The Flying Sunfish Takes Flight, Logs 4 Minutes of Untethered Flight Time

Zeva has completed the first untethered flight test for its Zero flying wing airframe, where the aircraft took off and flew under its 8 electric propellers. With the first flight completed, the Zero now boasts the bragging rights of being a functional, real aircraft, with flight time in its logbook in an industry rife with ground demonstrators and digital renders. The flight is an important milestone in the airworthiness certification process, proving the unmanned demonstrator could take off and maintain position in a controlled hover, as well as taxi, climb, and maneuver at low altitude. The pancake-ish single-pilot aircraft is an unusual addition to the eVTOL race, sporting a prone pilot position that takes off and lands on its tail.

Reid-Hillview, San Martin Airports Officially End Sale of Leaded AvFuel, Only UL94 From Now On

Despite the warnings, the cajoling, and the requests from a range of stakeholders, the County of Santa Clara, California, has gone ahead with its plans to end the sale of leaded fuels in their county, particularly 100LL at Reid-Hillview and San Martin airports. The move is said by the Board of Supervisors to be solely aimed at eliminating airborne contaminants following studies that showed "elevated levels of lead attributable to aircraft activity at Reid-Hillview Airport in children living nearby." The San José area authorities have come a bit closer to their ultimate goal of obtaining the land occupied by their local airports, finally enjoying a measure of success after years of high-profile disputes over their continued operation.

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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, as the drawing back of the non-essential standards in the biggest legacy carriers means that at last the long-prophesied pilot shortage may be upon us. A severe windstorm struck Alaska earlier last week, wreaking havoc across the south central region, with winds up to 91 mph causing damage to vehicles, power lines, and equipment. Witnesses were surprised to see the level of damage caused by breakaway aircraft, which were subjected to such forces that tiedown anchors and ropes were ripped from their attachment points. One viral video this week showed a dramatic, last-second s

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Joby Aviation has completed its second prototype aircraft in an effort to speed up its flight testing schedule heading into 2022, recently receiving its Special Airworthiness Certificate and US Air Force approval. JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO, said the pre-production campaign has been an enormous effort for the young eVTOL design, logging 65 terabytes of test data in 2021 alone. The addition of a second demonstrator will help to quicken the pace, and Joby intends for it to help see the design obtain FAA certification in time for a commercial operations launch in 2024. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope team fully deployed its 21-foot, gold-coated primary mirror, successfully completing the final stage of all major spacecraft deployments. A joint effort with the European Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency, the Webb mission explores every phase of cosmic his

'Good' News for Hand-Flying Aficionados: New NOTAMs May Prohibit Some Automation at 5G-Affected Airports

The FAA has published its first round of Notices To Air Missions regarding the soon-to-be activated 5G cell networks, placing warnings over 1,462 airports in an effort to ease the industry into a post-5G world with minimal issue. The restrictions put into place warn that radio altimeters are unreliable and not authorized for use unless equipped with approved alternative methods of compliance. Nearly 1,500 of the warnings were published overnight to airports throughout the United States, primarily located at public-use airports within 42 miles of 46 metropolitan test markets for the country's biggest cell network operators. Verizon and T-Mobile will continue to expand their networks in the coming months and years, as data-hungry consumers require ever better performance from their devices. The problem as it stands won't go away any time soon, said the NBAA.

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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,

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T'is the season.... for a good holiday story in which a SportPlane, and its pilot, gets to play hero. And in this case, it's yet another case of a Zenith to the rescue. Pilot Jerry Ebke noted, via Facebook, that his nephew’s little boys received a pony for Christmas in rural southeastern Nebraska. But... the Yule-time pony-joy was short-lived as the four-legged Christmas gift was spooked by their dog and ran off. The search started in earnest... "Many FB posts, stops at neighbors and driving roads had been unsuccessful in locating Scout," (the Pony). Jerry is not only a pilot, but has a Zenith CH-650... The website for ABACE 2022 was updated to notify prospective attendees of its third cancellation, formerly planned to take place from April 12-14, 2022. The NBAA and Shanghai Airport Authority may well have decided that the conditions leading up to

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The  United States Parachute Association announced that their overall safety rate that has been improving year over year has again beat the previous year, with 10 civilian skydiving deaths throughout 2021. The downswing began in 2018, when deaths dropped to 13, bringing the fatality index to 0.39 out of every 100,000 jumps. The year after saw a rise to 15, until 2020's drop in overall skydiving activity brought the index to mirror to its 2018 record. Frasca International has been sold to FlightSafety International, marking the end of 6 decades as a family-owned company based out of the appropriately named Frasca Field in Urbana, Illinois. Frasca president John Frasca and other employees will reportedly remain in place, and the family will continue to retain ownership of the airport and its grounds. The Taliban confirmed a video making the rounds ear

Manufacturer Gets Closer to 2019-Era Deliveries, But Sales of Widebodies Remain Anemic

Boeing announced its major program deliveries over 2021, with the company bouncing back to deliver 340 aircraft throughout the year. The announcement saw shares in Boeing rise by 2% after its orderbook was scrutinized, revealing 535 net orders after performing the requisite accounting voodoo. Boeing had a surprising year in 2021, better than many expected following the prior year full of lockdowns and closures. Boeing still trailed behind its archrival Airbus, receiving 479 orders to their 507 after cancellations. The demand for narrowbody jets in recent months was a boon to Boeing, bringing in orders that dwarf the quantities of its widebody jets.

Helo Company Recognized For Navajo Nation Support Missions

The Helicopter Association International (HAI) has announced the 2022 recipient of its Salute to Excellence Humanitarian Service Award. Every year, it honors those who best demonstrate the value of helicopters to the world by providing assistance to those in need. It will be presented on March 7 at the association's Heli-Expo 2022 in Dallas, Texas. When the COVID pandemic began sweeping across the United States in 2020, the Navajo Nation quickly experienced the country’s highest per-capita rate of infections and deaths. Located in the corner of Northeast Arizona, the reservation also expands into the high desert of Southeastern Utah and Northwestern New Mexico.