Latest from Key.Aero
Explore the latest news and features by our world-class aviation journalists. Stay up to date on the latest military aviation developments, commercial airline news, historic plane restoration projects, flight simulation releases and much more.
USAF selects new base locations for C-130J
The USAF announced on November 25 that it has selected four air bases as its preferred locations for basing future Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules tactical transports
The woman who helped make the Hurricane
Meet Elizabeth ‘Elsie’ MacGill, the woman who battled sexism and polio in order to become an engineer, businesswoman… and the first female aviation engineer in the world
GA-ASI tests CODE autonomy engine on Avenger UAS
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) announced on December 4 that it had recently flown an Avenger UAS, equipped with a government-supplied Collaborative Operations in Denied Environment (CODE) autonomy engine
A pilgrimage to the Pyrenees
The French town of Lourdes is renowned globally as a destination of religious pilgrimage. However, in the aviation industry, its airport is synonymous with aircraft storage and scrap. In the second instalment of this series, Sebastian Thoma provides a remarkable snapshot of Tarbes–Lourdes Airport from both the air and the ground
The Brandenburg wait
Berlin’s brand new, multi-billion-euro Brandenburg airport is finally handling flights, but seemingly endless setbacks threatened the entire plan. Chris Croot examines the complex story of a project that ran nearly a decade late and €5bn over budget
The ‘other’ low-cost airlines
Charles Woodley recounts some of the upstarts that tried to squeeze in on the low-cost revolution that swept through the UK in the mid-1990s and early 2000s
SET UP TO FAIL?
In its initial guise, the Trident was a world beater set to steal Boeing’s thunder and rob the US manufacturer of 727 sales. Sent back to the drawing board by British European Airways, the world’s first trijet airliner was deprived of performance and passengers making it a financial flop. Stephen Skinner details its development and early variants in the first of two instalments
No time Toulouse: The rapid rise of Airbus
Half a century since the Airbus consortium was founded in December...
Picking up the pieces
The domestic aviation market in the UK experienced seismic shocks in 2020. Tom Batchelor reviews the events of the last 12 months and speaks to executives of the country’s major airlines to find out how they weathered the storm created by the collapse of Flybe and the COVID-19 pandemic
Polynesian propliners
Commercial aviation has been a difficult nut to crack in Tonga since the first domestic flights took off in 1972. Bernd Sturm recalls a visit to the South Pacific kingdom and the brief period when Chathams Pacific connected the island nation with Convair classics
The Baron’s 2021 predictions
We’ve enlisted our good friend Baron Felix von Tempelhof to highlight some topics to keep on your radar for the year ahead…
Aviation transformations
Charles Woodley recounts some of the upstarts that tried to squeeze in on the low-cost revolution that swept through the UK in the mid-1990s and early 2000s
Nigeria accepts second Mi-171E helicopter
The Nigerian Air Force accepted its second and final Mil Mi-171E heavy-lift tactical transport helicopter at NAF Base Makurdi – located in the nation’s Benue State – on December 2
Sankt Johann Airport Released
Gaya Simulations has announced LOIJ Sankt Johann Airport for Microsoft Flight Simulator is out.
Russia receives final batch of Su-34 fighter-bombers
The United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) revealed on December 2 that its subsidiary, Sukhoi, had delivered its final batch of Su-34 fighter-bombers to Russia, completing a long-term contract with the nation’s defence ministry
Norwegian begins “reorganisation process” in Norway
The troubled airline makes another legal move in an attempt to safeguard is future
First 737 MAX delivery since grounding revealed
Breaking a 20-month hiatus, Boeing handed over its maiden MAX since the type’s grounding
Which airlines are still using the Airbus A340?
Following last week’s news that SAS completed its accelerated retirement programme for its A340 fleet, Key.Aero investigates how many airlines continue to operate the quadjet
Emirates takes delivery of first A380 in 12 months
The Middle Eastern carrier has accepted its 116th superjumbo after a year of no deliveries
Chuck Yeager, 1923 – 2020
The pioneering US test pilot, the first person to break the sound barrier, has died aged 97.
USAF to field interim solution for KC-46 RVS
US Air Force Materiel Command revealed on December 2 that it will field an interim solution for the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker fleet’s troubled Remote Vision System (RVS) from 2021
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