines and CEFA’s first office outside of Europe. The roundup also found announcements about new FAA PMA approvals for Airforms and 2019 goals for the U.K.’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on General Aviation. […]

A banner towing pilot died and dozens of others had a close call on Friday when a banner plane flying along Fort Lauderdale’s beachfront hit a condo building and fell about 150 feet to a pool deck below. The Piper Pawnee operated by Aerial Banners Inc. hit the building between the 16th and 17th floor. […]

While flying on a pleasant Sunday afternoon near Northwest Missouri, I heard the following on a local Unicom frequency. After several seconds of nothing but screaming, I was expecting to hear a “Mayday” call. Instead, a slow, calm voice said, “Jumpers away over Lexington. Use caution 10,000 and below.” You could still hear the screaming […]