Garmin has introduced the GDL-82 ADS-B Out product that could wind up being the answer to many an airplane owner’s need to meet the 2020 ADS-B mandate. The GDL-82, Garmin says, is a small UAT transceiver that sells for $1,795 and comes with the WAAS antenna and install kit. Garmin hasn’t shared any details, but more »

The massive Stratolaunch, which first rolled out of its specially-designed hangar at the Mojave Air & Space Port last June, has taken another significant step toward being the largest thing ever to fly. Though it never left the ground, the 238-foot-long airplane took its inaugural trip down the runway last weekend for its first taxi more »

The world is getting faster and more vertical. Literally. The trend was on full display on Monday when Bell Helicopter made the first flight of its remarkable V-280 Valor. According to Bell, the new aircraft provides “unmatched agility, speed, range and payload capabilities at an affordable cost.” We’re skeptical about the “affordable” part, though aircraft more »

After a brief hiatus, during which the first confirmed reports of drone/aircraft collisions came in, the registration requirement for non-commercially flown small (0.55 – 55 pound) drones is back. Recreational drone registration was first required towards the end of 2015. It was then struck down last May by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the more »

The autonomous future is here, people. Recently Boeing’s Aurora Flight Sciences conducted a series of autonomous flights of a UH-1 Huey outfitted with autonomous systems. The idea is to be able to use helicopter for resupply or cargo missions without having to put a human pilot in harm’s way in the process, and Aurora said more »

The NTSB final report on the September 21 collision between an Army UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter and a DJI Phantom 4 small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS/drone) is something of a cautionary tale regarding what not to do when flying a UAS. For the basic facts, the collision occurred near Hoffman Island, New York, at around more »

What’s the best birthday present a pilot can get? Most of us would agree that time in the air is pretty high up on the list. For British inventor and aviator Dr. John C. Taylor—who has been flying for 65 years—David Fabry, CEO of Daher’s TBM U.K. distributor, Flying Smart, arranged something particularly special along more »

This past week Dassault announced that it was officially putting the 5X out of its misery, pulling the plug and calling it a day on the $45 million Gulfstream competitor. There’s no one in the industry, however, who doesn’t suspect that Dassault has Plan B not only hatched but well on its way. The 5X more »

How much FBOs can and should charge for services—like fuel and ramp use—has been a matter of concern to the general aviation community for quite some time. So much so that last August, AOPA took the data it had gathered from pilots and filed a Part 13 complaint regarding fees charged by FBOs located at more »

The FAA is once again reminding people decorating for the holidays to be mindful of the risks outdoor laser light displays can pose for aviation. If poorly aimed, the popular displays have the potential to disrupt flights—and possibly injure pilots—passing overhead. According to the FAA, “Each holiday season for the past several years, [it] has more »

Swiss airplane manufacturer Pilatus has earned FAA and EASA type certification for its PC24 twinjet, and the model is set to disrupt the light jet segment mightily. The new aircraft is unlike any jet currently being built, and its closest analogs might be specialty jets once built for military use, but even then the PC24 more »

There’s another contender looking to enter the big-city air taxi race. On Wednesday, Erik Lindbergh—longtime pilot and grandson of historic aviator Charles Lindbergh—announced the formation of VerdeGo Aero, which will be focused on creating and producing a short-range aircraft suitable for on-demand flights in urban areas. The new company is headquartered at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical more »

Finding what you’re looking for on the FAA website isn’t always an easy thing. The organization covers a lot of ground (and air) and collects quite a bit of information on all things aviation. In an effort to help streamline access to important aviation industry and FAA data, the FAA has begun publishing its monthly more »

In an era where autonomous drones are being suggested for everything from package delivery to air taxi operations, GPS can’t do everything. Instantaneous see-and-avoid technology is a must if those ideas are ever going to be practical. Recently, researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) tested out a vision-based navigation system for autonomous drones by more »

As of last month, 10,000 Van’s RV kit planes have officially made it through the assembly process and into the skies. There are most likely more than 10,000 flying, according to the company, but it doesn’t keep tabs on the progress of all of the many kits that head out of the factory doors, so more »

When Garmin introduced its G5 instrument last year, it was a big deal. But its functionality was somewhat limited. Not any more. The G5 originally came out as an additional (not primary) attitude indicator, but it soon took on an second role as a heading indicator, albeit one that couldn’t provide a source of attitude more »