Flight

If you want to get high-speed internet to people in remote communities, why not beam it to them from a high-flying blimp-like aircraft? That's just one of the proposed purposes of the Sceye HAPS, which uses solar power to hover in the stratosphere.

For the first time, scientists have discovered that hippos get significant airtime when they're at full-trot, able to lift their huge barrel-shaped girth off the ground for around 15% of their stride. It's totally unique for mammals their size.

The US Air Force has released a video of the maiden flight of its XQ-67A demonstrator drone. Taken on February 28, 2024, the footage shows the autonomous aircraft strutting its stuff in the skies over Gray Butte Field Airport, Palmdale, California.

In a first, scientists have found that painted lady butterflies use favorable winds and a strategy of active flying and autopilot to cross the world nonstop. The flight, spanning five-to-eight days, takes up to half the adventurous animals' adult life.

Quadcopters may be agile but they're also relatively wide and delicate, limiting their potential uses. The Morphy drone addresses these drawbacks with flexible propeller arms which allow it to basically just "squish" its way through narrow spaces.

Multirotor drones may get all the glory, but fully rotating "monocopters" are much more energy-efficient. A new one distinguishes itself further, as it can squeeze through narrow spaces or drop like a falcon by reducing its wingspan while in flight.

Even young, healthy passengers put their heart health at risk when they consume alcohol before sleeping on a flight, particularly a long-haul flight, according to a new study. The researchers say it's an underestimated risk that could easily be avoided.

Czech company UDX is flying scale prototypes of a tandem 2-up eVTOL it calls Airwolf. With individually-tilting ducted fan propulsion, it's got enough wing surface for efficient cruise flight as well as agile movement from a hover.

Flying has never looked more beautiful than in this short, cinematic FPV drone video. Serene, inspirational, captivating. The sheer confidence and skill in low-level flying as the pilot dips his wheels into the water are absolutely breathtaking.

Hermeus has stolen another quick march on its way to building a hypersonic aircraft as it begins testing its proprietary precooler on a Pratt & Whitney F100 jet engine that will be installed in the company's Quarterhorse Mk 2 prototype.

Mayman Aerospace has unwrapped its new family of jet-powered, High-Speed Vertical Take-Off and Landing (HS VTOL) AI-equipped drones that can deliver everything from medical supplies to Hellfire missiles at 500 mph (800 km/h) in a compact airframe.

It might look hilarious in motion, but this remarkable aerial drone extends its battery life from a few minutes up to a full hour by bouncing around on a springy pogo tail. That incredible efficiency makes it attractive for a wide range of missions.