USAF Approves Merlin’s Airworthiness Plan for Autonomous KC-135 Inflight refueling aircraft slated for first autonomous flight in 2025 By Hanneke Weitering The U.S. Air Force has accepted Merlin’s airworthiness plan for a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker retrofitted with its autonomous flight control system, called Merlin Pilot. Announcing the news on November 12, the Boston-based company said it aims to begin flight...Read More
Qantas Airbus A380 flew for 294 hours with tool lodged in engine: ATSB report By Luke Peters The official report into how a Qantas Airbus A380 flew for almost 300 hours and 34 flights with a tool lodged in one of its four engines has been published by the Australian Transport Safety Board (ATSB). The report has made recommendations to...Read More
Airbus’s Electric Air Taxi Just Made Its First Flight By Daniel Cote The CityAirbus NextGen’s jaunt shows the eVTOL sector that the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer is moving forward with its own electric aircraft. The CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL aircraft has completed its first liftoff for the official start of its flight-test campaign. Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even made the announcement yesterday on X. “I’m...Read More
Flight Testing Announced for Full Scale eVTOL Demonstrator By Abi Wylie Textron eAviation will conduct flight testing for its Nexus eVTOL multi-mission, zero-emission demonstrator aircraft, designed to address global demand for sustainable aviation. Textron Inc. company Textron eAviation Inc. will conduct flight testing for its Nexus electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) full-scale technology demonstrator aircraft at Salina Regional Airport...Read More
Aircraft Maintenance: FAA puts disruptive determination on hold Moss interpretation stayed pending new guidance By Jeff Simon In my previous column, I discussed the serious impact that the FAA’s recent Moss interpretation would have on general aviation maintenance, and the evolving battle to overturn it. On October 15, the FAA issued a temporary legal stay of that interpretation, but the battle...Read More
Piper wing spars facing new airworthiness inspections The long-running saga of Piper aircraft wing spars is back with two new Airworthiness Directives proposed by the US regulator, the FAA. Up to 21,000 aircraft could be affected. The new directives are: AD 2024-00008-A, published on 19 September, followed by AD 2024-00033-A, published on 23 September. The FAA is accepting comments on...Read More
NTSB Blames Boeing 747 Engine Fire on Shoddy Maintenance Work Agency has published its final report on a January engine fire incident. By Ryan Ewing The National Transportation Safety Board said an improperly installed borescope plug led to a January engine fire on an Atlas Air Boeing 747. Maintenance on the aircraft had been performed just four days before the...Read More
Toyota to invest $500M in Joby Aviation Toyota Motor Corporation and Joby Aviation, Inc., a company developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, today announced that Toyota will invest an additional $500 million to support the certification and commercial production of Joby’s electric air taxi, with the aim of realizing the two companies’ shared vision of air mobility. Toyota...Read More
NTSB Issues Urgent Safety Recommendations on Boeing 737 Rudder System Rudder control system could jam or become restricted on some 737NG and 737MAX airplanes WASHINGTON (Sept. 26, 2024) — The National Transportation Safety Board Thursday issued urgent safety recommendations to The Boeing Company and the Federal Aviation Administration in response to the potential for a jammed or restricted rudder control...Read More
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