Tag: Aviation

Helicopter Group Bristow Set to Start Electric Aircraft Flights in Norway

Aviation International News reports, “Recently, Bristow’s Dave Stepanek outlined why the helicopter operator has made such a big commitment to buying urban air mobility (UAM) aircraft that have yet to be certified. As Bristow’s executive v-p and chief transformation officer, Stepanek is responsible not only for sourcing these aircraft but also figuring out how they fit into the company’s far-flung operations in 19 countries.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)

Pilatus: the Pioneer Unlocking Business Aviation in Japan

Aerotime reports, “In 2023, after months of meticulous planning, the founder and CEO of Japanese business aircraft operator OpenSky, Shigeto Honda, took delivery of Japan’s first Pilatus PC-12 NGX turboprop and PC-24 jet. The arrival of the two Pilatus private aircraft brought Honda’s vision to life, enhancing the development of Japan’s private and business travel market by providing clients with access to previously underserved routes across the country.”
Full Story (Aerotime)

AIAA Announces 2025 Design/Build/Fly (DBF) Competition Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 14, 2025 – Tucson, Ariz. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) announced the winners of the 29th Annual AIAA Design/Build/Fly (DBF) Competition:

  • First Place ($3,000): FH Joanneum, Graz, Austria
  • Second Place ($2,000): Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
  • Third Place ($1,500): Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, Calif.
  • Best Report Score ($100): University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

Complete results are posted at aiaa.org/dbf.

This year marks DBF’s largest ever flyoff participation, with 1,200+ students on 97 university teams attending onsite. The flyoff was hosted by AIAA Corporate Member RTX in Tucson, Ariz. Teams from 14 countries participated in the flyoff weekend, including the U.S. with representation from 34 states.

This year’s flight objective was to design, build, and test an airplane to execute an X-1 Supersonic Flight Test Program, including the launch of an X-1 test vehicle – an autonomous glider with flashing lights. Teams also conducted a timed ground mission demonstration of the X-1 Flight Test Program.

“DBF is a highlight of the AIAA year,” said AIAA CEO Clay Mowry. “The students who compete here are the next generation of aerospace professionals. Congratulations to the winning teams!

“This year’s DBF mission is inspired by the Bell X-1 plane that Chuck Yeager flew when he broke the sound barrier in 1947. It was a feat once deemed impossible. The X-1 was powered by an XLR-11 engine build by Reaction Motors, a company spun out of the American Rocket Society, one of AIAA’s predecessor organizations in 1941. Our newly unveiled AIAA logo is inspired by the Bell X-1 breaking the sound barrier. We hope these students channel the X-1 spirit in their future careers to show the world what’s possible.” Mowry added.

Russ Althof, director of the DBF Organizing Committee, said, “We owe our thanks for the success of the DBF Competition to the efforts of many volunteers from RTX, Textron Aviation, and the AIAA sponsoring Technical Committees: Applied Aerodynamics, Aircraft Design, Flight Test, and Design Engineering. These volunteers collectively set the rules for the contest, gather entries, judge the written reports, and execute the flyoff.”

The 2026 AIAA DBF Competition will be held in April 2026 hosted in Wichita, Kan., by Textron Aviation.

Media contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram.

Textron Unveils Newest CJ4 Upgrades

Flying Magazine reports, “Textron Aviation recently unveiled its latest new variant, the Cessna Citation CJ4 Gen 3, which dovetails nicely with the 15th anniversary of the service entry of the first of the CJ4 line. More than 450 CJ4s are currently in operation, according to Textron. The Gen 3 version is expected to enter service next year.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)

SkyDrive Flies Air Taxi Prototype in Osaka

Aviation International News reports that on April 9, SkyDrive’s three-seat SD-05 eVTOL aircraft prototype made its first public demonstration flights at the World Expo 2025 event in Osaka, Japan. “ During the flight, which lasted about four minutes, the remotely piloted and highly automated aircraft reached an altitude of 5 meters, according to SkyDrive.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)



Video

Public Flight of SKYDRIVE Model SD-05
(SkyDrive, Inc; YouTube)

RTX’s Pratty & Whitney Implements Additive Manufacturing to Reduce Engine Repair Time

Reuters reports, “RTX said on Tuesday its enine making subsidiary Pratt & Whitney has developed an additive manufacturing repair process for its geared turbofan (GTF) engine components, which would reduce process time by more than 60%. The unit is currently navigating an issue with the GTF engines and is conducting an inspection drive for potentially flawed components, which has led to the grounding of hundreds of planes in recent months.”
Full Story (Reuters)

EVA Air Orders Six A350-1000s and Three A321neo Aircraft

Aerotime reports, “Taiwanese carrier EVA Air has finalized an order for six long-range A350-1000s and three single-aisle A321neo aircraft, completing a deal first revealed by the airline in March 2025. With these new orders, EVA Air’s total aircraft backlog will now include 24 A350-1000s and 18 A321neo aircraft, Airbus announced in a statement on April 7, 2025.”
Full Story (Aerotime)