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Following what they say was a year-long public Market Survey effort, CubCrafters has officially decided to certify and offer a nose wheel option for its Part 23 certified aircraft, the CC-19 XCub. The company also notes that hundreds of hours of real-world use by a variety of pilots of varying skill levels during the Market Survey phase led to many design improvements that wouldn’t otherwise have been possible in an internal-only development setting. With a robust trailing-link nosewheel assembly and large tundra tires as an option for the mains, the nosewheel equipped XCub is capable of handling primitive landing strips and most off-airport type opera
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In one of the most expensive ground accidents of recent note, a ramp collision between a Skydiving operation's DHC-6 Twin Otter and a USMC MV-22 Osprey may set some kind of record... both in terms of money, as well as paperwork/heartburn. The May 30th mishap took place at Brown Field Municipal Airport. An MV-22 Osprey belonging to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 163, based at Miramar MCAS, had been conducting some 'routine' training operations in the area and parked the Osprey at Brown. No Marines w
Following what they say was a year-long public Market Survey effort, CubCrafters has officially decided to certify and offer a nosewheel option for its Part 23 certified aircraft, the CC-19 XCub. “Putting a nosewheel on a modern Cub type aircraft certainly surprised some people, but the overwhelming public response has been positive, especially among the more than 300 pilots that have had the opportunity to fly the airplane during the Market Survey phase,” comments Brad Damm, CubCrafters VP of Sales & Marketing. “A nosewheel equipped XCub is a very easy airplane to fly that takes off shorter, lands shorter, and cruises faster than the tailwheel version. Once a pilot is in the air
The Special Federal Aviation Regulation issued by the FAA to extend medicals until June 30 in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is set to expire in the absence of further relief from the agency before the end of the month. EAA commented that they have been involved in industry efforts to request an additional extension for medical certifications and certain other relief, in the face of continued uncertainty over the COVID-19 pandemic in many parts of the country. Thus far, the FAA has taken no public action to extend their pandemic-related special rule.
Perseverance Is Just Over A Month From Its Launch Date
The Red Planet's surface has been visited by eight NASA spacecraft. The ninth will be the first that includes gathering Mars samples for future return to Earth. NASA's Perseverance Mars rover is just over a month from its July 20 targeted launch date. The rover's astrobiology mission will seek signs of past microscopic life on Mars, explore the geology of the Jezero Crater landing site, and demonstrate key technologies to help prepare for future robotic and human exploration. And the rover will do all that while collecting the first samples of Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust) for return to Earth by a set of future missions.
Company Adds UH-60 Blackhawk to Year-Round Firefighting Fleet
Helinet Aviation Services has added a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter to California's aerial firefighting fleet. The former U.S. Army helicopter is on standby at Van Nuys Airport to assist with firefighting missions under call-when-needed contracts with the U.S. Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection CAL FIRE. The aircraft is the first of several UH-60 Blackhawks that Helinet intends on operating in the aerial firefighting market over the next few years. The addition of this specialty equipped firefighting Blackhawk augments Helinet’s existing UH-60 MovieHawk, which has worked for the past four years in the motion picture and television industry.
From 2013: Just When You Think All Is Lost, You Can Find The Strength And Friends To Survive
August 8th, 2008 should have been the end of Aerosonic Corporation. Instead, it was a new beginning... albeit one fraught with despair, pain, and (nearly) a loss of hope. Yes, it could have been the end... but, instead, it was an opportunity for a rugged company and the industry it was such a pivotal part of, to show what they, and the rest of the aviation community, was made of. And what was that? Stern stuff... amazing stuff... survivor stuff.
Piper Aircraft and Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology have completed an order for its first tranche of 22 factory-new training aircraft. To date, Spartan has taken delivery of 10 Piper Archers and 2 Piper Seminoles, with 10 additional Piper Archers expected to be delivered in Q4 2020. According to Beau Schrader, Spartan's Chief Pilot Officer, "Spartan's Flight location at Richard Lloyd Jones Airport in Tulsa, Oklahoma has been re-energized by the brand new, technologically advanced fleet of training aircraft." The new 180 HP, G1000 NXi equipped Piper Archers and Seminoles began delivery in late-2019, as Spartan continues its multi-year enhancement of its training fleet.
New Operation Plan and Executive Changes for the 2020 Fiscal Year Noted
Mitsubishi Aircraft has announced personnel changes as well as a new operational plan -- which they attribute to significant changes in the aviation industry and the impact of COVID-19 on the global economy. The company blames a 'harsh business environment necessitated the development of a new operating plan for this fiscal year that included resizing its organization so that Mitsubishi Aircraft may endure and emerge from this crisis.'
Neither Occupant Observed Any Anomalies During Their Preflight Inspection
On June 2, 2020, about 1930 mountain standard time, a Symphony Aircraft Industries, Inc. OMF-100-160 airplane, N225CK, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Glendale Municipal Airport (GEU), Glendale, Arizona. The airline transport pilot and pilot-rated passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that neither occupant observed any anomalies during their preflight inspection. They departed uneventfully and remained within the airport traffic pattern while they took turns performing touch and goes. After the pilot-rated passenger completed five normal la
Aero Linx: The Guild of Aviation Artists
The Guild of Aviation Artists is recognised throughout the world as the premier society for the promotion of aviation art. With some 400 members, the Guild brings together the worlds of art and aviation and stages exhibitions and events across the UK. The Guild’s principle aim is to promote aviation art in all its forms and to encourage interest in the genre by artists and non-artists alike. Every Summer, the Guild stages ‘Aviation Paintings of the Year’, a major exhibition at the prestigious Mall Galleries in Central London where over 400 works go on show. It is the largest exhibition of its kind in the world and admission is free. All
Airmen’s Meteorological Information (AIRMET)
In-flight weather advisories issued only to amend the Aviation Surface Forecast, Aviation Cloud Forecast, or area forecast concerning weather phenomena which are of operational interest to all aircraft and potentially hazardous to aircraft having limited capability because of lack of equipment, instrumentation, or pilot qualifications. AIRMETs concern weather of less severity than that covered by SIGMETs or Convective SIGMETs. AIRMETs cover moderate icing, moderate turbulence, sustained winds of 30 knots or more at the surface, widespread areas of ceilings less than 1,000 feet and/or visibility less than 3 miles, and extensive mountain obscurement.
“Putting a nosewheel on a modern Cub type aircraft certainly surprised some people, but the overwhelming public response has been positive, especially among the more than 300 pilots that have had the opportunity to fly the airplane during the Market Survey phase. A nosewheel equipped XCub is a very easy airplane to fly that takes off shorter, lands shorter, and cruises faster than the tailwheel version. Once a pilot is in the airplane and experiences it, the advantages are obvious.”
Source: Brad Damm, CubCrafters VP of Sales & Marketing, commenting on the decision to offer a certified version of the XCub... with a nosewheel!
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