The Boeing Starliner capsule docked with the International Space Station at 1:34 pm EDT this afternoon, joining the SpaceX Dragon capsule “Endeavor,” marking the first time two capsules have docked with the orbiting space station. The Starliner lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida yesterday. A planned earlier docking around 10:30 am was delayed by problems with the reaction control system (RCS) engines that are used to maneuver the capsule. NASA and Boeing had to troubleshoot five of the 28 RCS jets before the docking could proceed. There is speculation that helium lea ..read more

Despite a flap burn-through that had observers on the edge of their seats, SpaceX’s fourth test flight of its megarocket is being hailed as a stunning success. SpaceX founder Elon Musk posted on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) “Successful soft landing of the Starship Super Heavy rocket booster!” The 400-foot-tall rocket launched this morning (June 6) at 8:50 am EDT from its Starbase site near Boca Chica Beach in South Texas. Mission goals included bringing the first-stage booster (dubbed “Super Heavy”) back to Earth for a soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico; and a successful r ..read more

Despite a flap burn-through that had observers on the edge of their seats, SpaceX’s fourth test flight of its megarocket is being hailed as a stunning success. SpaceX founder Elon Musk posted on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) “Successful soft landing of the Starship Super Heavy rocket booster!” The 400-foot-tall rocket launched this morning (June 6) at 8:50 am EDT from its Starbase site near Boca Chica Beach in South Texas. Mission goals included bringing the first-stage booster (dubbed “Super Heavy”) back to Earth for a soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico; and a successful r ..read more

As the legend goes, a long conga line of airliners stretched down the taxiway at (pick your big-city airport of choice). The weather was getting steamier, and so was the tone of voice between the pilots and the harried controller. Scheduled arrival times—and some duty limits—were hanging in the balance, and so was the controller’s temper. After a few snide (but still G-rated) comments from the pilots waiting in line, the controller snapped back, angrily: “Look! We’re doing the best we can! We’ll have you all out of here soon!” After a brief pause, an unidentified muffled voice over the frequen ..read more

As the legend goes, a long conga line of airliners stretched down the taxiway at (pick your big-city airport of choice). The weather was getting steamier, and so was the tone of voice between the pilots and the harried controller. Scheduled arrival times – and some duty limits – were hanging in the balance, and so was the controller’s temper. After a few snide (but still G-rated) comments from the pilots waiting in line, the controller snapped back, angrily: “Look! We’re doing the best we can! We’ll have you all out of here soon!” After a brief pause, an unidentified muffled voice over the fre ..read more

Electric Vertical Takeoff and Land (eVTOL) developer Archer Aviation announced today (June 5) it has receive its FAA Part 135 Air Carrier and Operator certificate. This allows the company to legally operate its aircraft, including the developmental Midnight model, “for hire.” Archer said it would use the authority “to refine its systems and procedures in advance of launching Midnight into service for airlines like United Airlines when it receives Midnight’s Type Certification.” Achieving Part 135 certification involves submitting documentation of operations manuals and procedures; and demonstr ..read more

A former airline pilot has admitted lying to federal authorities regarding the crash of a Stearman biplane he was flying with a passenger in the summer of 2022. Former United Airlines pilot Bruce Forbes, 66 at the time, initially told authorities the Stearman experienced engine trouble on a sightseeing flight over a lake and he struck power lines while he was trying to troubleshoot the engine issues. On Monday (June 3), he pled guilty in federal court to misrepresenting the facts. He told the court, “I was flying low over the water around the curves of Lake Keystone and struck power lines, cau ..read more

A former airline pilot has admitted lying to federal authorities regarding the crash of a Stearman biplane he was flying with a passenger in the summer of 2022. Former United Airlines pilot Bruce Forbes, 66 at the time, initially told authorities the Stearman experienced engine trouble on a sightseeing flight over a lake and he struck power lines while he was trying to troubleshoot the engine issues. On Monday (June 3), he pled guilty in federal court to misrepresenting the facts. He told the court, “I was flying low over the water around the curves of Lake Keystone and struck power lines, cau ..read more

A U.S. District Judge sentenced former CEO of sustainable aviation fuel research company Alder Renewables (formerly Alder Fuels) to three years in prison yesterday (June 4). Bryan Sherbacow, 55, the founder of Alder Renewables, was convicted of embezzling close to $5.9 million from the company and defrauding investors. He was charged with transferring unauthorized company funds to his personal bank account as well as unauthorized personal spending of company assets. Sherbacow pleaded guilty in federal court to wire fraud on Feb. 8. The FBI Washington Field Office and Defense Criminal Investiga ..read more

An Atlas rocket has launched with astronauts aboard for the first time since Gordon Cooper’s final Mercury flight in his Faith 7 capsule on May 15, 1963 (powered by an Atlas LV-3B 130-D). The Atlas V rocket that launched today (June 5), manufactured by United Launch Alliance and powered at liftoff by a Russian-built RD-180 first-stage engine, carried Boeing’s Starliner crew ferry ship to orbit following multiple launch delays over the past several days. The spacecraft departed from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Pad 41 (a few miles from Cooper’s 1963 launch site) at 10:52 a.m. EDT and is ..read more