Flying Magazine reports, “Boom Supersonic—the developer of a 64-to-80-passenger commercial airliner that flies faster than the speed of sound—last week set speed and altitude records with its XB-1 test aircraft. And it’s gearing up for another test flight as soon as Wednesday, founder and CEO Blake Scholl said Monday.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
Tag: flight test
Aurora Flight Sciences’ sUAS Completes Long-Endurance Flight Test
Unmanned Systems Technology reports, “Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing company, recently completed a successful seven-hour flight test of its fuel-cell-powered small uncrewed aircraft system (sUAS), SKIRON-XLE. The test flight, conducted at an airfield in Virginia, represents a significant advancement in flight endurance for the Group 2 platform.”
Full Story (Unmanned Systems Technology)
Vertical Performs Piloted Thrustborne eVTOL Flight Test
Aerotime reports, “UK-based electric vehicle takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer Vertical Aerospace has become only the second company in the world to perform a piloted thrustborne flight test in a full-scale vectored thrust aircraft. The full-scale eVTOL aircraft, known as VX4, took off on January 7, 2024, with pilot Simon Davies at the controls, at the Vertical Aerospace test center at Cotswold Airport (GBA).”
Full Story (Aerotime)
Pipistrel Flight-Tests NUUVA V300 Hybrid-Electric VTOL
Aerotime reports, “Pipistrel, a division of Textron eAviation, announced that its new NUUVA V300 hybrid-electric unmanned VTOL aircraft successfully completed its first flight on January 31, 2025, in Gorizia, northeastern Italy, next to the Slovenian border. The NUUVA is an unmanned aerial system (UAS) designed to carry 300 kg of cargo (the equivalent of three euro-pallets) over distances of up to 300 km.”
Full Story (Aerotime)
Video
Nuuva V300 makes first successful flight-test
(Pipistrel Aircraft; YouTube)
AIAA Statement on the Successful Virgin Galactic Unity 22 Mission
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 11, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) congratulates our corporate member Virgin Galactic on its successful flight test of SpaceShipTwo Unity today. AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher made the following statement:
“On behalf of the 30,000 professional and student members of AIAA, we are excited to congratulate Sir Richard Branson and the Virgin Galactic team on their accomplishments today! The successful Unity 22 mission marks a major step forward in humanity’s quest to extend the human neighborhood beyond planet Earth. Virgin Galactic is helping move us closer to the day when space travel is widely accessible to people everywhere.
We especially congratulate Unity 22 Mission Specialist Sirisha Bandla on her part in this flight. In addition to serving as a Unity 22 crew member, Sirisha is a member of our ASCEND Guiding Coalition. The ASCEND Guiding Coalition is the executive board of advisors for ASCEND, the global community focused on building humanity’s off-world future faster. Sirisha exemplifies the community experience of space because no one goes to space alone.
We commend the pioneering role of Sir Richard Branson in accelerating the nascent space tourism industry. Today’s mission would not have been possible without his long-term vision and risk taking. He has courageously led the Virgin Galactic team through challenges and tragedies to get here. Their collective perseverance is admirable, reminding us of how we must accelerate innovation in space with the utmost focus on safety and our shared humanity.
We recognize the countless professionals in the aerospace industry involved in making this mission a success, from design, to fabrication, to testing, and now to operations. We salute and applaud the Virgin Galactic team for pursuing their dreams with determination and making important contributions to shaping the future of aerospace.”
Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell
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, or LinkedIn.
Beta Electric Aircraft Performs First Test Flight
Flying Magazine reports, “Vermont-based Beta Technologies has successfully completed the first flight of its electric aircraft built on its new production line, it announced Thursday. Kyle Clark, Beta founder and CEO, conducted the first flight of the aircraft, which lasted nearly an hour. During the flight, the aircraft took off and climbed to 7,000 feet and flew several approaches before a normal landing.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)