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A friend of the family reported that Lt. Col. (Ret.) Richard Glenn Rutan flew west on Friday, May 3, 2024 at 7:08 PM PDT. The last time Dick Rutan flew towards the western horizon was on December 14, 1986 when he and copilot Jeana Yeager set the last great aviation record by flying around the world, nonstop and unrefueled, in nine days, three minutes and 44 seconds in an aircraft called 'Voyager.' designed by Burt Rutan. As we understand it, a 'stalking horse bidder' is the initial bid on a bankrupt company's assets from an interested buyer -- chosen by the bankrupt company. The proposed stalking horse bidder, SG Investment America Inc., has been designated to 'set the floor price for the sale of ICON’s assets.' Icon claims that this step is aimed at maximizing value for the company’s stakeholders and facilitating a smooth transition through the bankrup
Also: 1800th E-Jet, Uncle Sam Sues For Landing Gear, Embraer Ag Plane, Textron Parts
A friend of the family reported that Lt. Col. (Ret.) Richard Glenn Rutan flew west on Friday, May 3, 2024 at 7:08 PM PDT. The last time Dick Rutan flew towards the western horizon was on December 14, 1986 when he and copilot Jeana Yeager set the last great aviation record by flying around the world, nonstop and unrefueled, in nine days, three minutes and 44 seconds in an aircraft called 'Voyager.' designed by Burt Rutan. As we understand it, a 'stalking horse bidder' is the initial bid on a bankrupt company's assets from an interested buyer -- chosen by the bankrupt company. The proposed stalking horse bidder, SG Investment America Inc., has been designated to 'set the floor price for the sale of ICON’s assets.' Icon claims that this step is aimed at maximizing value for the company’s stakeholders and facilitating a smooth transition through the
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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 expand thanks to a steady pipeline of students. Epic Flight Academy has officially launched its new aircraft mechanic school at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), marking a significant advancement in aviation training and workforce development in Kentucky. The opening of this
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 aerial system designed for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions at sea and over land. The AAIB has disclosed its findings after an accident befell an unmanned, remotely pilots test vehicle which suffered a forced landing following power unit failure, at the Cot
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US Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall was given a turn around the patch in the 'X-62A Variable In-flight Simulation Test Aircraft, or VISTA, to illustrate just how far autonomous aircraft have come. The aircraft sounds much snazzier than it is in reality, being a 30-year old, 2-seat F-16D with a nifty paint job and an R2-D2 in one of the seats. The aircraft has long been in the US Air Force Test Pilot School, where it received modifications for multi-axis thrust vectoring and aerodynamics. AgEagle Aerial Systems will ship 40 of its eBee VISION systems, along with 9 more eBees, with all the parts, support, connections, control stations, and miscellany required to keep the fleet operational in French army service. Maxar Intelligence has confirmed that the first two WorldView Legion satellites are performing well after being launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket last week from
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The Beechcraft Denali continues moving forward towards certification, having received its FAA Type Inspection Authorization early this year. Textron advertised that their single-engine turboprop competitor has logged more than 2,000 flight test hours across 830+ flights, on track for completion in 2025. Aerodyne, a new gyroplane manufacturer, will be commemorating its entry into the market with an attempt at setting some records as it runs a lap around the United Kingdom. Founder, executive chairman, and pilot Rangaraja Iyengar will make a full lap around the whole lot with his 8-year-old daughter assisting, aiming to complete a 3-day, 5,000-mile journey. The FAA has issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) that alerts all owners, operators, maintenance technicians, and inspectors of Revo Incorporated Model Colonial C-1, Colonial C-2, Lake L
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Bobby Bailey, a bit of a fixture in sport aviation circles for his work with the Bailey-Moyes Dragonfly (now in production with Pitman Air), has been lost in an aircraft test accident. Shortly after his appearance at SUN n FUN 2024, Bailey reportedly was asked to test fly a customer-built Dragonfly out of the Groveland airport in Florida... Recent investigations and a great deal of data has resulted in ANN’s SportPlane Resource Guide’s report card system having to deal with new and worrisome reports on a number of companies. Evidence and data received from customers of the Czech-based Orlican sportplane operation has resulted in a ‘Not Recommended’ rating for the troubles documented by at least one one owner who has been trying to get his aircraft for nearly two years... The US Parachute Association tel
From 2016 (YouTube Version): The Super Petrel LSA Is Here To Stay...
At the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo 2016, we learn that a biplane is not necessarily a piece of history from the golden age of aviation. ANN News Editor, Tom Patton, paid a visit to find out more about the Super Petrel, a modern amphibious biplane. In this video, Tom talks with David Kyrk, the Director of Sales and Marketing for Super Petrel USA. Kyrk tells us that the airplane has actually been around for about 20 years, and they have just opened a new production facility in Ormond Beach, FL. The design started in France and has been built elsewhere, but now it is being made available at the new U.S. facility.
Continued In The Left Turn, At About 200–300 Ft Above The Ground, For About 30 Seconds And Crashed Into The Top Of Mature Oak Trees
On May 2, 2024, about 0713 eastern daylight time, a Raytheon Aircraft Company A36 airplane, N629BE, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Augusta, Georgia. The private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Initial Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) track data revealed that the flight departed runway 5 at Daniel Field Airport (DNL), Augusta, Georgia, at 0712, destined for Tweed/New Haven Airport (HVN), New Haven, Connecticut. The airplane proceeded on runway heading for about ½ nautical mile (nm), where a left turn was initiated.
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 aerial system designed for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions at sea and over land. The AAIB has disclosed its findings after an accident befell an unmanned, remotely pilots test vehicle which suffered a forced landing following power unit