Briefing: April 2018

For the 14th year, the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo welcomed visitors to Sebring, Florida, in January, providing respite from the cold for northerners and a chance for prospective buyers to take a demo flight in a Light Sport Aircraft. The show hosted about 100 exhibitors, more than last year, and organizers told AVweb ticket sales also were up. About 60 forums were held, and more than 1,000 youngsters took part in the shows youth education programs. The date for next years event is January 23 to 26.

Editorial Staff

Saturday, March 10, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The aviation industry saw significant advancements with first test and manned flights of autonomous VTOL aircraft from Airbus (Vahana) and Ehang, alongside strong commercial activity including a successful LSA Expo and Piper's largest-ever trainer order.
Safety was a key focus, as the FAA issued Airworthiness Directives for Piper PA-28 and Cessna twin fleets, and an NTSB report identified an "undetectable" internal defect as the cause of a Boeing 767 engine failure.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Spring Arrives Early With LSA Expo

For the 14th year, the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo welcomed visitors to Sebring, Florida, in January, providing respite from the cold for northerners and a chance for prospective buyers to take a demo flight in a Light Sport Aircraft. The show hosted about 100 exhibitors, more than last year, and organizers told AVweb ticket sales also were up. About 60 forums were held, and more than 1,000 youngsters took part in the show’s youth education programs. The date for next year’s event is January 23 to 26.

First Flights For Vahana And Ehang

Two new VTOL designs in development have announced first flights. Airbus flew its A3 Vahana autonomous electric VTOL aircraft, completing two short test flights in Oregon in late January and early February. The full-scale aircraft is the test article for what Airbus hopes will become fleets of pilotless tiltrotors that will carry passengers and cargo. The company has said it hopes to have a working prototype by 2020. Meanwhile, Ehang announced the first manned flights of its autonomous VTOL drone. The Chinese company said they had flown “40 or so” passengers, and released videos showing multiple flights with passengers in both one-seat and two-seat versions of the aircraft.