Textron Aviation recently announced the newest enhancements to Garmin’s G5000 avionics are coming to the Cessna Citation Latitude and Longitude aircraft, whereupon it expects to have FAA approval for modifications in 2025 and 2026, respectively AIN reported. New features include the GDL 60 datalink, a synthetic vision guidance system on primary flight displays, 3D SafeTaxi, taxi routing and a runway occupancy awareness function. Since 2023, Textron Aviation has produced the 400th Citation Latitude and 100th Citation Longitude aircraft. The post Avionics Upgrades Coming to Citation Latitude and ..read more

Boston-based Merlin Labs, Inc. said on May 30 that it is using data from flights of a KC-135 at MacDill AFB, Fla., “to better understand crew workload drivers and gather data to expand the autonomous capabilities of the Merlin Pilot for military use cases.” “Conducted on May 14 and 15, the two flights enabled Merlin’s engineers to assess the tasks that pilots execute in-flight to determine where advanced automation capabilities would be the most impactful for safety, cost savings, and efficiency,” the company said. On May 16, the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill confirmed the testing but did ..read more

Electric Vertical Take Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft represent a new era of aviation and with this new era comes a huge demand for uniquely trained professional pilots to safely fly passenger and cargo at scale across global markets. New pilot training technologies and methodologies are being presented, all the while keeping safety paramount for the unique challenges of this advanced air mobility (AAM). What’s Different about eVTOL? Pilot training for eVTOL aircraft differs from other forms of training primarily due to the unique characteristics of these aircraft, which Parker Downey, flig ..read more

Tel Aviv, Israel – Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has unveiled Compact ADA, offering reduced Size, Weight and Power (SWaP), an advanced system that protects avionic systems from GNSS jamming. The Compact ADA system maintains assured PNT (Position, Navigation and Timing) by overcoming GNSS jamming, and ensuring that tactical platforms can continue to operate with consistent GNSS availability as compared to most navigation, communication, and warfare systems which depend on the continuous availability of GPS/GNSS signals. However, the cheap, low-end equipment, can seriously degrade GNSS Posi ..read more

Rehovot, Israel, May 22, 2024 – SatixFy Communications Ltd. (“SatixFy”) (NYSE American: SATX), a leader in next-generation satellite communication systems based on in-house-developed chipsets, announced a collaboration and the first order of its in-flight connectivity (IFC) terminals, Onyx, with SCOTTY Group Austria GmbH (“SCOTTY”), a leading manufacturer and integrator of communication solutions, including in-flight connectivity for aircraft. The Onyx is an all-inclusive, high-performance satellite communications aero terminal designed for use on small to mid-sized aircraft, delivering super ..read more

Santa Cruz, CA, May 02, 2024 — Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE:JOBY), a company developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, today announced it has successfully completed its pre-production prototype flight test program and is now focused on the next phase of flight testing, during which the Company will use its production prototype aircraft to prepare for upcoming for-credit flight testing. Joby first began flying full-scale pre-production prototype aircraft more than four years ago, and the Company’s two pre-production aircraft subsequently completed more than 1,500 flights, sp ..read more

Textron Aviation recently held the grand opening of its expanded global parts distribution center in Wichita, Kansas that adds 180,000 square feet of floor space and new package sorting facilities, AIN reported. The expanded facility, called P43, now has 245,000 square feet and stocks about 15,000 active part numbers for new and existing models of Cessna, Beechcraft and Hawker aircraft. The company said this consolidates potentially five different buildings that served as warehouse space, which  lets them reconfigure the other buildings for other needs. The post Textron Aviation Opens Exp ..read more

Eve Air Mobility released images to show progress in building the first full-scale proof-of-concept four-passenger eVTOL aircraft it plans to bring to the market in 2026, AIN reported. The airframe is being assembled at a facility in Taubate, Sao Palu state in Brazil. The aircraft has eight propellers for vertical flight and fixed wings for larger range curing the cruise phases of flight. The aircraft is expected to have a range of about 52 nautical miles and the company reportedly has letters of intent for almost 3,000 prospective sales. The post Eve Reports Progress in Building Full-scale eV ..read more

Fort Worth, TX (May 7, 2024) – Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, today revealed its Aircraft Laboratory for Future Autonomy (ALFA). Developed by Bell’s Advanced Programs team, ALFA is dedicated to performing flight maneuvers with an aircraft safety system and executing autonomous fly-by-wire flights. The fly-by-wire integration was a critical step in future development of autonomous controls for Bell’s commercial aircraft, an emerging technology that aims to reduce pilot workload and enhance safety. “Fly-by-wire flight, coupled with additional capability that are being in ..read more

California-based EpiSci said this week that the company finished multiple collaborative autonomy tests last month under the U.S. Air Force’s Autonomy Prime program to train operators on the company’s Starling Tactical Artificial Intelligence (AI) system. Autonomy Prime is under the service’s AFWERX innovation arm. “This [Starling] effort continues EpiSci’s participation in a variety of autonomy efforts across the Department of Defense, focused on delivering trusted autonomy for a secure future for U.S. and allied warfighters,” EpiSci said on May 1. “The flight test events demonstrated EpiSci ..read more