Aviation News

The pilot-owner of a Cessna R172 — a six-cylinder, 195 hp version of the 172, based on the French-built Reims Rocket — was en route from ­Everett, Washington, to Albuquerque when he and his wife found themselves weathered in at Roseburg, Oregon. The pilot, who did not have an instrument rating, inquired at an FBO […]

In a startling announcement a few days ago, Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft has named an August 1901 flight by Connecticut aviation pioneer Gustave Whitehead as the first successful powered flight in history, beating the Wright brothers’ first flight by more than two years. Jane’s, which calls itself the world’s foremost authority on aviation history, […]

In the current economy, when any industry comes under negative public scrutiny, one surefire reaction from proponents is to promise it will create new jobs. Apparently to counter growing negative publicity over the increase use of drones, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) has done exactly that, releasing a study – one it […]

The NTSB on Tuesday issued five Safety Alerts that it says focus on the most frequent types of general aviation accidents and how to prevent them. “Because we investigate each of the 1,500 GA accidents that occur in the United States every year, we see the same types of accidents over and over again,” said […]

The FAA on Tuesday approved a plan to test changes to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s lithium-ion batteries in a bid to certify a new design and get the grounded airliners back in the air. The Boeing plan includes changes to the internal battery components to minimize the possibility of short-circuiting, which can lead to overheating […]

Able Flight is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping wounded veterans and other disabled people learn to fly. Sennheiser, Embraer and Signature Flight Support are sponsoring a benefit evening for Able Flight on Saturday April 20 at Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida, near Orlando. Guests will be able to tour Kermit Weeks’ aviation […]

Hopes for bringing a B-29 Superfortress named Doc back to life grew stronger this week as several business leaders in Wichita came together to form a non-profit organization called Doc’s Friends. The organization took ownership of the Superfortress, which was rescued by aviation enthusiast Tony Mazzolini and a group of historians who found the airplane […]

On March 7 the SpaceX Grasshopper, a vertical takeoff and landing vehicle currently in development at the company’s McGregor, Texas, facility, completed a nearly 263-foot leap and hovered at that altitude for about 34 seconds before landing at the center of its launch pad. In addition to landing on its target, SpaceX said the Grasshopper’s […]

The National Aeronautic Association announced on Tuesday that the team behind the Mars Curiosity Rover will be awarded the 2012 Robert J. Collier Trophy. The award was given “…in recognition of the extraordinary achievements of successfully landing Curiosity on Mars, advancing the nation’s technological and engineering capabilities and significantly improving humanity’s understanding of ancient Martian […]

On Tuesday Cirrus Aircraft announced that longtime company employee Pat Waddick would assume the reins as president and chief operating officer of the company while co-founder Dale Klapmeier will remain as chief executive officer. While such moves often result from performance challenges, in this case, it’s the opposite. Cirrus’ recent launch of the Generation Five […]