Aviation News

Spaceport America, the first purpose-built commercial spaceport, based in southern New Mexico, revealed its new image on Independence Day — a logo the new spaceport has named “Spirit.” The new logo symbolizes one red and one blue star coming together, displaying “Spaceport America’s core commitment to the spirit of exploration, the promise of human potential, […]

Chinese state-owned manufacturer Avicopter this week received the type certificate for its AC311 light utility helicopter, expanding the AVIC subsidiary’s growing product portfolio. The AC311 is a single-engine helicopter that is reminiscent of the Eurocopter AS350. It has an mtow of 4,850 pounds, can carry six people and is offered with a choice of Honeywell […]

The **** JetBlue Airways pilot who was charged with interfering with a flight crew after he left the cockpit of his Airbus A320 and began ranting about religion and terrorists has been found not guilty by reason of insanity. A federal judge in Amarillo, Texas, issued the ruling during a bench trial on Tuesday for […]

When Cessna put production of its Corvalis single-engine speedster on hiatus two years ago following a delamination event of a wing structure — no one got hurt — the company clearly had its work cut out for it. It not only had to fix its production processes, something the company says it has successfully done, […]

In the final report issued Thursday on the Air France 447 crash that killed 228 people in May 2009, investigators said the pilots were “completely surprised” by technical problems experienced at high altitude and engaged in increasingly de-structured actions until suffering “the total loss of cognitive control of the situation.” The report, issued by the […]

A C-130 that crashed while battling a fire in South Dakota’s Black Hills on Sunday belonged to the North Carolina Air National Guard’s 145th Airlift Wing based at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. Four of the six crew members on board were killed and two others are in the hospital in serious condition, according to the U.S. […]

Members of the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) set out on Tuesday on a renewed search for Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Electra, almost exactly 75 years after the historic aviator disappeared somewhere in the Pacific while attempting to circumnavigate the globe. The expedition team is headed to the island of Nikumaroro, where TIGHAR members […]

The FAA issued a new document last week pertaining to the issuance of special airworthiness certificates for light-sport category airplanes. The policy statement, which becomes effective on September 12, may have a significant impact on SLSA (special light-sport aircraft) manufacturers, in particular for those SLSAs that are manufactured outside the U.S. An assessment of the […]

After receiving a special FAA permit for rocket-powered flights at the end of May, SpaceShipTwo has emerged from its nearly nine-month hiatus and quickly begun an aggressive flight-testing regimen along with its carrier vehicle, WhiteKnightTwo. Little more than a month after gaining the permit, Virgin Galactic has since completed seven test flights and three full-blown […]

European aerospace giant Airbus will build its first U.S. factory in a move aimed at making the company more competitive against archrival Boeing. The new plant in Mobile, Alabama – due to open in 2015 – will employ 1,000 people when it reaches full production capacity. Airbus said it hopes the factory will lower costs […]