Latest Aviation Headlines

All the headlines from our Aviation Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Experts Doubt Involuntary Flight Claim Would Help Texas ‘Affluenza’ Teen

Jan 22 2016 // An argument raised by lawyers for a Texas teenager known for using an “affluenza” defense in a fatal drunken-driving wreck — that he may have been taken to Mexico against his will — is unlikely to help his...

Alliant Taps Hostelley in Colorado for Aviation Practice

Jan 21 2016 // Alliant Insurance Services Inc. has hired aviation industry specialist Darwin Hostelley as first vice president. Hostelley will be based in Denver, Colo. Hostelley is a certified pilot. Prior to Alliant he was a senior...

Drone Viewpoint: Let U.S. Protect Airspace, While States Protect Privacy

Jan 19 2016 // In October, a Kentucky judge dismissed criminal charges against a man who had shot down a drone flying over his property. Now the drone’s owner has brought a federal civil suit against the shooter, William Merideth,...

Kentucky Drone Suit Challenges Airspace Rules, Privacy Expectations

Jan 19 2016 // A lawsuit filed against a man who shot down a drone over his Hillview, Ky., home last summer seeks to resolve what expectations homeowners have to privacy as their property is seen from the air. The Courier-Journal reports...

Expect Urban Deliveries by Drones within Few Years: Google

Jan 13 2016 // Product delivery-by-drone in urban areas may be possible within a few years if the U.S. government and the aviation industry agree to work cooperatively on the new technology, the chief of Google Inc.’s drone cargo...

Drone Registrations Top 180,000 in First 2 Weeks

Jan 7 2016 // One of the most important players in the booming drone industry isn’t a hardware manufacturer; it’s the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. So attendees at the Consumer Electronics Show on Wednesday flocked...

U.S. Releases ‘Do-Not-Fly-Zone’ App for Drone Operators: B4UFLY

Jan 7 2016 // Drone operators who want to know if it’s safe and legal to operate their unmanned aircraft in a particular spot learned this week that there’s now an app for that from the government. The Federal Aviation...

Massachusetts Officials Urge Drone Owners to Be Safe Over Holidays

Dec 30 2015 // State officials in Massachusetts are urging drone owners to fly responsibly this holiday season. The state Department of Transportation released suggested guidelines for operating the small, unmanned aircrafts this...

XL Catlin Increases Aviation Insurance Limits

Dec 21 2015 // XL Catlin’s North America Aviation insurance business has increased its aircraft hull and liability limits by 50 percent to accommodate companies with aviation risks in the U.S. and Canada. XL Catlin’s aircraft...

Chinese Drones Perform Well in Analyzing Tianjin Damage Estimates

Dec 18 2015 // When an explosion devastated parts of China’s Tianjin port in August, one insurance company turned to Chinese-made drones to help analyze the rubble and estimate the damages. Comparing satellite photographs of the...

Airlines Banning, Safety Agency Investigating Hoverboards Over Fires

Dec 15 2015 // Hoverboards may be on many people’s Christmas lists but they present a conundrum for airlines, which are mulling the best way to transport the popular devices that could present a fire risk. The three largest U.S....

How to Wrap That Toy Drone Christmas Gift in an Insurance Policy

Dec 15 2015 // The next wave of hobby drones will be wrapped in boxes underneath Christmas trees before they fill the skies. If industry sales projections come true, the holiday season will put tens of thousands of relative novices at...

U.S. Unveils Hobby Drone Registry Rules, Deadlines

Dec 14 2015 // The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has unveiled its registration process for owners of small unmanned aircraft (UAS), or small drones used for hobby or recreation. The registration requirement applies to UAS...

Uber Drivers Can Now Pick Up Passengers at Las Vegas Airport

Dec 9 2015 // Travelers to and from Las Vegas can now take an Uber to and from McCarran International Airport as the company has reached an agreement with the airport. The Las Vegas Sun reported that the airport’s Uber ban was...

10 Things to Know About Aviation

Dec 7 2015 // Underwriters at Lloyd’s wrote the earliest aviation insurance policy in 1912, but they considered the aircraft unsafe, and therefore only covered persons and property. — International Risk Management Institute The...

Toy Drones Are Serious Risk to Aircraft: Aerospace Firm

Dec 7 2015 // Toy drones can be dangerous and costly to the aerospace industry and consumers, according to a new report from a Texas aerospace and defense firm. The study by Aero Kinetics, a Texas-based aerospace and defense company,...

Business Losses in India’s Flood-Ravaged Chennai Could Top $2.2 Billion

Dec 3 2015 // As the flood-ravaged Indian city of Chennai prayed for respite from torrential rains, a trade body said losses to businesses from the record downpour could reach more than 150 billion rupees ($2.2 billion).* Water...

Toy Drones Are Serious Risk to Aircraft: Aerospace Firm

Nov 25 2015 // Troy drones can be dangerous and costly to the aerospace industry and consumers, according to a new report from a Texas aerospace and defense firm. The study by Aero Kinetics, a Texas-based aerospace and defense company,...

FAA Task Force Recommends Requiring Registration for Most Drones

Nov 22 2015 // Owners of all but the smallest toy drones will have to register them with the U.S. government before the end of the year if the Obama administration adopts proposals issued by a task force it appointed. Registration...

Endurance Partners with W. Brown Associates for U.S. Aviation Risks

Nov 16 2015 // Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd., a Bermuda-based specialty provider of property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, has entered into an exclusive joint underwriting agreement with W. Brown Associates to provide...