GPS Signal Integrity No Longer a Given in Our Brave New World

Send Solutions brought out their Spoof Proof Airtext+ product line, capping off "extensive research and development efforts" with an independently created, secure GPS receiver. When affected by suspected spoofing signals, the Airtext+ provides immediate crew notification, automatic ground reporting, and a flight deck map of non-spoofed location aids. A constant monitor of GPS position integrity uses a combination of GNSS hardware and algorithmic analysis, checking "3x the current GPS navigation satellites" to detect a spoofed signal before it is accepted into the datastream as fact.

44 Pounds of Lithium Performance Comes to the Fore

True Blue Power unveiled its newest member of the product family, the Gen5 TB50 Lithium-Ion Aircraft Battery. It's a main ship battery that fits a 50 amp-hour engine start battery into the dimensions of a standard lead-acid 44 amp-hour piece. The TB50 gives owners and operators all the usual benefits of joining the modern era with a lithium-ion battery: less weight, more power, and darn near zero maintenance. The TB50 weighs half as much and delivers twice as many amp-hours pound-for-pound over the old school kit.

Resort of Fuel Colorations Axes Old Shades for Reuse in New Types

Swift Fuels has clarified that all UL94 unleaded avgas will be delivered with a purple dye as its main distinguishing feature. "The new Purple UL94 fuel is identical to the prior UL94 fuel in terms of quality and engine performance. Swift Fuels is coordinating postings at local airfields for market awareness, but otherwise the change requires no operational changes by distribution, truck drivers, airport fuel handlers, fire safety or others involved in the supply chain. STC registered pilots will also be receiving free communications from Swift Fuels in the weeks ahead for their individual aircraft as part of our continuing FOREVER Avgas STC program."

Commemorations Roll in For Longtime Advocate

The National Aeronautic Association Board also commented on the passage of Lieutenant General Tom Stafford of the US Air Force. Their eulogy stands apart from some of the others, emphasizing Stafford's past as a general pilot and aviator over his time as a NASA astronaut and space advocate. It's an interesting thing to see, tracking the life of someone who literally climbed up the ranks from square one to eventually touch the absolute peak of aeronautics. In addition to repairing the Hubble Telescope on an EVA mission, Stafford had a hand in developing legendary aircraft like the B-1A and F-15.

Resupply Mission is Just Another Automated Mail Run

NASA is set to launch the 30th Commercial Resupply Services mission using a SpaceX Cargo Dragon spacecraft, with a launch window on March 21st at 16:55 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The launch will see the Dragon dock with the International Space Station's Harmony module in typically autonomous fashion. It will stay there for the better part of a month before heading Earthbound with cargo and research in tow. Full mission coverage will, as usual, be streamed via the NASA website about 20 minutes prior to launch. 

Mechanics Reinstalled Damaged Rudder, Send Jet on Revenue Flights

"The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposes a $175,000 civil penalty against Empyreal Jet of Houston for allegedly operating a Raytheon Hawker 800 jet when it was not airworthy following improper maintenance," reads a recent FAA notice. The issue in question? "An inspection in September 2022 found cracks in the skin of the jet’s rudder," an issue the regulator believes was solved with the reinstallation of the damaged part instead of actual repair and replacement. The FAA says that starting in October of 2022, Empyreal Jet reused the damaged rudder, returning it to service where it flew "approximately 31 revenue flights".

Another Indian Operator Inks Deal With Training Facility

Akasa Air, "India's fastest growing airline", has signed an agreement with CAE to train their future Boeing 737 pilots at the company's Indian schooling facilities. Akasa pilots will get their 737 MAX type ratings using CAE's well-trodden curriculum and modern simulators for the next 15 years. The announcement caps off the two's apparent honeymoon phase, which started when CAE began training the first wave of the upstart carrier's pilots in 2022. The deal doesn't really change much, aside from cementing their existing relationship for a long time. Akasa remains a newcomer to the market, currently operating a fleet of 23 737 MAXes across 20 cities all over India.

From Oshkosh23 (YouTube Version): The Mosquito Evolves

Formerly known as Mosquito, Trenton, Florida-based Composite FX is a designer and manufacturer of personal kit and factory-finished helicopters. The company’s offerings comprise three piston-engined models and a single jet-powered machine. The agile XE and the float-equipped XEL both make use of the 63-horsepower, two-cylinder, two-stroke, fan-air-cooled, carbureted, MZ202-powerplant. The larger XE-290 model is powered by the ninety-horsepower, two-cylinder, two-stroke, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, CFX-800 engine. Finally, the flagship XET is motivated by a 95-ho

A Pilatus PC-12 went for a brief taxiway adventure after startup, running headlong into a parked aircraft when the pilot in command failed to ensure adequate checklist adherence. The NTSB found that a February 2022 incident was largely initiated when the pilot and their pilot-rated passenger up front failed to place the power lever into the idle position before engine start. Unfortunately, they did manage to call out the command to place the lever into idle, but without manually ensuring it had been placed there physically. In the cold wintry conditions of Ronkonkoma, New York at the time, the cold engine came to life, skittering across the icy tarmac. The prop speed got up to 1,870 rpm, allowing the Pilatus to skitter across at 26 knots as the PIC tried to exercise the toe brakes

Aero Linx: The 1-26 Association (Schweizer) The Association is formed for the purpose of stimulating interest in, and promoting the sport of soaring in the Schweizer 1-26 sailplane; to establish standards for competition in the 1-26; to establish categories for record flights made in the 1-26; to disseminate information relating to the 1-26 and flights made in the 1-26, and to give recognition to its membership for accomplishments related to soaring in the 1-26.

Back-Taxi A term used by air traffic controllers to taxi an aircraft on the runway opposite to the traffic flow. The aircraft may be instructed to back-taxi to the beginning of the runway or at some point before reaching the runway end for the purpose of departure or to exit the runway.

"In his long and distinguished career, General Stafford was a fighter pilot, flight instructor, distinguished test pilot, pioneering astronaut, aerospace record-setter, author, and advisor to federal agencies and U.S. Presidents alike. He established a successful pattern that led directly from the Gemini missions to the International Space Station. His Apollo X mission was a pathfinder that laid the foundation for the successful lunar landings. Today’s international cooperation and partnership in space was forged upon the historic handshake he offered his Soviet counterpart during the Apollo-Soyuz mission in 1975." Source: From a portion of the commentary published by the NAA Board, in memory of General Tom Stafford, who pa