Rolls-Royce has generated more than a megawatt of power in ground runs of a hybrid electric engine on a testbed in Bristol, England, which is designed to pave the way for future hybrid-electric regional propulsion system development.

Japan’s SoftBank is to issue its first sustainability bond to raise funds for its high-altitude platform system business, which plans to operate solar-powered stratospheric unmanned aircraft as airborne base stations for internet connectivity.

The U.S. aerospace and defense industry has been on a decades-long march of moving its work away from the two coasts and out of the northern part of the country toward the southern half.

The business aviation industry is on track to meet the sustainability goals it set for 2050, but having access to and using sustainable aviation fuels will be one of the linchpins required to keep it in on track.

Pilots aged 70 and older are as safe and proficient as younger ones, but their insurance companies are dropping and canceling their policies or raising their premiums, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

Vertical says it remains on track to start flight tests in early 2022 as it targets certification for the VA-X4 in 2024 and entry-into-service in 2025.

Private-aviation services companies Jet Access and Eagle Creek Aviation plan to merge, a combination they said on Nov. 23 will create the 12th largest Part 135 charter operator in the U.S.

German engine manufacturer RED Aircraft GmbH announced the first flight of an Air Tractor 301 agricultural airplane retrofitted with its RED AO3 piston engine.