Aviation Week reports, “Aurora Flight Sciences has unveiled a refined concept for a fan-in-wing high-speed vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) aircraft as it receives funding to proceed to a preliminary design review under a DARPA project to fly an X-plane demonstrator.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Tag: May 2024
Hermeus Begins Testing of Precooler Technology on Pratt & Whitney F100
Aviation International News reports, “Hermeus continues its march toward hypersonic development with the testing of its precooler technology on the Pratt & Whitney F100. The precooler lowers the temperature of incoming air, enabling an increase in the maximum speed of the turbine engine.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)
Biden Signs Comprehensive Aviation Safety Bill into Law
Reuters reports, “President Joe Biden signed on Thursday sweeping aviation legislation that will boost U.S. air traffic controller staffing, increase funding to avert runway close-call incidents and speed up refunds for canceled flights. The $105 billion, five-year measure reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration. It prohibits airlines from charging fees for families to sit together, requires airplanes to be equipped with 25-hour cockpit recording devices, raises maximum civil penalties for airline consumer violations from $25,000 per violation to $75,000 and boosts aircraft production scrutiny.”Full Story (Reuters)
Pentagon Planning Commercial ‘Space Reserve” to Support Military Satellites
SPACE reports, “The U.S. Department of Defense is developing a plan to use the ever-growing American commercial space industry for national security purposes. The plan, known as the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve would allow the U.S. Space Force to use the capabilities of the commercial space sector through “pre-negotiated contractual agreements which would be activated in times of crisis or conflict,” according to the service’s “Commercial Space Strategy” document, which was released in April 2024.”
Full Story (SPACE)
Heart Aerospace Unveils Redesigned Hybrid Propulsion System
Aviation Week Network reports, “Heart Aerospace has announced a redesigned hybrid propulsion system built around off-the-shelf turboprops and electric motors, as well as a series of related design changes to its planned 30-seat ES-30 regional aircraft. The redesigned propulsion system, referred to by the company as an ‘independent hybrid propulsion system,’ features a turboprop engine on the outboard of the wing beside an electric motor system placed inboard.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Founder of Urban-Air Port Highlights Benefits of ‘Vertical Airfield’
Aviation Week reports, “For the vision of urban air mobility to be realized, vertiports will have to maximize efficiency and passenger throughput while keeping costs as low as possible for vehicle operators and vertical managers–and by extension, passengers … London-based infrastructure startup Urban-Air Port believes use of its patented Vertical Airfield concept could help unlock new gains in efficiency for the advanced air mobility industry.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Sierra Space Prepares Dream Chaser for Pre-launch Trek to KSC
Spaceflight Now reports, “Sierra Space is getting one step closer to finally seeing its Dream Chaser spaceplane reach the launch pad. The spacecraft completed its environmental testing at NASA’s Armstrong Test Facility last week … Sierra Space is now preparing to load up Dream Chaser and Shooting Star for shipment down to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Once it arrives, teams will finish adding the thermal protection tiles and perform additional checkouts, like acoustic testing.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Eve Air Offers Preview on Progress in Building its eVTOL Prototype
Aviation International News reports, “Eve Air Mobility this week released still images and video giving glimpses of what it says is progress in building the first full-scale example of the four-passenger eVTOL aircraft it aims to bring to market in 2026. The airframe is now being assembled at a new facility at Taubaté in Brazil’s São Paulo state, but the company has not provided an update as to when it will be ready to start test flights.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)
Opinion: Finding and Retaining Talent in the Aerospace Industry
Aviation Week writes, “Are you searching for new entry-level talent and thinking, ‘Where did everyone go?’ The talent is there—you just need to know where to look and to make investments in relationships with institutions and organizations that ensure a long-term pipeline.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Archer Introduces ‘Automotive Style’ Battery Pack to Air Taxi Production Line
Flying reports, “Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer Archer Aviation is ready to produce thousands of lithium-ion battery packs for its flagship Midnight air taxi. The manufacturer on Wednesday announced it completed the installation of an “automotive style” battery pack manufacturing line within its integrated test lab and manufacturing facilities in San Jose, California.
Full Story (Flying)