NASA Lends Moon Rock for Oval Office Display

You know that NASA has some fears over the future of established programs when they're willing to let go of a Moon Rock... to decorate the new President's office. So... In symbolic recognition of earlier generations’ ambitions and accomplishments, and support for America’s current Moon to Mars exploration approach, a Moon rock now sits in the Oval Office of the White House. At the request of the incoming Biden Administration, NASA loaned the Moon rock that was put on display in the Oval Office Jan. 20. It is from the Lunar Sample Laboratory Facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston...

Also: Partial Aero-Recovery in 2021?, Bell 412, 15 More KC-46 Tankers, Super Bowl LV v Drones

Another major aviation event has had to give way to the damage done by the COVID pandemic. Aero Friedrichshafen has made the decision to delay its next show until July... but only a little more than a week before Oshkosh 2021. The 2021 summer edition of AERO Friedrichshafen will run from July 14 to July 17. AirVenture 2021 begins on July 25th. Ouch. Aviation Safety Resources and Grug Group have completed a strategic development and supply agreement that will make ASR’s parachute recovery system standard equipment on Grug's SBX aircraft. “Whole-aircraft vehicle parachute recovery systems are essential to the projected market growth of eVTOL Urban Air Mobility,” said Larry Williams, ASR president and CEO. The SBX is a full electric aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. P

Also: GA UK Restrictions, Educational UAS Protections, Duncan Aviation Interns, CAE USAF KC-135 Training

The flight school business is one of the few that seems both intent and surprisingly successful surviving even during a pandemic. As such, the community is readying a critically important get-together to takes notes and learn from each other as well as a great line-up of speakers and instructors in just a few more weeks. Flight school operators, chief flight instructors, and persons considering opening a flight school should take special note of the upcoming International Flight School Operators Conference. Attendees will have over 25 multi-track sessions to choose from during mornings and afternoons March 4-5. Citing inadequate training of a pilot whose plane crash resulted in 11 deaths, the NTSB has called on the FAA to better monitor the effectiveness of flight instructors. Three safety reco

Also: Virgin Orbit Launch Demo 2, Super Bowl LV, Skydio Earns CES Award, Drone Gambling

As previously noted, a CA drone pilot was arrested on suspicion of having flown his hobby drone into an LAPD helo. Now, this overtly errant drone pilot has pleaded guilty to a federal criminal charge that he recklessly operated a drone that crashed into and damaged the fuselage of a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter. Andrew Rene Hernandez, 22, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft. AeroVironment and Arcturus UAV have entered into a definitive agreement under which AeroVironment will acquire Arcturus UAV for a total purchase price of $405 million, including $355 million in cash and $50 million in AeroVironment stock. Founded in 2004, Arcturus UAV has approximately 270 employees, designs and manufactures Group 2 and Group 3 UAS and provides related services, in

Conducted Arctic Patrols Up The North-East Side Of Baffin Island

From January 18 to 20, 2021, as part of the Canadian Armed Forces’ ongoing commitment to an enduring presence in the furthest reaches of the Arctic, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) conducted High Arctic air training involving two CF-18 Hornet fighters and one CC-150T Polaris air-to-air refueling aircraft operating from Iqaluit, Nunavut. The training saw CF-18 fighter jets from Bagotville, Quebec rendezvous with a CC-150T Polaris air-to-air refueler over Baffin Bay where they successfully conducted air-to-air refueling before continuing North for the remainder of the mission conducting an Arctic patrol up the North-East side of Baffin Island, in the vicinity of Nanisivik, Nunavut.

Another Airshow Falls To Concerns Over COVID

Tinker AFB's 2021 Air and Space Show has been cancelled. The show, featuring the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, was originally scheduled for June 19-20. Due to the continued battle against COVID-19 and the high number of cases in Oklahoma that continues rising every month, Tinker Air Force Base officials report that they made the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 Tinker Air and Space Show. “We explored a number of alternatives, but after careful consideration, we simply cannot execute a worthwhile event that would not potentially endanger both the community and members of Tinker Air Force Base,” Installation Commander Col. Paul Filcek said in a message to the workforce.

Has Served At Liberty University Since 2012

Liberty University Provost and Chief Academic Officer Scott Hicks has appointed Dr. Rick Roof, Dean for the School of Aeronautics -- one of the largest faith-based collegiate aviation programs in North America. Roof brings a vast amount of industry and education experience to the School of Aeronautics. After serving nine years in the Air Force as an avionics technician and operations researcher, Roof spent 20 years in senior positions in information technology, manufacturing, and publishing. He led an internet start-up company and was president and CEO of a specialized air carrier.

'Next Step' For Direct Youth Aviation Education

EAA has introduced AeroEducate -- which they hope will bring an interactive, educational, and engaging experience to young people ages 5 to 18 beginning in 2021. AeroEducate's web-based resource provides clear, age-appropriate pathways to aviation and aerospace engagement, and even career paths. A multitude of turnkey, easy-to-use aviation-themed activities for teachers and EAA chapters can be used at sites ranging from classrooms to EAA chapter hangars.

From 2019: Mockups Of Two New Turboprop Products Displayed At NBAA

Textron Aviation displayed mockups of its two new turboprop airplanes at NBAA 2019; the Denali and The Sky Courier. The Denali features the widest cabin cross-section in the segment, providing passengers with additional head and shoulder room — and more room for cargo and baggage. Taking cues from design elements found in Textron Aviation’s large-cabin business jets, Denali delivers a new standard of luxury to turboprop passengers. Features such as larger seats and windows, as well as a modular refreshment center and an aft-located lavatory ensure passengers enjoy an enhanced level of comfort on board.

And That's But One Of Over A Dozen Major Developments Planned For The Next Year Or So

Aero-News Network is now available on Roku and Amazon FireTV! That’s right folks. You can now get your daily dose of aviation news… right on the ol' giggle box! This is an EPIC development for our network, one of many to come, and we’re thrilled to offer you this new way to watch our news programming. Whether you’re a traditional website reader, podcast listener, or YouTube subscriber, we’re dedicated to giving you quality, honest, aviation news that you can trust and broadening our reach and audience aggressively in the coming years, so that we may both Grow and Inform the aviation and aerospace world.