Giantic PBY Mariner Derivative Listed at Warbird Broker

A rare, 1-of-1 vintage warbird is up for grabs, a 1945 Martin JRM-3 Mars flying boat. The last remaining airworthy example of a 5-plane production run has been listed for sale at warbird broker Platinum Fighter Sales. Flying boats are a rare breed, with many manufactured through WWII only to see nearly immediate extinction at the hands of their quicker, more efficient jet replacements. Early airlines found the combination of unlimited oceanic runway space and coastal travel a valuable combination, but they quickly found the limits of passenger capacity and cargo capability. In the early years of the war, the Martin Company obtained a contract with the US Navy for the largest flying boat to ever enter production, building on their stalwart PBM Mariner patrol bomber to create a long-range, high-capacity transport.

Testing Moves Forward for Exotic Airborne Supercar

Flying cars, long seen as a hallmark of futuristic aeronautical technology, may finally be on the horizon. AirCar's prototype has been given its first airworthiness certification from the Slovakian Transport Authority, making it the first of its kind to achieve EASA standards. The testing process took 70+ hours of flight and more than 200 takeoff and landing cycles. The AirCar reportedly functions throughout the full range of flight and performance maneuvers required, while demonstrating "an astonishing static and dynamic stability in the aircraft mode." The aircraft is powered by a hybrid power system built around a 1.6L BMW engine.

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The Enstrom Helicopter Corporation has sent a letter to dealers and representatives, announcing the end of continuous operations. The company has apparently seen lean times lately, and its owners have directed the company to declare Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Enstrom will leave behind nearly 1,500 unsupported aircraft around the world, unless the assets are bought out. Dornier Seawings has purchased the Flywhale seaplane program from its German parent, Uniplanes GmbH, in a package that includes all intellectual property, production assets, design data, drawings, manuals, tooling, and molds. The acquisition positions the Flywhale FW650 as a future Dornier product in line with the company's Seawings and Seastar CD2 aircraft as the DS-2C. The battle for market supremacy in space continues, and a new front is seeing competition: Entertainment studios in low-Earth orbit. Space

Also: Where Is The Flight Instruction Community Right Now... And Why?

ANN is proud to work with some of the best in the industry... in a number of disciplines... but only a few folks have the pedigree boasted by Ace CFI, Rod Machado. A prolific speaker, author, presenter and all-around funny guy, Rod has build up an immense following in the flight instruction community for just a few primary reasons... he's one of the best in the field, he is a master communicator and writer, and he knows how to put forth an engaging and often humorous take on aviation's most complex topics. Rod is an Airline Transport Pilot with all fixed wing-flight powered instructor ratings. He started instructing student pilots full time in 1973, and taught grounds schools (often to classrooms of 200) starting in 1975. Machado has taught hundreds to fly from the right seat as a Certified Flight Instructor, even more thousands as a classroom instructor, some 350,000+ via 400+

Also: Where Is The Flight Instruction Community Right Now... And Why?

ANN is proud to work with some of the best in the industry... in a number of disciplines... but only a few folks have the pedigree boasted by Ace CFI, Rod Machado. A prolific speaker, author, presenter, and all-around funny guy, Rod has built up an immense following in the flight instruction community for just a few primary reasons... he's one of the best in the field, he is a master communicator and writer, and he knows how to put forth an engaging and often humorous take on aviation's most complex topics. Rod is an Airline Transport Pilot with all fixed wing-flight powered instructor ratings. He started instructing student pilots full-time in 1973 and taught ground schools (often to classrooms of 200) starting in 1975. Machado has taught hundreds to fly from the right seat as a Certified Flight Instructor, even more thousands as a classroom instructor, some 350,000+ via 400+ aviation

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EHang holdings announced that one of the bigger Japanese air mobility companies, AirX, has placed a pre-order for 50 units of their EH216 AAV, making it the biggest order ever received in-country. Japan sees the improvement in transportation and freight transport as key to serve their aging population in the coming decades. The pre-order is meant to facilitate AirX's Urban Air Mobility projects in the works, predominately in air taxi service at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, Japan. Czech sustainable aviation manufacturer-to-be, Zuri, has announced the first evolution of its aircraft. The new Zuri in the works is currently designated within the company as ZURI 2.0, with a dedicated freight version, the Zuri 2.0 CARGO. The concept takes the original hybrid VTOL aircraft and adds recent developmental experiences gleaned since last summer's tech demonstrations

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The first prosecution of an airman operating without a certificate has been filed, with the filing of indictments for wire fraud and uncertificated airmanship. Matthew Jones of Spanish Fork, Utah, is accused of falsely presenting himself as the owner and operator of Noctem Aviation and a Certified Flight Instructor for fixed and rotary wing aircraft. Jones stands accused of defrauding prospective students by presenting himself through text messages and Instagram posts to be a capable and legal instructor for the purposes of obtaining funding for his daily living expenses. Delta Airlines has notified prospective pilot candidates that the company has reduced its minimum hiring requirements. The reception was mixed, with more than a few non-industry commenters decrying the decline in standards. Those in the pilot career pipeline should be excited,

Lack of Radar Altimeter Approval for Embraer E175 Takes Toll on Regionals

In what could be the first case of flight cancellations as a result of new 5G precautions, a foggy airport in Everett, Washington saw carrier Horizon Air blocked from flights in and out of the area. Horizon is the only airline operating commercial flights out of Paine Field, all flown on their Embraer E175 (pictured, top), a favorite of regional and charter operators everywhere. The FAA has permitted low visibility operations with certain combinations of aircraft and radar altimeters; around 35% of the operational transport category fleet in the US remains unapproved.

Better Business Bureau Rules on Competitor's Complaints

The appeal filed by Air Methods Corporation with the National Advertising Review Board has been partially upheld, resulting in a mixed, but mostly negative bag for the air ambulance service. The board is the appellate advertising law body of the Better Business Bureau's National Programs, and has ultimately returned a verdict that recommended that Air Methods modify some of its claims in advertising, discontinue others, and modify a limited number. The dispute arose from Global Medical Response and its subsidiary Air Evac EMS, who went before the advertising review board in protest of the comportment of Air Methods advertising that they felt cast subtle allegations about their services.

Domestic Airline Ready to Train Flight Crew Under Provisional Approval

Canada Jetlines Operations announced its newly granted, conditional approval for its flight crew training, given by Transport Canada. The Canada Jetlines’ Pilot Training program will obtain final approval at a later date, after the regulator is able to review the training conducted under the program and it proves to be satisfactory. “This is an important milestone in the Air Operator Certificate process with Transport Canada. Our first crew will start their pilot training program this month and are scheduled to have completed simulator training in the later part of February,” shared Eddy Doyle, CEO of Canada Jetlines.