Call for the Mentorship Program – Join Now!

We have started a mentorship program for the Aerospace group over at HFES! This program is intended to connect members of the Aerospace Systems Technical Group who would like to exchange experience, discuss career development, and learn from one another.

The application form is available here: https://forms.gle/uTU8gCec19Qzhph16

Applications are open up to March 27.

You can apply either as a mentor or as a mentee:

If you want to get more insight in the aviation field such as its latest inventions, advice on how to succeed in the industry, how to prepare for a job for a position in aerospace and current problems researchers are working with, you can apply as a mentee.

If you are a senior member and wish to share your experience and contribute to preparing the next generation of HFEs, you can apply as a mentor.

Once the matching is done, members will have an opportunity to have one-on-one online discussions between a mentor and a mentee, with an expected time commitment of around 1-2 hours per month per your convenience.

Recent publications

Multimodal Cueing in Attitude Tracking: Predicting Pilot Mental Workload Through Physiological Measurements
Human Factors
Gabriele Luzzani, Madeline Fischer, Michael T. Morcos, Sara Lo Vecchio, Danilo Demarchi, Giorgio Guglieri and Umberto Saetti

Machine Learning Methods for Cognitive Load Analysis and Classification in Aviation: A Systematic Review
International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction
Oleksandra Molloy, Gary Eves, Sahand Vahidnia & Md Shahin

Reactivity Effects of Situational Awareness SPAM Questionnaires on Enroute ATC
Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making
Carlos de Paz, Aitor Montes, Patricia L. de Frutos and David Travieso

Better Cues for Better Pilots? Comparing Multimodal Combinations and Exploring Cognitive Mechanisms in General Aviation Simulation
International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction
LiYan Bu, WanQing Zhang, Yang Liu, ShiQi Qiao & HeSen Li

Pilot-Virtual Assistant Integration: Issues of Operational Performance, Trust, and Collaboration
Book chapter
Chloé Morel, Guy André Boy

Adaptive Autonomy in the Air Force: Testbed for Human-AI Collaboration
Human Interaction and Emerging Technologies (IHIET-AI 2026)
Tanya S Paul, Colin Durrmeyer, James P Bliss, Vincent Ferrari, Daniel Lafond

Human Error Identification for Air Traffic Controller in Remote Tower Apron Operation
Aerospace
Rong Yi, Jianping Zhang, Jingyu Zhang, Xiaoqiang Tian, Xinyi Yang and Di Yao

Human Space Flight

By Savannah Buchner from the University of Colorado

NASA releases report on Starliner crewed flight test investigation – NASA formally declared a Type A mishap for Boeing Starliner’s first crewed test flight. Investigators identified an interplay of hardware failures, qualification gaps, leadership missteps, and cultural breakdowns creating risks inconsistent with NASA’s human spaceflight safety standards. 

NASA Adds Mission to Artemis Lunar Program, Updates Architecture  – NASA announced updates to the Artemis program, including shifting Artemis III to 2027 and revising the mission architecture to support more frequent flights. Artemis III will now focus on Earth orbit tests of rendezvous and docking with commercial systems, tests of the new xEVA suit, and checkouts of the integrated system. Artemis IV plans to land on the lunar surface in 2028. 

In the news

By Kairat Khismetzhan, from Polytechnique Montreal

Autonomy

Saab To Fly Fighter-sized Uncrewed Aircraft Next Year – Sweden’s Saab is preparing to make the first flight of an uncrewed fighter-sized demonstration aircraft in 2027. The project is gathering pace as the NATO member state solidifies a strategy for its future combat aircraft program by 2030 in a process that could see it partner with other nations or decide to go it alone.

Boeing-backed Wisk Aero Says Autonomous Flight Is the Only Way for eVTOL Aircraft – Wisk’s eVTOL air taxi won’t get certified and start commercial operations until at least 2030, but the Boeing subsidiary insists the business model only works if aircraft can fly without pilots. At the Singapore Airshow, AIN’s Charlotte Bailey checked out the aircraft for herself and quizzed Wisk on its ambitious plans.

