Aviation News

The U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center is warning that solar X-flares could disrupt satellite communications systems next week, including GPS and ADS-B signals. A series of X-flares emanated from the sun this week, but Earth escaped the direct impact of the flares. Experts are concerned that next week’s flares could be more problematic. X-flares are […]

Oshkosh, Wisconsin-based kit manufacturer Sonex has taken an NTSB recommendation to heart by developing a transition training program for pilots who are building Sonex kits or purchasing airplanes completed by someone else. The NTSB released results last year of a study showing that type-specific training in amateur-built aircraft could improve safety in that segment. Sonex […]

The FAA has signed off on a new technology for Sikorsky’s S-92 helicopter called Rig Approach, an automated system that makes it easier for offshore pilots to find and approach oil platforms and rigs. Sikorsky claims the new automation software, which allows the offshore pilot to program an approach to a rig into the helicopter’s […]

If you’ve ever wondered why the FAA’s pilot written exams still contain questions about outdated technologies like loran, microwave landing systems and VHF/DF steer, you’re not alone. A special pilot testing working group has identified dozens of questions on the Private, Commercial and ATP written tests that it says are obsolete. It is asking the […]

The FAA this week sent out a general aviation safety “fact sheet” identifying several technologies the agency says can help significantly curb the fatal accident rate. While the list includes several of the typical technologies we think of as promoting safety such as Nexrad weather receivers, traffic and terrain awareness systems and ballistic parachutes, the […]

The Centennial Challenge is NASA’s name for a program aimed at advancing drone technology, and the agency is offering a $500,000 prize for anyone who has a good idea on how to accelerate integrating them into the National Airspace System (NAS). Adapting airspace to accommodate Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) is a priority, mandated by language […]

Business aircraft research firm Jetnet released its market outlook report for the first quarter, and the results are discouraging – unless you’re shopping for a used business jet, turboprop or turbine helicopter. The size of the used aircraft inventory has always been a measure of the health of the overall general aviation industry. The more […]

A nationwide search has begun for what the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) has named a National Airbase. The search is the start of a 10-year Airbase Strategy plan aimed at increasing public awareness about CAF in which several airbases will open up around the country. These airbases will serve as centers of education to spread […]

In what Vice Admiral David Buss, Commander, Naval Air Forces called a “watershed event,” the U.S. Air Force X-47B unmanned combat air system (UCAS) demonstrator was catapulted for the first time from the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier off the coast of Virginia this week. After a 65-minute flight, which included several low approaches […]

Avidyne has earned FAA certification for its DFC90 autopilot in a wide range of Beechcraft Bonanza models. The approval is an STC that applies to most existing Bonanzas, including V35s, F33s, A36s and more. The DFC90 needs to be installed with a compatible display; in this case, it’s the Aspen Evolution primary flight display. Aspen […]