F-35 Pilot Ejects, KC-130J Crew of 8 Safe After Bellying Into Open Field

There are nine people, all serving in the US Marine Corps, that appear to be incredibly lucky to be alive this day. A USMC F-35B tanking off another USMC KC-130J were involved in a midair collision that ultimately downed both birds. The F-35B pilot ejected near the Salton Sea and the aircraft descended to impact and destruction... while the KC-130J wound up bellying in, in an open field despite the fact that it was severely damaged and at least two engine were severely compromised and God only knows what else. The Southern California accident took place at approximately 1600 and the KC-130J came down near unpopulated territory near the city of Thermal. The 130J crew walked aw

Also: NASA Polishes Image, Drone Airspace Access, All-Electric Ecomax Heli, 1st Brazilian Gripen

One of the efforts ANN and Jim Campbell are best known for, are our flight test reports. However; the amount of work required to keep ANN on the straight and level hasn’t allowed us to do any for a while. Further; we’ve been aggressively pursuing a new plan for how to conduct them in terms of the many media options currently available. Well... for now, the highly detailed and long-awaited flight test report on the Pipistrel Panthera is now online with parts 1 and 2, so far, of the massive 8000 wo

Dickson’s Flight Took Two Hours

FAA Boss Steve Dickson fulfilled his promise today to pilot the Boeing 737 MAX before the Federal Aviation Administration approves the aircraft’s return to service. Dickson’s flight took two hours and included a number of scenarios to demonstrate the proposed software and design changes to the aircraft’s automated flight control system. Dickson, along with FAA Deputy Administrator Dan Elwell, completed the new recommended pilot training for the aircraft on Tuesday. While Dickson’s flight is an important milestone, a number of key steps remain in the FAA’s evaluation of Boeing’s proposed changes to the aircraft’s flight control system and training.

Astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker, and Soichi Noguchi Are Ready

NASA and SpaceX are beginning a regular cadence of missions with astronauts launching on an American rocket from American soil to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 is the first crew rotation mission with four astronauts flying on a commercial spacecraft, and the first including an international partner.  NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker, and Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are set to launch to the space station on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket. The Crew-1 astronauts named the spacecraft Resilien

Objective Was To Execute A Beyond Visual Line-Of-Sight (BVLOS) Mission

Bell has conducted a successful flight of the Bell Autonomous Pod Transport (APT) 70 as part of a joint flight demonstration with NASA. Bell was selected to participate in NASA’s Systems Integration and Operationalization (SIO) activity in 2018, which includes multiple flight demonstrations focusing on different types of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and their flight environments. The objective of Bell’s SIO demonstration was to execute a Beyond Visual Line-of-Sight (BVLOS) mission in an urban environment transitioning into and out of Class B airspace representing future commercial flights.

The Leak Location Was Traced To The Main Work Area Of The Zvezda Service Module

Late Monday night, the Expedition 63 crew was awakened by flight controllers to continue troubleshooting a small leak on the International Space Station that appeared to grow in size. Ground analysis of the modules tested overnight have isolated the leak location to the main work area of the Zvezda Service Module. Additional work is underway to precisely locate the source of the leak. The leak, which has been investigated for several weeks, poses no immediate danger to the crew at the current leak rate and only a slight deviation to the crew’s schedule.

From 2016: Taking A Good Airplane And Making It Better…

Sun ‘n Fun 2016 could also be called Sun ’n Big Bucks 2016 when it comes to the corporate aviation aircraft on display. ANN CEO and Editor-In-Chief, Jim Campbell, stopped to talk with Socata about the new addition to their TBM 900 series of very fast single engine turboprop airplanes. Socata introduced their new TBM model 930 for the first time on the North American Continent at Sun ‘n Fun. Jim met up with Nicolas Chabbert, who is the CEO of Socata North America, and asked the question of what were the advances made wi

Award Established To Recognize Drone Missions to Help People, Animals and the Environment

Six organizations that pioneer new ways to use drones for good are winners of the XCELLENCE Humanitarian and Public Safety Awards from the Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems International (AUVSI). The award, sponsored by DJI, will be announced on October 8 during AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2020. "This year's AUVSI XCELLENCE Award winners highlight the most inspiring ways drone technology has been used over the past year to aid people, animals and the environment," said Wayne Baker, Director of Public Safety Integration at DJI.

Original Port Columbus Air Terminal To Serve As New Home

The recently established non-profit, Ohio Air & Space Hall of Fame and Museum (OAS), announced that it has signed a long term lease with the Columbus Regional Airport Authority (CRAA) for the original 1929 Port Columbus air terminal and tower, a rare architectural treasure located at 4920 East Fifth Avenue, at John Glenn International Airport (CMH) in Columbus, Ohio. The State of Ohio appropriated a $550,000 grant toward OAS's estimated $2 million cost of renovating the 12,000 square-foot-plus, Art Deco-style air terminal, which has been in disuse for nearly fifteen years despite being on the National Register of Historic Places.

Aircraft Also Features A Ballistic Recovery System

SAMAD aerospace, the British hybrid electric VTOL aviation company is pleased to launch its concept for Q-Starling, a high-end Personal Air Vehicle (PAV). Combining the benefits of traditional flight with VTOL capabilities, the Q-Starling will seat two passengers and can be flown by pilots with an anticipated appropriate class rating. The cockpit has been designed to automotive standards of comfort and will include additional transparencies and synthetic vision to enhance situational awareness. Q-Starling will be powered by a hybrid-electric turbo-generator which will provide power for a large diameter hover fan and a fly-by-wire controlled 'Reaction Control System' (RCS). The turbo-generator will

Aero Linx: The British Aerobatic Association We were founded in 1974 to represent the interests of all those concerned with aerobatic flying in powered aircraft and in gliders, by promoting and organising all aspects of competition aerobatics in the UK, including progressive training, proper conduct and furtherance of the sport. The British Aerobatic Association Limited is a Company incorporated with its liability limited by guarantee and not having any share capital. We are recognised by The Royal Aero Club of the United Kingdom as the governing body of sport aerobatics.  

Discrete Frequency A separate radio frequency for use in direct pilot-controller communications in air traffic control which reduces frequency congestion by controlling the number of aircraft operating on a particular frequency at one time. Discrete frequencies are normally designated for each control sector in en route/terminal ATC facilities. Discrete frequencies are listed in the Chart Supplement U.S. and the DOD FLIP IFR En Route Supplement.

“NASA is excited to partner with Bell to help accelerate routine UAS operations into the national airspace with this successful flight demo. Our efforts with Bell and our other SIO industry partners will help commercial UAS move closer towards certification to make missions like this transport flight a common event.” Source: Mauricio Rivas, UAS integration in the NAS project manager at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, commenting on Bell's successful flight of the Bell Autonomous Pod Transport (APT) 70 as part of a joint flight demonstration with NASA. Bell was selected to participate in NASA’s Systems Integration and Operationalization (SIO) activity in 2018, which includes multiple flight demonstration