Autonomous flight software aims to make search and rescue drones more effective – Darren Keralla typically flies drones on search and rescue missions for lost hikers or those injured in some kind of accident. But in July, researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder enlisted him in a search for traffic cones scattered across their campus — part of a test of autonomous flight software for search and rescue drones.

Lockheed Martin, Air Force project tests missile evasion with AI-piloted fighters – In the sky above Edwards Air Force Base in California, 1st Lt. James Wang watched from the front seat of an F-16 as the aircraft banked and dove. The goal was to practice missile evasion maneuvers, but neither Wang nor the pilot in the aircraft’s backseat was in control. Artificial intelligence was.

Aviation

DOT Selects Eight Projects for AAM Integration Trials – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) rolled out its highly anticipated advanced air mobility (AAM) integration program on March 9, announcing the selection of eight projects that will include trials throughout the country with several major AAM developers: Ampaire, Archer, Beta, Electra, Elroy Air, Joby, Wisk, and others.

Blended wing goes supersize as Natilus eyes twin-deck model – The blended wing is already an unusual airframe choice, but San Diego startup Natilus wants to go one step further. The company in February announced its planned Horizon Evo passenger airliner would feature a twin deck, a decision largely meant to ease the certification pathway and make the design more attractive to prospective customers. The new design also addresses issues with pressurization, bringing the fuselage closer to the traditional cylindrical shape, which distributes stress evenly and helps planes to withstand pressurization at high altitudes.

Eve Gives Helicopter Crowd a Glimpse of an eVTOL Future – Eve Air Mobility is displaying a full-scale mockup of its Eve-100 eVTOL at Verticon 2026 in Atlanta as part of its efforts to build the advanced air mobility business case among helicopter operators. 

Joby and Uber Reveal Electric Air Taxi Booking Platform – Joby Aviation and its partner Uber have released a preview of the mobile app interface that will allow Uber riders to book flights on Joby’s four-passenger eVTOL air taxi.

Radia’s Supersized Windrunner Freighter Aircraft Is Set To Be a Megalifter – Whether it’s large wind turbine blades or multiple F-16 fighters that need transporting, Radia says its Windrunner will be up to the job. At nine times the volume of a Boeing 747 Freighter, but with the wingspan of an A380, this aircraft is set to be the largest ever built. 

Dassault Unveils Falcon 10X, Eyes First Flight Soon – Dassault Aviation unveiled the long-awaited Falcon 10X business jet as it prepares for an intense period of flight trials to finally get the product into user hands. The Falcon 10X is Dassault’s biggest bet yet on the business jet market, both literally and figuratively.

Defense

US asked Ukraine for help fighting Iranian drones, Zelensky says – The US has asked Ukraine for help defending Gulf allies against Iranian drones, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. He said Ukraine’s partners had been reaching out and there had been “requests from the American side”.

SkyDefender: Thales unveils Europe’s answer to President Trump’s Golden Dome – France’s Thales Group has unveiled details behind a new air and missile defense system in what many will see as Europe’s answer to US President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome announced last year.

Fun

Biden flies commercial from DCA and winds up stuck in delays like everyone else – A crowd gathered at a commuter gate at Reagan National Airport on Friday as fog-laden Washington skies caused an hourlong ground stop that backed up passengers hoping to head out from American Airlines’ Terminal D. But soon the already densely packed area swelled even more, as word spread across nearby gates that, of the hundreds of air travelers coming and going, only one among them was accompanied by a U.S. Secret Service detail, along with uniformed local police officers: former US President Joe Biden.

Job Market   

Hyundai eVTOL Unit Supernal Cuts Majority of Workforce – Hyundai’s urban air mobility subsidiary Supernal laid off 296 employees, or approximately 80% of its staff, last week as the Korean automaker struggles to keep its eVTOL aircraft development program afloat. However, a company spokesperson told AIN that Supernal “is not shutting down.”