Also: Sebring Airport, DeLand SportAv Showcase, MH-139, Winged-S Rescue Award, Next AF1, EC-130H Update, SDASM HOF

The Apollo 11 command module Columbia—the only portion of the historic spacecraft to complete the first mission to land a man on the moon and safely return him to Earth—is about to leave the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum for the first time in 46 years for the traveling exhibition “Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission.” The exhibition’s two-year national tour will celebrate the approaching 50th anniversary of the mission and explore the birth and development of the American space program and the space race. GAMA reports that as of September 1, rule-compliant ADS-B equipment is now on board over 40,000 aircraft flying in the US. ATC system modernization activities are accelerating worldwide. It is vital that aircraft owners begin to m

Sport Aviation Will Gather In Central Florida In November…

A new entry in the sportplane show circuit appeared last year with the first annual Deland Sport Aviation Showcase in Deland, FL just northeast of Orlando. Jana Filip, Sport Aviation Administrator at Deland Municipal Airport, told ANN CEO and Editor in Chief Jim Campbell at AirVenture that the second annual event will be held on November 2-4, 2017, at the airport.

Also: FAA Reauthorization, Medical Drone Transport, USMC Quadcopters, Canister Launched UAS, Atlas Dynamics

Airborne, primarily based in Jacksonville, FL is starting to recover from Hurricane Irma, and we can thank the Unmanned community for much of that. After the widespread devastation Hurricane Irma wreaked on Florida, unmanned aircraft have been invaluable in supporting response and recovery efforts here. A wide variety of agencies sought FAA authorization to fly drones in the affected areas. The FAA responded quickly, issuing a total of well over 100 airspace authorizations. This could get ugly... The ICAO is backing an effort to create a single global drone registry with a goal of the adoption of common rules for flying and tracking UAVs. The idea will be discussed at a symposium planned for Sept. 22-23 in Montreal. Stephen Creamer, director of ICAO's Air Navigation Bureau, said that the sin

Pays $7.8 Billion In Cash, Acquires $1.4 Billion In Debt

Northrop Grumman Corporation and Orbital ATK have entered into a definitive agreement under which Northrop Grumman will acquire Orbital ATK for approximately $7.8 billion in cash, plus the assumption of $1.4 billion in net debt. Orbital ATK shareholders will receive all-cash consideration of $134.50 per share. The agreement has been approved unanimously by the Boards of Directors of both companies. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2018 and is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory and Orbital ATK shareholder approval.

Also: AMA Monitoring Volunteer Drones, Aerix DaVinci, FAA ReAuthorization, TobyRich, ADR Test Pilots

The 2017 MultiGP National Drone Racing Championship are being held now through this weekend at the National Championship Air Races in Reno, NV. With thousands of pilots currently having competed in over 70 qualifying events of the MultiGP Regional Series, all eyes are fixed on Reno's many racing efforts and as well as those of MultiGP. In order to advance to the championship, top pilots from each Regional Qualifier advance to their respective Regional Final. Then, the top two pilots from each of the 14 Regional Finals are  invited to the Championship. GDU has announced the official launch of the GDU O2. The GDU O2 has arms that slide inside the body to give it a small form factor and extra endurance by making the arms out of aviation grade aluminum alloy. The ultra-compact body of the GDU O2 i

Fully-Equipped Tower Shipped By Trailer From Hartford, CT

A mobile air traffic control tower arrived at Key West International Airport in Florida Monday after a road trip down the East Coast by trailer from Hartford, CT. The FAA repositioned the fully-equipped tower to provide air traffic services for all of the aircraft operating in and out of Key West that are supporting the relief and recovery of the isolated Florida Keys in the wake of Hurricane Irma.

It's Official: Aggressive Upgrades For New Airborne Programs WILL Require New Digs

It's been in development for years, but we're getting to a point where we think we can pull off something TRULY REMARKABLE - which will require us to make BIG CHANGES. So... ANN is officially looking for a new home for a major new initiative... hopefully, a permanent one. We are now in the implementation phases of THE most significant upgrades we've ever undertaken and preparing to make significant operational modifications to accomodate them. As a result, we're currently inviting proposals for a NEW airport/office studio facility to serve as a home base and studio for new programming about to be introduced by the Aero-News Network, Inc., the Aviation World's Real-Time News and Information Service, our Daily Airborne Unlimited programming, our new 'Aero-Doc' documentary division, as well as other Aero-TV/Aero-Verse  productions.

Part Of Overall Recommendations Approved By The ARAC Last Week

The recent Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) report that was approved last week by the committee contains a recommendation to change requirements that require CFIs to hold that designation for two years before they may train a first time instructor applicant.

Appointment Will Become Effective January 1, 2018

The Aerospace Industries Association announced today that Eric K. Fanning will become its president and chief executive officer, effective January 1, 2018.

Russian Takes Top Honors In 2017 Competition In South Africa

Russia’s Mikhail Mamistov has been crowned FAI World Aerobatic Champion for a third time after a hard-fought competition in South Africa. The legendary Aerobatics pilot won the FAI Gold Medal at the 29th FAI World Aerobatic Championships in Malelane, SA, after a competition that lasted a week, from 9-17 September 2017.