After the Federal Aviation Administration issued a statement late yesterday doubling down on its decision to keep the Boeing 737 Max planes at the heart of two accident investigations flying, Canada has become the latest nation to ground the plane. “There are — and I hasten to say not conclusive — but there are similarities,” […]
View More After FAA doubles down on 737 decision, Canada grounds the planes amid reports of complaints from U.S. pilotsCategory: Aircraft
Boeing is moving to address potential issues in new 737s as Europe bans its plane
In the wake of the second fatal crash in six months involving Boeing 737 Max 8 airplanes, the European Aviation and Safety Administration is grounding the planes as Boeing said it was taking additional steps to address an issue that may have contributed to the crash. On Sunday, a Boeing 737 Max 8 plane operated […]
View More Boeing is moving to address potential issues in new 737s as Europe bans its planeUK’s extended 5km airport drone ‘no-fly’ zones in force next month
The UK’s Department for Transport has said today that an expansion of drone ‘no-fly’ zones to 5km around airport runways will come into force on March 13. Anyone caught and convicted of flying a drone inside the restricted zones could face a fine and years in prison. Last month the government said it would tighten […]
View More UK’s extended 5km airport drone ‘no-fly’ zones in force next monthArnaud Thiercelin and Laura Major will be speaking at TC Sessions: Robotics + AI April 18 at UC Berkeley
Just over two months out, and our third TC Sessions: Robotics + AI event is shaping up to be another good one. We’ve already announced Anca Dragan, Alexei Efros, Hany Farid, Melonee Wise, Peter Barrett and Rana el Kaliouby. We’ve got some great demos planned for the event, as well — you can still get […]
View More Arnaud Thiercelin and Laura Major will be speaking at TC Sessions: Robotics + AI April 18 at UC BerkeleyFacebook is reportedly testing solar-powered internet drones again — this time with Airbus
Facebook last year grounded its ambitious plan to develop a solar-powered drone to beam internet across the world, but the company isn’t done with the concept, it seems. The social media giant is working with aeronautics giant Airbus to test drones in Australia, according to a new report from Germany’s NetzPolitik. Using a request under […]
View More Facebook is reportedly testing solar-powered internet drones again — this time with AirbusWhiteFox Defense lands $12 million as the demand for drone defense technologies intensifies
Four months ago, when two commercial DJI-made drones loaded with 1 kilogram each of plastic explosive detonated during a speech from Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro at a military event in Caracas, the world at large was introduced to the newest threat from our automated, dystopian present — cheap weaponized drone technology. For Luke Fox, the […]
View More WhiteFox Defense lands $12 million as the demand for drone defense technologies intensifiesWith no moving parts, this plane flies on the ionic wind
Since planes were invented, they’ve flown using moving parts to push air around. Sure, there are gliders and dirigibles, which float more than fly, but powered flight is all about propellers (that’s why they call them that). Today that changes, with the first-ever ‘solid state’ aircraft, flying with no moving parts at all by generating “ionic wind.”
View More With no moving parts, this plane flies on the ionic windElectric flying taxi service Lilium poaches key hires from Audi, Airbus
Lilium, the developer of a new, electric, vertical take-off and landing vehicle for a novel flying taxi service, has poached some pretty big former executives from Airbus and Audi as it builds out its technology and gets ready to bring its service to market. Mirko Reuter, the former head of automated driving at Audi, has […]
View More Electric flying taxi service Lilium poaches key hires from Audi, AirbusZunum Aero bets on hybrid electric engines for its small commuter jet
The traditional aviation industry typically moves rather slowly, but over the last few years, we’ve seen a number of upstarts that are challenging the status quo both in the general and commercial aviation business. One of those is Zunum Aero, which is looking to produce a small hybrid electric-powered commuter plane for six to 12 […]
View More Zunum Aero bets on hybrid electric engines for its small commuter jetUberAIR to take flight with help from UT Austin and U.S. Army Research Labs
After three months of discussions, Uber Elevate has selected The University of Texas at Austin as its partner alongside the U.S. Army Research Laboratory to develop new rotor technology for vehicles that the company will use in its uberAIR flying taxi network. The news is the latest step in Uber’s plans to get demonstration flights […]
View More UberAIR to take flight with help from UT Austin and U.S. Army Research LabsAirbus’ whale-sized plane made an oversized maiden flight
That’s not a bird or a plane, it’s a … whale.
This is what it looks like when a massive oversized plane takes to the sky: Airbus’ aptly named BelugaXL plane took off on a test flight Thursday morning at the Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in France. …
Facebook permanently grounds its Aquila solar-powered internet plane
Facebook has announced that it will no longer pursue its dream of building a gigantic, solar-powered plane to blast internet to underserved communities via laser. Surprisingly, it’s just not practical.
View More Facebook permanently grounds its Aquila solar-powered internet plane