The Short Road from Reductionism to Peril

In a working paper filed with the aviation standards body, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) requested on behalf of its member states that the "necessary enablers" be created "for a safe and globally harmonized introduction of Part 121 operations of large, transport category aircraft by single pilots. Notwithstanding vehement urgings to the contrary by pilots and pilots’ unions, EASA asserts Single Pilot Operations (SPO) of airliners could commence as early as 2027.

In the Service of the King

Sandpoint, Idaho-based Tamarack Aerospace has submitted a claim this week to the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) and the European Federation Aeronautique International (FAI) for two city-pair flight records. The flights were undertaken in a King Air 350 retrofitted with Tamarack's proven and popular Performance SMARTWING technology.

NASA’s Artemis I Mission Proceeding Apace

NASA’s Orion capsule reached the moon Monday 21 November 2022, passing around the celestial body’s far side, then firing its engines to pass within a scant 81-miles of the lunar surface. The flyby represents an important milestone in NASA’s $93-billion Artemis Project, and occasions the first instance in which a capsule has drawn so near the moon since the Apollo 17 command module departed lunar orbit in December 1972.

Another Battle for a Small Airport Takes Place in Massachusetts

A small local airport in Great Barrington, Massachusetts is under fire in the traditional method, with local bodies looking to close the Walter J. Koladza Airport (KGBR). Friends of the Great Barrington Airport have opened a petition seeking to maintain the airport, and they're looking for signatures to bolster their numbers. If successful, the group will obtain a permit for the private airport to continue operations for the next 100 years. The group says that Barrington has been "targeted with legal action in Boston Land Court for probable closure by private citizens who seem to want to stop it from operating".

Of High Wings and High Expectations

The RV-15 is an amateur-built, all-metal, two-place, back-country aircraft being developed by Van's Aircraft of Aurora, Oregon. The machine made its public debut to much fanfare at the EAA’s AirVenture 2022 hootenanny. Though production of RV-15 kits is expected to commence in 2023, Van’s is not yet accepting deposits for delivery positions thereof. Known for low-wing models such as its wildly popular RV-4, Van’s decision to develop the high-wing RV-15 was surprising, and predicated largely upon customer input.

Also: NOAA Polar Satellite, Joby’s eVTOL, Student Aviation Expo, Aero-TV: MagniX

Archer Aviation and United Airlines announced their first city pairing, a route between United’s hub at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and the Downtown Manhattan Heliport. The route will take passengers near New York's Battery Park on Pier 6 at the Heliport. The site will eventually become a node in a greater Urban Air Mobility network across the greater New York Metropolitan Area once additional capacity and approval is ready. Fruity Chutes has announced a partnership with Matternet in their Type Certification program for the M2 Drone. Fruity Chute

 

Also: NOAA Polar Satellite, Joby’s eVTOL, Student Aviation Expo, Aero-TV: MagniX

Archer Aviation and United Airlines announced their first city pairing, a route between United’s hub at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and the Downtown Manhattan Heliport. The route will take passengers near New York's Battery Park on Pier 6 at the Heliport. The site will eventually become a node in a greater Urban Air Mobility network across the greater New York Metropoli

Adam Richardson Begins Tenure as Manufacturer's New Chief Operating Officer

The resurgent Enstrom Helicopter Corporation has some new blood in charge, nearly a month after the imperiled company's purchase by Chuck Surack. While some worried that Enstrom's Chapter 7 filing might put an end to its 60-year history, Surack's energetic approach to rotary-wing aviation appears to have given the outfit a second wind. The company plans to ramp up production up to 24 aircraft next year, with 2 new-manufacture helicopters ready for next year's Heli-Expo 2023.

Dawn of the Micro-Suicide Drone Swarm

Elbit Systems Ltd., an Israel-based international defense electronics company, has developed a new drone dubbed Lanius which the company touts as a “highly maneuverable and versatile drone-based loitering munition designed for short-range operation in the urban environment.”

Controller Stated, “I'm Receiving A Low Altitude Alert. Check Your Altitude”

On March 8, 2022, at 1846 central standard time, a Cessna 182Q airplane, N182XT, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP), Panama City, Florida. The private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated by the pilot as a personal flight conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

Aero Linx: The International Airline Medical Association The International Airline Medical Association (formerly known as the Airline Medical Directors Association AMDA) provides a forum for any individual who has an interest in Aviation Medicine as it affects International and Domestic Airlines. It was founded in 1935. Its main aim is to improve the practice and standards of aviation and industrial medicine particularly in relation to domestic and international airline operations and to encourage research and the study of medical problems in these fields.

Out Of Service/Unserviceable (U/S) When a piece of equipment, a NAVAID, a facility or a service is not operational, certified (if required) and immediately “available” for Air Traffic or public use.

“The results were eye-watering. The rocket performed and/or exceeded expectations.” Sarafin went on to say that Orion’s performance thus far has conformed to predictions or deviated from such by less than 0.3-percent."   Source: Artemis I mission manager Mike Sarafin, celebrating the fact that NASA’s Orion capsule reached the moon Monday 21 November 2022, passing around the celestial body’s far side, then firing its engines to pass within a scant 81-miles of the lunar surface. The flyby represents an important milestone in NASA’s $93-billion Artemis Project, and occasions the first instance in which a capsule has drawn so near the moon since the Apollo 17 command module departed lunar