Aircraft

Robinson’s turbine-powered five-seat R66 helicopter has passed testing required by the FAA and Transport Canada to fly in snow conditions. Flying in falling or blowing snow has been prohibited per the R66 Pilot’s Operating Handbook, but with this recent successful test the restriction has been lifted. To qualify, the R66 had to perform in some […]

Before people were fortunate enough to have access to powered airplanes, pilots supported their flying addictions by taking off in basic open gliders. Even after the event of powered flight, people would fly gliders as it was a less expensive way to take to the skies. And the peace and quiet of powerless flight is […]

Solar Impulse has finally raised enough money — $20 million — to resume its record-setting round-the-world trip, according to co-founder and pilot André Borschberg, who spoke at the United Nations climate summit in Paris. The solar-powered aircraft has been parked in Hawaii since July, when Borschberg finished the trans-Atlantic leg of the journey. Because of […]

Terrafugia is still tweaking the design of its TF-X, an electric, semi-autonomous, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) flying car, which is slated to be tested in 2016 and 2017. This week, the company announced that it will soon begin flight testing with an unmanned, one-tenth scale model of the TF-X in order to gauge its […]

With one of the busiest shopping weekends behind us and an even busier gift giving season to come, Amazon has updated its progress on Prime Air, a proposed drone delivery system from the online retailer giant. First unveiled in 2013, Amazon hasn’t backed off its not-so-science-fiction dream of making Prime Air a reality. The delivery […]

A case can be made that the twin-diesel DA62 from Austria’s Diamond Aircraft represents a new pinnacle in piston aircraft design. Its long list of positive attributes includes superb efficiency, quality construction, technological sophistication and aesthetic appeal from every angle. With so much going for it, there’s little question this is an airplane that belongs […]

Builders of a Ryan NYP replica that has just been completed at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in upstate New York tell us the homage to the Spirit of St. Louis is probably more true to the original at the time of Charles Lindbergh’s solo Atlantic crossing in 1927 than real airplane hanging today in the […]

Marking a milestone for the exclusive power plant for the Airbus A330neo, the Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 demonstrator engine has run for the first time. “This is a great moment for everyone at Rolls-Royce – we have achieved an important program milestone on the journey to deliver our latest Trent engine,” said Chris Davie, director of […]

Burt Rutan’s SkiGull successfully took to the skies this week from the Coeur d’Alene Airport. The unusual airplane, which is designed to take off and land from water, snow and land, flew for 1.8 hours with test pilot Glenn Smith at the controls. The test flight included basic stability and control tests in the cruise […]

A task force consisting of a variety of small unmanned aircraft system stakeholders including manufacturers, sales outlets, video camera manufacturers, and manned and unmanned aircraft industry organizations, have produced recommendations for a registration process for sUAS. If implemented, the registration process would cover both commercial operators and those flying sUAS as a hobby. The recommendations […]