Todd Sheridan Yeary, a 13-year air traffic control veteran, publicly criticized the FAA's planned AI system SMART (Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories), saying its intended use—predictive versus prescriptive—remains unclear even to aviation professionals. He said his top concern is that the AI could 'hallucinate' inaccurate data, and insisted any deployment must allow human controllers to override its outputs.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-22
Joby Aviation flew a modified Cessna Caravan autonomously across the United States, covering 3,199 miles from Concord, California, with stops in Fort Worth and South Carolina. The onboard system independently handled taxiing, takeoff, landing, weather diversions and route changes, while a safety pilot on board did not intervene. Joby says it's the first fully autonomous cross-country airplane flight, and the trip ended with a symbolic pass near the Wright brothers' first flight site in Kitty Hawk.
techspot.com
· 2026-09-22
An autonomous aircraft flew 3,199 miles across the United States without any manual control inputs from the onboard safety pilot. The flight is being described as the first successful transcontinental journey completed entirely by an aircraft's automated systems.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-21
Joby Aviation says it completed the first fully autonomous cross-country flight in the US, sending a modified Cessna Caravan 3,199 miles from California's Buchanan Field Airport to Dare County Regional Airport in North Carolina without pilot control inputs. The aircraft handled taxiing, takeoff, cruising and landing on its own, while a human monitor rode along and Joby staff supervised remotely from California and Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. The plane will now fly back west with stops in Raleigh, Salt Lake City and Portland.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-20
The FAA plans to launch its SMART AI tool as early as September 21 to advise air traffic controllers managing the three major Washington, DC-area airports. The system analyzes airline schedules, weather, airport capacity, and airspace conditions to forecast traffic flows and flag potential conflicts, serving as a limited first phase before a planned nationwide rollout across all US airspace.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-18
Joby Aviation flew a converted Cessna Caravan more than 3,100 miles across the U.S. using its autonomy software to handle taxiing, takeoff, navigation and landing without pilot intervention, though a pilot remained onboard for regulatory compliance. The flight was remotely monitored from Joby's California headquarters and Shaw Air Force Base, and the aircraft is set to continue touring cities like Louisville and Salt Lake City before returning to the West Coast.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-18
Ken Karklin has stepped down after more than four years as CEO of Pivotal, the electric vertical takeoff and landing company backed by Larry Page. The company says he is pursuing new opportunities and gave no further details. Board member Mike Ross, an aviation executive who joined in November 2025, will serve as interim CEO.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-01
South African carrier Airlink flew two Embraer passenger jets extremely close above DHL Stadium in Cape Town before a Springboks vs. All Blacks rugby match, with one plane reportedly passing within 50 feet of the roof. The stunt, captured widely on social media, alarmed viewers who thought it looked like a near-collision rather than a planned display.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-01
An analysis argues that self-driving trucks and other autonomous 'physical AI' systems must work through the same set of trust-building questions that commercial aviation resolved over the past hundred years. Aviation once obsessed over engine count as a proxy for safety, a concern that eventually became irrelevant as reliability improved and regulation matured. The piece suggests robotics and autonomous vehicles are now at the start of a similar maturation curve.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-08-26
Scientists at Osaka Metropolitan University produced aviation biofuel from coconut oil using a low-energy 'co-solvent' method that mixes acetone, alcohol and coconut oil instead of relying on high heat and pressure. When burned in a small jet engine, blends of this biofuel with standard jet fuel matched pure kerosene's thermal efficiency while cutting unburned hydrocarbon emissions, though they consumed slightly more fuel and produced marginally more carbon monoxide. Carbon dioxide levels in the exhaust remained roughly the same as with pure kerosene across all blend ratios tested.
studyfinds.com
· 2026-08-23
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