Complexities of the Simplest Element

ZeroAvia, the British/American hydrogen/electric aircraft developer and Otto Aviation, the aerospace company founded by Los Alamos engineer Bill Otto, have entered into an agreement by which the former will integrate its ZA600 zero-emission engines into the latter’s unconventional Celera aircraft. The Celera is a prototype aircraft that seeks to improve the efficiency of flight, thereby reducing the operational costs of both commercial and general aviation. The design of the Celera’s fuselage, empennage, and wings takes advantage of laminar flow, a black-magic deriving of Bernoullian and Coandaian principals which state a fluid stream follows the contours of an adjacent surface.

New Long-Range Narrow-Body Aims for Market Niche

Airbus’s newest and largest narrow-body airliner, the A321XLR, has made its maiden flight—and in so doing moved the European air-framer closer to its goal of capitalizing on the demand for long-range, single-aisle commercial aircraft. The aircraft, MSN 11000, departed Hamburg-Finkenwerder Airport at 09:05 UTC, and remained aloft for approximately four hours and 35 minutes. The flight-crew tested the aircraft’s flight controls, engines, and major systems—including controversial flight-envelope protections—at both high and low speed.

From Oshkosh 2021 (YouTube Version): Experienced Instructor Shares Advice For Potential CFI’s

After her recent election to board chair at the National Association of Flight Instructors, Karen Kalishek shared a few moments of reflection with us at Oshkosh. Kalishek had an interesting path to becoming a CFI after discovering her passion. Flight instructing was her 3rd career, after success in banking, as a senior VP, and later the President of her own International Consulting business. Kalishek is a Designated Pilot Examiner, three-time NAFI Master Instructor, CFI, CFII, MEI, CFI-G, AGI, IGI, FAA Gold Seal Instructor and FAASTeam Lead Representativ

The Lockeford Files

Amazon, the Seattle-based, multinational technology company which focuses on e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence, has announced that customers in Lockeford, California, will start receiving package deliveries by drone later this year. The community of 3,500 will be among the first U.S. locations to receive free drone delivery of Amazon products within 30 minutes — thereby ostensibly fulfilling a promise Amazon founder Jeff Bezos made nearly a decade ago.

Contemplating the Jackass in the Year of the Tiger

Researchers have found a signal that could be from alien civilizations; so states a report from China’s science ministry. According to the report—which has since been redacted by news sources—researchers at the rather prosaically named Beijing Normal University identified “several cases of possible technological traces and extraterrestrial civilizations from outside the earth.” The signals were detected, ostensibly, by Sky Eye, the world’s largest, most sensitive single-dish radio telescope.

Texas Company Builds on Forty-Years of Saving Lives

Bell Textron Inc. has announced that CareFlite—the Texas-based nonprofit corporation sponsored by numerous, Lone Star State healthcare concerns—has signed an agreement to purchase a Bell 407GXi helicopter outfitted with an IFR configuration kit. CareFlite’s fleet of two Bell 429s and five Bell 407s provides emergency transport and long-haul patient transfers throughout Texas and Oklahoma.

Also: Boeing-Saab T-7A, Pilot Dismissed, Global Jet/CAE Partnership, Ohio State Wins

NAFI and the Pilot Proficiency Network are cooperating to promote instrument flying, pilot proficiency, and community involvement in general aviation. An agreement between the two organizations will provide a $100 discount and a free copy of PPN President Radek Wyrzykowski‘s “Becoming A CFI” book to current NAFI members seeking to create local PPN Chapters or affiliate existing flying clubs with PPN. Wyrzykowski established the Pilot Proficiency Network in March 2022. Pilot Shortage? In conjunction with ALPA’s annual Legislative Summit, pilot le

Also: Boeing-Saab T-7A, Pilot Dismissed, Global Jet/CAE Partnership, Ohio State Wins

NAFI and the Pilot Proficiency Network are cooperating to promote instrument flying, pilot proficiency, and community involvement in general aviation. An agreement between the two organizations will provide a $100 discount and a free copy of PPN President Radek Wyrzykowski‘s “Becoming A CFI” book to current NAFI members seeking to create local PPN Chapters or affiliate existing flying clubs with PPN. Wyrzykowski established the Pilot Proficiency Network in March 2022. Pilot Shortage? In conjunction with ALPA’s annual Legislative Summit, pilot le

Airplane Lifted Off The Ground, The Flaps Remained Down,  And The Airplane Appeared To Be Laboring

On May 26, 2022, at 1456 central daylight time, a Cessna 152, N4978B, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Witnesses reported that the airplane touched down long on the runway surface, then took off again. When the airplane lifted off the ground, the flaps remained down,  and the airplane appeared to be laboring. The airplane climbed just above tree height in a nose high attitude. Shortly thereafter, the wing dropped, and the airplane descended out of view.

AD 2022-12-06 Requires Repetitively Inspecting The Trim Tab Trailing Edge To Determine If Free Play Exists

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecnam S.P.A. Model P2012 Traveller airplanes. This AD was prompted by mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) originated by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as free play in the trim tab actuator and trim tab surface. This AD requires repetitively inspecting the trim tab trailing edge to determine if free play exists and taking corrective actions as needed. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these

AD 2022-13-03 Requires The Removal Of Any Installed P/N Cb2990 (Alugas) Fuel Cylinder

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Cameron Balloons Ltd. (Cameron) fuel cylinders installed on hot air balloons. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) originated by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI identifies the unsafe condition as cracks in the weld between the cylinder valve plate and the upper dished end of Cameron part number (P/N) CB2990 (Alugas) fuel cylinders, which could allow uncontrolled fuel leakage of liquid propane. This AD requires the removal of any installed P/N CB2990 (Alugas) fuel cylinder fro

Aero Linx: The Michigan Helicopter Association The Michigan Helicopter Association was formed in 1974 by a group of concerned pilots who saw a need to promote helicopter usage and safety in the state. It has since grown to almost 100 members of rotary enthusiasts. We hold monthly board meetings on the 3rd Thursday of each month to discuss activity in the industry and network on group gathering experiences of mutual interest.  

Instrument Approach Procedure [ICAO] A series of predetermined maneuvers by reference to flight instruments with specified protection from obstacles from the initial approach fix, or where applicable, from the beginning of a defined arrival route to a point from which a landing can be completed and thereafter, if a landing is not completed, to a position at which holding or en route obstacle clearance criteria apply.