In December, the Virginia Fusion Center (VFC), part of the Virginia State Police’s Homeland Security Division, received over 150 tips about drone activity across the Commonwealth.

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration says he will step down next month to let President-elect Donald Trump name his choice to lead the agency.

Federal Aviation Administration officials say the agency has doubled its number of enforcement cases against Boeing since a door plug blew off a 737 Max in midflight.

Check out the Morning Sprint for trending stories that’ll make you smile.

The cause of the 2022 deadly plane crash in Pittsylvania County has been released.

The master plan for the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport will soon be going before the FAA for review.

The average annual salary for a controller in 2021 was $129,750, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and controllers also get to have top-notch benefits working for the government.

Virginia Tech researchers are taking drone testing to new heights, and the next step is operating beyond the line of sight.

The airline industry is raising the stakes in a showdown with AT&T and Verizon over plans to launch new 5G wireless service this week, warning that thousands of flights could be grounded or delayed if the rollout takes place near major airports.

Are billionaires Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson astronauts? Short answer — the Federal Aviation Administration says no.

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Police in Savannah, Georgia are using talking drones to enforce social distancing orders. The drones can play a pre-recorded message while hovering near crowds: “Due to the current health emergency, members of the public are reminded to keep a safe distance of six feet from others.”Sgt. Jason Pagliaro of the Savannah Police Department says officers will be following FAA restrictions while operating the drones, making sure they do not fly over crowds and other prohibited locations. “We do not use our drones for random patrol, they’re not flying all the time. We use them in directed areas where the need is present,” Pagliaro says.

A Boeing 737 MAX 8 airliner lifts off for its first flight in Renton, Washington. CHICAGO - US stocks closed higher Monday, but the rally would have been even stronger if it hadn't been for Boeing, whose falling shares held back the Dow. Boeing shares closed down nearly 4%, which translates into a nearly 13 point drag on the Dow. While the troubled company wasn't the only Dow stock in the red, it weighed on the index the most heavily. After those reports surfaced, Boeing stock dragged the Dow lower, and the index closed down more than 250 points.

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - A new FAA study is looking at how airplane seat sizes could affect safety. Seven-hundred and twenty participants will take part in the study, which will look at seat width and pitch. Seat pitch is the distance from one seatback to the back of the seat in front of it. "This is the first in which we're going to look specifically at seat pitch. Because it's the first study of its kind, it's entirely possible there may be no relation between seat size and evacuation time.

Scott Olson/Getty Images(CNN) - The Dow dropped some 200 points Friday, following a sharp drop in Boeing's shares. Boeing shares traded down 3.3%. The Dow dropped nearly 200 points, or 0.7%, while the broader S&P 500 was down 0.6%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite is 1.2% lower. The-CNN-Wire & 2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company.

Netweb01 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]NEW YORK (CNN) - Do you know who might be pointing a blue laser at incoming airplanes near JFK? The laser appears to be originating from the area of Roslyn, New York, a town on Long Island, according to an FBI announcement. It added that the laser beams, which illuminate aircraft cabins and can temporarily blind pilots, are part of an increase in "laser incidents" around New York. A serious crimeAir Line Pilots Association International President Captain Lee Moak described the risk pilots face from lasers as unacceptable. "Pointing lasers at aircraft in flight poses a serious safety risk to the traveling public," he said.

A Boeing 737 MAX airplane is pictured on he tarmac with its signature winglet and fuel efficient engines outside the company's factory on March 11, 2019 in Renton, Washington. (CNN) - Aviation authorities from around the world may not immediately follow the FAA's lead whenever the US agency decides to allow the Boeing 737 Max to fly again, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg said Wednesday. "I think a phased ungrounding of the airplane amongst regulators from around the world is a possibility," he said. A phased in recertification will cause problems, since most of the nearly 400 planes in service at the time of the grounding fly for non-US carriers. Muilenburg said Boeing still hopes to get approval for the plane to fly early in the fourth quarter, which beings Oct. 1.

A seaplane crash-landed in Michigan and caught on fire after the crash. The pilot and a passenger were taken to the hospital but appear to have minor injuries, and no one on the ground was injured. INDEPENDENCE TWP, Mich. - Multiple emergency crews are on scene of a seaplane crash in the yard of a home in Independence Township near Detroit Michigan. According to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, the sea plane crashed in a neighborhood on Greenview Dr. near Clarkston Rd. Sheriff Mike Bouchard said that the pilot and the passenger were taken to the hospital but appear to have minor injuries, and no one on the ground was injured.

KOMO via CNN(CNN) - A new flaw has been discovered in the computer system for the Boeing 737 Max that could push the plane downward, according to two sources familiar with the testing, an issue that is expected to further delay the aircraft's return to service. A series of simulator flights to test new software developed by Boeing revealed the flaw, according to one of the sources. Boeing engineers are now trying to address the issue, which has led to another delay in recertifying the 737 Max. The sources say Boeing engineers are trying to determine if the microprocessor issue can be fixed by reprogramming software or if replacing the physical microprocessors on each 737 Max aircraft may be required. Gregory Martin, an FAA spokesman, said Wednesday the regulator "is following a thorough process, not a prescribed timeline, for returning the Boeing 737 Max to passenger service."