Aircraft & Propulsion

Germany’s Volocopter has conducted a test flight at Finland’s Helsinki International Airport with its prototype electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) air taxi.

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) executive director Patrick Ky said there is “still a lot of work to be performed” before it will allow the Boeing 737 MAX to return to service.

Environmental targets are key, even though “flygskam” has not yet hurt the carrier’s bottom line.

The conventional wisdom of using widebodies for long-haul flights is being challenged by new-generation narrowbodies and changing market priorities.

AirAsia X has placed its first order for the new extra-long range A321XLR and is buying more Airbus A330neos

A coalition of 28 environmental and public-health groups is protesting FAA’s push to provide regulatory relief for the civil supersonic aircraft industry.

The Irkut MC-21 received 20 new commitments at this week’s MAKS 2019 Air Show, which is taking place this week in Zhukovsky near Moscow.

Rolls-Royce and Widerøe are teaming up to research zero emission aviation as the Scandinavian regional airline aims for an all-electric fleet, in parallel with the Norwegian government’s goal of zero emission domestic flights by 2040.

The leading US developers of supersonic aircraft called on the Department of Transportation (DOT) Aug. 27 to modify its proposed rule on supersonic flight authorizations, arguing the proposal’s wording amounts to an effective prohibition on all supersonic flight.

Startup Elroy Air begins flight tests of a large VTOL unmanned aircraft designed for responsive logistics.

The FAA has suspended the use of an automated system at New York JFK International Airport that allows drone operators to request and obtain authorization to fly in the vicinity of the New York City airport.

San Francisco-based startup Elroy Air has begun flight testing its Chaparral large unmanned cargo aircraft.

To achieve a 50% net reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 relative to 2005 levels, the industry is implementing an array of measures.

The MC-21’s customer base mainly consists of government-owned Russian lessors. The long-term impact of Western sanctions is likely to hamper its success.

Engineers in Norway have started ground tests of a compact 2.5-megawatt generator, marking a key milestone toward flight tests of the Airbus and Rolls-Royce E-Fan X hybrid-electric demonstrator in 2021.

German aerospace center DLR is planning a regional-size electric propulsion flight demonstrator.

Embraer could further delay the E175-E2 entry into service by a few months as another round of pilot labor contract scope clause discussions begin.

The UK has unveiled a more than £300 million ($368 million) government-industry investment to develop “cleaner, greener” forms of air transport, including electric and autonomous aircraft and sustainable alternative fuels.

The first Airbus A220-300 regional jet for EgyptAir has completed its initial test flight from the Mirabel assembly line and is scheduled to be delivered to Cairo in the next few weeks, the manufacturer said Aug. 23.

C919 development will last 14 years after the latest schedule change. The program has begun certification flight testing.

Avionics suppliers Cobham, Blue Sky Network and SkyTrac Systems are among 10 “beta partners” Iridium has named to develop new products based on its Certus 9770 satellite communications (satcom) transceiver.

FAA’s plan for how pilots will evaluate changes to the Boeing 737 MAX and new training materials signals a shift from a focus primarily on the carriers it regulates to one that accounts for variations in pilot experience around the world.

EASA is set to issue an airworthiness directive (AD) on Engine Alliance engines that power Airbus A380s following a similar move by the US FAA after the discovery that a failed GP7200 engine showed a fracture in the fan hub.

Advances in aerospace vehicles almost always follow advances in propulsion. And propulsion technology continues to advance, creating new opportunities. So what is in store for the future? Attending the AIAA Propulsion & Energy conference in Indianapolis, senior editor Guy Norris and technology editor Graham Warwick discuss possibilities ranging from nuclear rockets to electric aircraft.

Operators of Engine Alliance GP7200-powered Airbus A380s are set for a new round of inspections after a fracture was found in a fan hub of the Air France aircraft engine that failed in September 2017.