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Virgin Galactic might reach space on next flight

David Szondy December 12, 2018

Virgin Galactic may finally reach space tomorrow, with the company's VSS Unity spacecraft currently being prepared for its fourth powered test flight. If weather and technical issues permit, the spaceplane will reach supersonic speeds on a suborbital trajectory to reach an altitude of about 62 mi.

Aircraft

Autonomous high-altitude aircraft nails new flight tests

Michael Irving October 14, 2018

We’re a step closer to having high-altitude, long-endurance, autonomous aircraft soaring through the skies. UAVOS has now announced that a prototype of the company’s High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS) ApusDuo aircraft has completed the first stage of flight tests.

$This version of the ApusDuo is just a fraction of the planned final craft, which will ...$

Aircraft

Experimental NASA noise-reduction tech could make for quieter airports

Michael Irving June 25, 2018

NASA has tested three new noise reduction technologies on a series of Acoustic Research Measurement (ARM) flights, and managed to cut airframe noise during landing by more than 70 percent.

NASA has tested three new technologies to reduce airframe noise as planes come in for landing

Aircraft

High-altitude, autonomous, solar-powered aircraft flexes wings to ace flight tests

Michael Irving May 30, 2018

Autonomous aerial vehicles known as High Altitude Pseudo Satellites (HAPS) can soar at the edges of space for long periods of time. Now, UAVOS has conducted test flights of its ApusDuo prototype, an autonomous, solar-powered aircraft with flexible wings that bend and bounce to keep it aloft.

Space

Dream Chaser spaceplane hauled aloft in first captive carry flight test

Rich Haridy August 31, 2017

After years of development the latest Dream Chaser spaceplane has completed its first captive carry flight test. Hoisted up by a Chinook helicopter, the Dream Chaser will undertake one more captive carry flight test in the near future before embarking upon its first free flight later this year.

The current design is unmanned but allows for a future variant to include a crew of ...

Aircraft

NASA uploads hundreds of historic experimental flight videos to YouTube

Rich Haridy July 19, 2017

Fans of experimental aircraft from the 20th century are in for a treat. NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center has begun uploading its entire historical archive to YouTube, making hundreds of videos highlighting different test flights and strange planes from the past 70 years easily accessible.

One of the archival videos uploaded shows the wingless M2-F1 (seen above) being towed by a ...

Aircraft

DARPA’s sub-scale VTOL X-Plane prototype completes flight testing

Rich Haridy April 5, 2017

After several years of development DARPA has successfully completed flight-testing of one of the most novel, and odd-looking, aircraft designs we've seen in some time – the sub-scale electric X-Plane.

An artist impression of the full-scale design

Aircraft

AW609 tiltrotor climbs towards 2018 certification

Darren Quick February 20, 2017

After resuming flight testing last April following a fatal crash, the third AW609 tiltrotor aircraft prototype went through several weeks of ground testing and flight trials in Italy. The aircraft has now been shipped to the US, where icing trials are set to take place through winter.

Aircraft

Long-endurance Predator drone spreads its wings

David Szondy February 29, 2016

In the latest of a long series of upgrades, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has announced the maiden flight of the Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper Extended Range (ER) Long Wing.

The Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper Extended Range (ER) Long Wing has a flight endurance of over 40 ...

Aircraft

Boeing 737 MAX takes off

David Szondy January 29, 2016

The first of the new generation of Boeing 737 MAX airliners to roll of the assembly line made another first today as it took off on its maiden flight.

The 737 MAX takes off from Renton on its maiden test fight