FAA Updates CFM Engine Airworthiness Directive: More Parts With Materials Issues By Rytis Beresnevicius The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a new airworthiness directive (AD) to address additional faulty parts on the CFM International LEAP-1A engine, which is one of the two power plant options for the Airbus A320neo aircraft family. Superseding a previous directive On December 23rd, the FAA issued a notice...Read More

China’s first 4-seat zero-emission e-aircraft obtains type certification from CAAC By Global Times The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said that the home-grown four-seat electric aircraft RX4E, developed by Liaoning General Aviation Academy of Shenyang Aerospace University, has been granted a type certificate for airworthiness, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday. It is China’s first normal-category aircraft powered...Read More

The FAA Recommends AOA Indicators For All Aircraft By Justin Foster In late December, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a special airworthiness information bulletin (SAIB) focused on the future installation of angle of attack (AOA) indicators and systems for aircraft. The bulletin, which was released on December 26 of last year, was titled Stall Warning System: Angle of Attack Alerting...Read More

US Military Grounds V-22 Ospreys Anew After Recent Near Crash By Joe Saballa The US military has suspended all operations of its V-22 Osprey aircraft again following a near-crash in New Mexico late last month. The decision, recommended by the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), was made “out of an abundance of caution” after an Osprey was forced to make an...Read More

Is It Safe to Fly Qantas? Watch Episode 249 here! Is Qantas Airlines safe? Two recent events have led the Australian media and others to raise that question. The first safety issue was in November 2024. A tool was left in the engine of a Qantas A380 for nearly a month before it was discovered. A few days later, a...Read More

SUBARU Bell 412EPX Earns EASA Certification Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, today announced the SUBARU Bell 412EPX has received European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification and can begin flight operations throughout the European Union. “We’re pleased the SUBARU Bell 412EPX has received EASA certification and look forward to seeing its growing success in the European region,”...Read More

Japan Airlines’ and Sumitomo Corporation’s Joint Venture Company, Soracle, Announces Agreement Including Intended Purchase Of Up To $500M of Electric Aircraft From Archer Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE: ACHR) and Soracle Corporation (Soracle), a joint venture newly established by Japan Airlines and Sumitomo Corporation, signed agreements focused on bringing advanced air mobility (AAM) services to Japan. Soracle plans to launch its AAM...Read More

NASA Funds New Studies Looking at Future of Sustainable Aircraft By Robert Margetta Picture yourself at an airport a few decades from now. What does your airliner look like? It’s more efficient, with lower emissions than today’s aircraft – what kinds of designs or technology make that possible? NASA is working to answer those questions by commissioning five new design...Read More

Sikorsky Increases S-92® Inspection Intervals Data-driven vote of confidence mitigates downtime and maximizes fleet availability Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, announced that it is increasing the scheduled inspection intervals for S-92® helicopters from 375 flight hours to 500 hours, and from 750 flight hours to 1,000 hours. By increasing these intervals, average S-92 operators will be able to safely keep aircraft in...Read More

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