Won't Be Quite As Easy As 'Beaming Up...'

A number of media outlets are reporting vague details about the possibility that Star Trek actor, William Shatner, (aka Captain James T Kirk) may be one of the next space tourist/passengers about an upcoming flight of a Blue Origin New Shepherd sub-orbital launch vehicle. Reportedly set for a mid-October launch, Shatner's flight is allegedly the subject of a documentary that is still being shopped around to various outlets. The first manned flight of a New Shepherd was supposedly upstaged by the flawed launch of Virgin Galactic's Unity 22 flight last July, that subsequently caused the FAA to ground VG and their vehicles until further notice.

Also: MQ-25 Stingray, L3Harris Flight Academy, FAA v Universal Flt Training, Cargojet Pilots

General aviation and skydiving enthusiasts in Hawaii have something to celebrate! General aviation and skydiving enthusiasts are celebrating the fact that the Hawaii Department of Transportation - Airports Division revoked its termination of the lease of Kawai-hapai (Dillingham) Airfield. The news gives tenants and businesses at least three more years to utilize the airfield, while the US Army and HDOT work on finalizing a joint-use agreement that will look towards a long term lease. Located on Oahu’s North Shore, there are currently 11 businesses operating at Dillingham Airport that employ more than 130 people. Glasair Aviation has resumed operations after a “COVID pause”, and will now resume selling kits. Updates include the Sportsman kits, which have now reduced the builder’s assembly time, with the Two Weeks to Taxi program sti

Also: Legacy Flight Training, New CAP-10C NG, EAA Ultralight/LSA Council, T-45 Loss

The RedTail Flight Academy celebrated the opening of its flight academy September 10th at New York Stewart International Airport. Honoring the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, the RedTail Flight Academy will train seven aspiring Black aviators from inadequately serviced communities. To strengthen the foundation of the Academy, original documented Tuskegee Airmen Lieutenant Colonel Enoch Woodhouse attended the opening to welcome the inaugural cadets, including three females and four males. The Academy strives to increase the percentage of non-Caucasion aviators from less than 2.5% represented in the military and the commercial space, to at least 4% in the next 10 years. Whirly-Girls Scholarship Fund has announced the 2022 Whirly-Girls Scholarship offerings. This offering is the largest program in the helicopter industry. The scholarships will be awarded March 7, 2022

Also: Lilium Update, James Webb Space Telescope, Wingcopter, Skyworks Aeronautics eGyro

Merlin Labs shares that the certification basis for its takeoff to touchdown autonomy system has been approved by the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand in collaboration with the FAA. Merlin is now the first company to reach an agreement on an approach for the certification of aircraft autonomy, according to a media release. Following a crawl, walk, run approach, this system incorporates an onboard safety pilot who will continue to act as legal pilot in command. Urban Aeronautics Secures $10 Million Advance for CityHawk -- Israel-based aerospace company Urban Aeronautics has revealed the first $10 million towards their next round of funding. After the latest test flights in July ran smoothly, the company has demonstrated the capabilities of their eVTOL called the CityHawk. According to the company, investors in the US, Brazil and Israel participated in th

Chris Horsten, Kanardia Avionics, Shares Innovative Product Line With ANN

Chris Horsten, the Canadian Dealer for Kanardia Avionics spent some time chatting with ANN about their innovative product line. “Kanardia has been around about fifteen years, they were more predominantly in Europe although a lot of their stuff was making it over here, to aircraft like Pipestrel, a lot of the gyro manufacturers, and gliders were heavy users, light sport aircraft is probably the best target market we have.” Horsten reveals. “If you are just a daytime VFR kind of guy, this is probably the good stuff for you.”

The New Center In Norway Is Located Inside A Hangar

Bell Textron company is noting the opening of its new Bell 525 Experience Center at the Stavanger Airport in Norway. The innovative space was created to display the Bell 525 capabilities for customers in Norway who perform missions in oil and gas, search and rescue, and military operations. “Norway is a key market for Bell, and we are proud to establish our presence here,” said Patrick Moulay, senior vice president, Commercial Business. “We look forward to hosting key stakeholders to experience the Bell 525 and see firsthand how this 21st century aircraft will revolutionize customers’ operations.”

Klyde Should Have Known Better by Now...

FMI: www.klydemorris.com

First Lunar and GEO Rideshare Mission: “GEO Pathfinder”

Spaceflight has revealed a breakthrough cislunar rideshare mission: “GEO Pathfinder.” As a secondary payload on board Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 South Pole Mission, Spaceflight will offer rideshare opportunities in trans-lunar orbit, low-lunar orbit and beyond to geosynchronous equatorial orbit. Spaceflight will utilize a lunar flyby with its new propulsive transfer vehicle, Sherpa EScape, to deliver a payload from GeoJump that contains an Orbit Fab in-space fueling payload. The mission has a tentative launch date on a SpaceX Falcon 9 -- no earlier than Q4 2022. Spaceflight’s rideshare missions allow customers to quickly access lunar orbits affordably. 

The 24th Annual Conference Will Take Place February 2022

The 24th Annual FAA Commercial Space Transportation Conference will be postponed until February 16th and 17th, 2022 at the Ronald Reagan Center in Washington DC. The reasons cited include difficulties with the rise of COVID cases, increasing travel restrictions. “We believe a February 2022 date will better serve attendees, speakers, media, sponsors, and all other stakeholder involved,” the group said in their announcement.

Archer Has Become A Publicly Traded Company

Archer Aviation has closed its business combination with Atlas Crest Investment. Atlas Crest has now changed its name to “Archer Aviation Inc.” after the completion of the transaction. Archer’s common stock and warrants will commence trading on the New York Stock Exchange on September 17, 2021, under the ticker symbols “ACHR” and “ACHR WS”, respectively.