Aviation News

A student and instructor flying a Jabiru J170 LSA near Brisbane, Australia, got a rude surprise when the engine of the training airplane quit in flight. ABC News reported the flight was the first for student Josh Matica, who quickly surrendered the controls to his instructor, Doug Field. With only about 1,000 feet between the […]

In its second rocket-powered flight to date, Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo flexed its muscle, going both faster and farther than it has ever before. After being carried to 46,000 feet by WhiteKnightTwo, SpaceShipTwo lit its rocket motor, which shot the spaceship to an altitude of 69,000 feet. The spaceship reached a speed of Mach 1.43 during […]

United Airlines announced yesterday it will recall all of its furloughed pilots — nearly 600. The announcement bodes well for those who predict a pilot shortage, though experts stress that this does not necessarily signal growth for the troubled airline industry. The recalls will fill expected staffing needs caused by retirements and new duty-time rules, […]

Airbus won enviro-bragging rights at last week’s GreenTec award ceremony, claiming Europe’s “most important environment and business award” for its work on fuel cells in commercial aircraft. But all eyes were also focused on the latest model from Volocopter, which was suspended from the ceiling during the presentation. Volocopter’s recently completed two-seat prototype, the VC200, […]

A group named Directional Aviation Capital has purchased Flexjet, the fractional ownership business formerly operated as a division of Bombardier. There is no doubt that the new owners have great faith in the business. As part of the ownership change, the newly formed Flexjet, LLC signed a deal with Bombardier that could add up to […]

Pipistrel has introduced a new LSA, which offers the capability of quickly turning the airplane from a motorglider into a cross-country cruiser. The Sinus Flex is a standard Sinus model, which was designed with a 49-foot 1.5-inch wingspan. But the outermost parts of the Flex version’s wings are removable and can be substituted for shorter […]

The facts surrounding this Illinois accident just might paint a different picture.

A Mooney M20 nearly clipped several cars as it crashed into trees right next to Route 50 in Bowie, Maryland, according to witnesses. The accident occurred around 3:45 p.m. on Labor Day afternoon, typically one of the busiest traffic days of the year. A number of drivers pulled over to assist those aboard the downed […]

The FAA has released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that may allow some pilots to continue descending below 100 feet above the touchdown zone elevation (TZE) without seeing the runway environment. Generally pilots must abort the instrument approach and fly the missed approach procedure unless they can visually identify the runway environment at the […]

In the latest “record” attempt involving very young pilots, a five-year-old boy from China has become the youngest person to fly an aircraft, according to reports from Chinese media this week. Many hundreds of parents of three-year-olds who have briefly let their child take the controls might differ on this point, though. He Yide, who […]