Pipeline Patrols Easier Than Ever Thanks to Newfangled Tech

A power company in Ohio advertised its new fleet addition, a suite of infrared imaging equipment recently installed on its helicopters flying the lines. FirstEnergy has been forced to undertake patrols for years using nothing more than the standard-issue mark I eyeball, ensuring that vegetation had not grown to encumber their transmission lines. Pipeline patrol has traditionally worked that way - low-level overflight all along thousands of miles of wiring, close enough to distinguish overgrowth from canopy.

Student's Night Flight Cut Tragically Short

The NTSB's recent preliminary report on a Purdue Aviation PA-28 now hints that the 20-year-old student committed suicide. Last month, a Purdue Aviation Piper PA-28 took off from the school's home airport in Lafayette, Indiana for a local night flight. The student first finished some pattern work, completing 4 laps of practice landings before heading northwest to a less populated area. Once in that area, track data shows the student made numerous turns before the system stopped reporting. The crash site was found the next day, and isolated to begin the investigation. After recovering the wreckage and the pilot's remains, the study began. 

Also: NBAA on FAA Reauth, DJI AG Drones, HI Insurance Bill Defeated, SPSA Airtankers 

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,

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 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

Also: Skydio Chief, Uncle Sam Sues, Dash 7 magniX, OR UAS Accelerator

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 wee

There Is No Reauthorization Without Ice Cream, Klyde

FMI: www.klydemorris.com

Also: WACO Kitchen Bails, French SportPlane Mfr to FL, Dynon-Advance Flight Systems, Innovation Preview

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

Easy Online Forms Available For Sport Plane Manufacturers And Suppliers To Be Listed In The Upcoming eSPRG

Work on the SportPlane Resource Guide is going well… Albeit a little bit behind schedule, because as we got into this process, things became a bit more complicated simply because we learned we could do an even better job at certain aspects of this project than we thought from the beginning. They say that the enemy of true quality is the phrase "good enough" and we want to be far more than “good enough.” FMI: www.sportplane.com, Online eSPRG Vendor Survey Form, Online eSPRG Sp

With The eSPRG Only Weeks Away From Its Start Date, A-AF Will Help To Support Sport Flyers, Worldwide

With the all-new and all-digital SportPlane Resource Guide getting ready for publication early next year, the Aero-News Network is pleased to announce yet another addition to the Airborne video news programming roster… Airborne-Affordable Flyers. Dedicated to keeping people up-to-date on the most affordable aspects of sport and general aviation, Airborne-Affordable Flyers is one of our most exciting offerings yet. A-AF will delve into more than just the current LSA community, but look at all aspects of aviation to examine and evaluate the most enjoyable, and most affordable, solutions to flying, operating, and owning aircraft in the 21st century.

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.