Jeff has been involved in aerospace journalism since the mid 1990s. Prior to joining Aviation Week, Jeff served as managing editor of Launchspace magazine and the International Space Industry Report. He has been the editor and chief of Aviation Week's Aerospace Daily & Defense Report since 2007 and has been a regular contributor to Aviation Week magazine. He received his B.A. from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
The unique X-50A Dragonfly unmanned aerial vehicle has returned to flight-testing in Yuma, Ariz., roughly 19 months after the crash that ruined the first Dragonfly demonstrator. Following a 30-second "pop-up" flight in early November to build confidence, the X-50A completed a four-minute hover flight Dec. 2 in which it reached an altitude of roughly 20 feet.
The interagency committee chartered by Congress to create an aeronautics policy for the United States by next fall already has completed its first draft, according to Lisa Porter, NASA's associate administrator for aeronautics. As head of aeronautics for NASA, Porter is co-chairing the group, which is a subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The committee was stood up in September and has one year to complete its work.
NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., plans to release a request for proposals in early January soliciting new rotorcraft research from industry. Proposals will be due around Feb. 14, according to NASA. Ames anticipates issuing five five-year contracts worth $10 million each.
