Aviation News

Williams International recently completed a successful flight test of its FJ44-4 engine using 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on their flying testbed aircraft. The flight was conducted from the Williams International flight operations center in Pontiac, Michigan, and flew to points in northern Michigan with a total of 3.5 hours of flight time at […]

One hundred and seventeen years ago the Wright Brothers successfully conducted the first powered flight on Earth. Today, NASA reported its solar-powered Ingenuity helicopter, part of its Mars Perseverance rover that arrived on the planet in February, successfully lifted off from the red planet at 3:34 a.m. EST, marking it, “the first aircraft in history […]

Hartzell Engine Technologies made several announcements on April 14, at the Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo, beginning with marking a milestone—the company shipped its 2,000th Sky-Tec starter adapter just nine months after receiving PMA on the part. Hartzell also plans an expansion to its facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and will continue to develop alternate uses for […]

Dr. Scott Dennstaedt says, “General aviation has been plagued with a deadly virus for many decades called VFR into IMC. Flying visual flight rules (VFR) into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) continues to be the leading cause of fatal weather-related accidents.” Dennstaedt says his new product EZWxBrief is a cure for this virus. “Many general aviation […]

Already, 2021 is fulfilling more promise than last year, when one air show after another failed to launch in face the oncoming waves of the pandemic. But this year proves to be different. With appropriate safety measures in place—and no small portion of pilots now vaccinated—air shows and other large-scale events can go forward. Sun […]

The FAA on April 9 proposed an airworthiness directive for inspections of all models of Boeing’s 777 jetliner. The directive is based on the agency’s discovery of five 777s of various models with missing rivet heads used to join the aircraft’s skin. This directive is the second to affect the 777 in less than two […]

Hartzell Propellers said in a news release that its new Navigator three-blade, advanced composite scimitar propeller, has been approved for the Beechcraft Bonanza single-engine line, including most 35-C33A, E33A, E33C, F33A, F33C, S35, V35, V35A, V35B, 36 and A36 aircraft. The company says the Navigator will deliver an increase in true airspeed of three to […]

The Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP) announced that Lt. Col. (Ret.) Robert “Bob” Ashby a longtime OBAP member and champion had flown west on March 5, 2021. He was 95 years old. His obituary said Ashby was enamored with airplanes at a young age and enlisted in the Army Air Force in 1944 rather […]

One sol equals one solar day on Mars—and that’s about 24 hours, 39 minutes, and 35 seconds in Earth time. April 4 was officially “Sol 43” since NASA’s Perseverance rover landed on the fourth planet from the sun—and on that day, the drone rotorcraft Ingenuity separated from its mother ship, making the small leap to […]

The FAA recently published advisory circular 91-92, a guide to assist pilots in completing a comprehensive preflight briefing. The AC, aimed at Part 91 operators, will serve as an educational roadmap for the development and implementation of preflight self-briefings, including planning, weather interpretation, and risk identification/mitigation skills. The guide says, “Pilots adopting these guidelines will […]