Air Race Classic Traces Its Roots To The 1929 Women's Air Derby, Aka The Powder Puff Derby

It should be an amazing event... and usually has been, in past iterations. Women pilots from across the United States and around the world will take off Tuesday, June 18, from Southern Illinois Airport in Carbondale, Illinois, for a 2,610-statute mile competition across 11 states that ends Friday, June 21, at Northern Colorado Regional Airport in Loveland, Colorado. The oldest race of its kind in the nation, the Air Race Classic traces its roots to the 1929 Women's Air Derby, aka the Powder Puff Derby, in which Amelia Earhart and 19 other daring female pilots raced from Santa Monica, California, to Cleveland, Ohio.

Buckshot of Industry Quotations Supports Urgent Action, Signature Expected This Week

Despite the fact that the legislation to keep the FAA going has hit the home stretch, it hasn't crossed home plate yet - and stakeholders are a little miffed. As the vote crawled through Congress, the Air Line Pilot Association, International blasted the press wire with a buckshot of quotations from anyone and everyone within the greater aviation industry. It's apparent that they want to throw their full force behind the bill this time, urging action so the industry can finally return to "normal", with an operating FAA.

Company Celebrates Niche-but-Important Advancement in Industry Standards

Echodyne has announced full integration of its proprietary 'EchoFlight' radar into the e American Aerospace Technologies, Inc. (AATI) AiRanger aircraft, recently granted its BVLOS approval from the FAA. It's good news for the UAS industry to some small extent, showing that the regulator is content to approve efficient, affordable operations beyond immediate line of sight. That's the way of the future, of course, allowing operators to command a semiautonomous aircraft from a distance, but it's not an easy sell to a very danger-averse administration like the FAA. 

Aviation Governance Secured...At Least For a While

The National Business Aviation Association similarly applauded the passage of the FAA's recent reauthorization, contentedly recounting its passage through the house by a vote of 387 to 26. Congress really cut things close to the wire, with the current expiration of the FAA's governing bill sitting right around the corner on May 17th. The bill gains the NBAA's blessing for all the usual reasons, but this year's includes a '1st-ever' general aviation title, a "key section of the legislation focused on enhancing safety, streamlining regulations and improving certification processes for general aviation aircraft, supporting certification for advanced air mobility (AAM) powered-lift aircraft and other

Amazilia Aerospace GmbH, Develops Digital Flight Control, Flight Guidance And Vehicle Management Systems 

Textron eAviation has acquired substantially all the assets of Amazilia Aerospace GmbH, a developer of digital flight control, flight guidance and vehicle management systems for civil manned and unmanned aircraft. “We’re excited to welcome Amazilia Aerospace’s talented employees and innovative technologies to the Textron eAviation team,” said Kriya Shortt, President & CEO, Textron eAviation segment. “This integration represents our continued dedication to pushing the boundaries of technology to deliver exceptional solutions for our customers.”

Also: New Shepard Targets May 19th, Gulfstream G700, Citation Ascend, FAA Reauth

Hummingbird's 300L helicopter was awarded "Best Helicopter" at the recent Sun 'n Fun fly-in, garnering some serious bragging rights for the design. Vertical Aviation took a brief moment to make a little victory lap for their Hummingbird 300L, noting its popularity around the show. Their display aircraft was completed by Frank McMullan and Vic Syracuse, who did a great job with a multi-layer black, red, and gold striped livery. It's a nice showing for a fresh addition to the world of kit helicopters. Hybrid eVTOL manufacturer, or better said, developer, showed off its latest

Also: Axon Acquires Dedrone, 'Space Weather', SOCOM Goodies, Pivotal Awards

UVify is claiming a new Guinness World Record for the most unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) airborne simultaneously. This event took place in Songdo, Korea, where UVify orchestrated a display of 5,293 IFO drones that lit up the night sky. The fleet of IFO drones created intricate patterns and visuals above the crowd, showcasing UVify's programming and drone control technology. The record-breaking feat exceeded the previous record. Airbus has completed the acquisition of US-based Aerovel and its unmanned aerial system (UAS), Flexrotor. Flexrotor is a small tactical unmanned

FAA’s Net Controller Count May Only Climb by 10% of Targets

Airlines for America sees a pretty active summer coming up, with more than 271 million passengers expected to use US carriers around the world - but the horizon isn't totally free of clouds. Digging into the numbers, it seems the FAA has brought on just a dozen more controllers than it had targeted in 2023, at 1,512. Thanks to attrition, national ATC lost more than 1,300 employees, accounting for retirements and drop-outs from the industry. After running the numbers to account for those in training, those who will likely wash out of ATC school, and drop out in line with historic trends, and the math works out to maybe a tenth of what the FAA had needed just to maintain ranks.&n

Also: Vertical Flight Society, NBAA Maintenance Conference, GA Honored, AMT Scholarship

