Aircraft

When we last saw Franky Zapata back in May, he was spinning uncontrollably down into the water from a serious height in a terrifying jetboard crash. But the flying Frenchman is back to launch a new, high-speed personal aircraft called the JetRacer.

While pilots often use an autopilot at high altitudes, they typically switch to manual control when entering crowded lower airspaces. However, what if the plane has no pilot? Well, a new AI autopilot system for busy airspaces may be the answer.

After 14 years of development, the Samson Switchblade – a fast, street-legal three-wheeler that converts at the touch of a button into a 200-mph airplane – has been approved for airworthiness by the FAA. The team is now preparing for flight tests.

With the increasing development of eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) "air taxis," it shouldn't come as a surprise that automakers are moving into the field. This week, Volkswagen Group China unveiled its own effort, the V.MO.

Toronto's Horizon Aircraft has unveiled a 50% prototype of its gorgeous – and very unique – electric VTOL air taxi. The Cavorite X5 separates itself from the pack as the only eVTOL that completely covers its lift fans for super low-drag cruise flight.

The remarkable Zephyr is a stratospheric UAV designed to fly ultra-long endurance missions acting as a solar-powered observation and comms platform. In its latest test, it sailed past its old endurance record two weeks ago, and may still be up there.

Embraer spinoff Eve has changed tack on its eVTOL aircraft design, unveiling a new single-wing lift and cruise design, as well as a refreshingly utilitarian-looking mockup of its passenger cabin, at this week's Farnborough air show outside London.

The world's second largest aircraft engine manufacturer is developing a series of compact, lightweight, highly efficient and fully certified turbogenerators, designed to radically upgrade the range and payload capabilities of any eVTOL aircraft.

Cleared for airworthiness, Air's first full-scale eVTOL prototype has started flight testing. The Air One is an attractive two-seat manned multicopter with wings, designed for personal ownership and fun flight dynamics, with a US$150,000 price tag.

Last April, a hydrogen-powered ZeroAvia test plane lost power and crashed during flight tests. The UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch has now completed its investigation into the incident, and confirmed that the hydrogen system was not to blame.

Reaction Engines has built a precooler for its SABRE engine that can chill a hypersonic airstream from 1,000 °C to -150 °C in 1/20th of a second. Now it's doing tests with the USAF and DoD to prove it can upgrade other existing jets to handle Mach 4.

The new ultra-long-range Gulfstream G800 completed its first flight on Wednesday in the skies over the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in Georgia, on a two-hour test flight that used sustainable aviation fuel.

LEO Flight, formerly known as Urban eVTOL, has presented a manned alpha prototype for its LEO Coupe, a flying hypercar the company says will eventually be capable of carrying three people at speeds up to 250 mph, complete with "dynamic" handling.

The eVTOL age is just a couple of years from dawning. We caught up with Archer's Director of Business Development, Andrew Cummins, to learn what the first steps will look like when electric air taxis begin taking to the skies in 2024-25.

"Top Gun: Maverick" has quickly become a monumental success at the box office, but the film's producers couldn't have done it without leveraging the expertise of some of the world's foremost experts in all things aerospace from Lockheed Martin Skunk Works.