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 first flight of NASA's Hyper-X vehicle has been rescheduled for June 2nd while flight engineers at Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif. continue to analyze data from an April 28 captive-carry flight. "They just want to make sure all the data they looked over was what they wanted to see and everything went successfully with the captive carry," said NASA spokesperson Leslie Williams.
A portable information display system that scans pixels directly onto the retina could one day allow pilots in emergency situations to have a clear view of their displays in a smoke-filled cockpit. The Nomad retinal scanning display (RSD) system, developed by Microvision, Inc., "can put the essential controls in front of you and [give you] a better chance of landing that aircraft safely because your vision is not occluded," according to Microvision Communications Manager Richard Duval.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and prime contractor Frontier Systems are developing a new vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) intended to stay aloft for up to two days and travel over 2,500 nautical miles. The A160 "Hummingbird" could represent a significant leap in performance above current helicopters, which can typically fly about eight hours over a range of roughly 800 nautical miles. It will not, however, be setting any speed records.