For the first time, students from Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach, Florida, campus took top honors at the AIAA Design/Build/Fly (DBF) Competition, held in Wichita, Kansas. A second Embry-Riddle squad, this one from the Prescott, Arizona, campus, also placed among the top teams, earning eighth overall. The Leadership in Flight Training, or LIFT Academy, has expanded its training fleet with a recent order with Diamond Aircraft, bringing on 56 new planes. The deal sees LIFT gain 50 new single-engine DA40s, and 6 twin-engine DA42s. The training facility has continued to exp

Honeywell's Primus Brings New Tools and Niceties for Hawker Operators

Hawker 4000 business jet operators have a new installation on the table, now that the FAA has granted an STC for Honeywell's Primus Epic integrated cockpit suite. The STC gives operators access to some pretty nifty, futuristic gear, thanks to theEpic cockpit featuring Future Air Navigation System (FANS) and Protected Mode Controller Pilot Data Link Communication (PM-CPDLC) systems in addition to the usual host of automation and QoL enhancements. Those in the flight deck should appreciate the improved comms with ATC, too, since they can now enjoy the same Data Link capabilities the heavies do...

There Is No Reauthorization Without Ice Cream, Klyde

FMI: www.klydemorris.com

Airplane Canopy Suddenly Opened, So He Elected To Land The Airplane On A Dirt Road Ahead

Analysis: The pilot reported that during level flight, the airplane canopy suddenly opened, so he elected to land the airplane on a dirt road ahead. On approach to the dirt road, he encountered power lines and climbed to avoid them, then he continued the emergency approach to the road. When the airplane touched down on the dirt road, it veered aggressively to the left, becoming airborne momentarily, then landing in a ditch and nosing over before coming to rest inverted. 

From 2021 (YouTube Version): Colorado Campus Offers  aVariety Of Aerospace Entertainment And Education

Wings over the Rockies Exploration of Flight is the second location for the Wings Over The Rockies Museum. ANN spoke with Keith Palmer, the Director of Operations at WOTR Exploration of Flight to find out what this campus offers to the community. “The goal was to build something on the airfield, so that we could start teaching kids, our next generation, up close, personal, touching aircraft and seeing working aircraft. These are not museum pieces. Everything at the Exploration of Flight Campus is a working, functi

Brand New! Avoid The Need For A Comeback... Get Your Marketing Right, Right Now!

Some time ago, the Aero-News Network, responding to numerous requests, established a marketing and communications sister company by the name of AEROPRENEUER... and it's been doing amazing work under these difficult circumstances -- and getting results! We're getting rave reviews from our clients, and working hard to earn the trust of a number of new marketing partners along the way. ANN's Amber Cedroni has come up with a few tips to help aero-businesses stay alive in these tough times, and

There Are SO Many Ways To Get YOUR Aero-News!

It’s been a while since we have reminded everyone about all the ways we offer your daily dose of aviation news on-the-go...so here is a full list of ways you can subscribe to our channels and get notifications when there are new episodes or breaking news! 1) Subscribe To Our Newsletter When surveyed, almost half of our audience shared with us that they rely on our daily newsletter to get their aviation news for the day and stay up-to-date in their field or craft. Are you subscribed yet? If not, use the link below to receive our daily Propwash emails that always feature a feed of our latest stories and breaking news. SUBSCRIBE >&g

Have A Story That NEEDS To Be Featured On Aero-News? Here’s How To Submit A Story To Our Team

Some of the greatest new stories ANN has ever covered have been submitted by our viewers and readers! We are very proud of our viewers and readers, as they are some of the most active and influential individuals in the aviation industry. We rely on them to share their knowledge and updates with us, so we can keep the entire community up-to-date through our various programs and platforms. The ANN staff scours theweb for the latest info and intel... but we're just a few folks with only so many hours in the day... so YOUR eyes and ears may be REALLY helpful in making sure we don't miss a thing!

Aero Linx: Aviation Suppliers Association Established February 25, 1993, the Aviation Suppliers Association (ASA), based in Washington, D.C., is a not-for-profit association, representing more than 905 global member companies. Collectively, they lead critical logistics programs, purchasing efforts, and distribution of aircraft parts world-wide. Member companies include: distributors, suppliers, surplus sales organizations, repair stations, manufacturers, airlines, operators, and other companies that provide services to the aviation parts supply industry.

Very High Frequency The frequency band between 30 and 300 MHz. Portions of this band, 108 to 118 MHz, are used for certain NAVAIDs; 118 to 136 MHz are used for civil air/ground voice communications. Other frequencies in this band are used for purposes not related to air traffic control.

"We are very pleased to see this important and historic legislation, after many months of work, advance to President Biden's desk to be signed into law. Both sides of the aisle, on both sides of the Capitol, have come together and passed a bill that reflects the business aviation community's priorities, provides a long-term roadmap for the agency and ensures that America will continue to lead the world in aviation safety, security, sustainability, innovation, workforce development and investment in airports and other critical infrastructure." Source: NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen, responding to the final throws of the FAA Reauthorization process... now only awaiting a signature from the President.