All-Carbon, Single-Engine Jet Is Designed To Cruise At 400 Knots

Stratos Aircraft has conducted the first flight of its Stratos 716X model - registration N716X. The flight lasted 22 minutes. Flown by test pilot Sean VanHatten, the Stratos 716X is a spacious six-place jet with generous space for baggage. The all-carbon airframe, single-engine jet is designed to cruise at 400 knots. The first flight was a full power takeoff and climb to 13,500 ft. A series of maneuvers were then conducted to evaluate handling characteristics. The flight is the first of an extensive flight test program that will span the next several months. The 716X is 4.5' longer, and has a wider cabin, than the 714 Proof of Concept (PoC) aircraft introduced at Oshkosh in 2017.

New Ticket Sales For PA18 SuperCub Begin August 10

As with many other activities associated with the late and lamented EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2020, the cancellation of this year's fly-in means that the 2020 Great Airplane Raffle has also been suspended. This EAA Aviation Foundation raffle supports EAA's many education, preservation, and outreach programs. EAA has received permission from the Wisconsin Department of Administration – Office of Charitable Gaming to cancel the current raffle and relaunch it later this year. All 2020 raffle activities have been paused, with letters going to those who have already purchased tickets. Those purchasers can either receive a complete refund if they contact EAA as instructed in the letter prior to Augus

"The Agency Is Following A Deliberate Process"

The FAA and Boeing noted that they have completed the certification flight tests on the Boeing 737 MAX. During three days of testing this past week, FAA pilots and engineers evaluated Boeing’s proposed changes in connection with the automated flight control system on the aircraft. While completion of the flights is an important milestone, a number of key tasks remain, including evaluating the data gathered during these flights. The agency is following a deliberate process and will take the time it needs to thoroughly review Boeing’s work. We will lift the grounding order only after FAA safety experts are satisfied that the aircraft meets certification standards.

COVID-19 Takes Down Annual Event

Amid COVID-19 concerns, the San Francisco Fleet Week Association has announced that the Air Show, which was scheduled for October 9-11, 2020, has been officially postponed to October 8–10, 2021 with the US Navy Blue Angels as the headlining act. "While we are disappointed to not have an air show in 2020, we can only look forward," said Jim Breen, President of The Air Show Network, the production company for the Air Show. "The 2021 Air Show will be the 40th Anniversary of San Francisco Fleet Week and we are committed to making it the best one yet."

The 'Runway To Recovery' Provides General Guidance Regards COVID-19

SecTrans Elaine Chao has announced public health guidance to airlines and airports for the recovery of the Nation’s air transportation system from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency. The Runway to Recovery was developed by the Department of Transportation, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Homeland Security. It provides general guidance and recommends specific public health measures airlines and airports should take to mitigate risks associated with COVID-19. The guidance will enhance public health risk reduction to support an increase in travel volume while ensuring that aviation safety and security are not compromis

From 2015: In Flying, One’s ‘Attitude’ is More Important Than Just About Any Other Concept

It’s all about the angle of attack (AOA), and ANN CEO and Editor-In-Chief, Jim Campbell, took the opportunity at Sun ‘n Fun 2015 to check in with James Buck, the director of flight operations for Aspen Avionics. Jim starts the interview by asking how Aspen came up with an angle of attack system that appears to have no external appendages or measuring systems on the outside of the airframe. Buck describes how they do it and finishes by saying, “Its

The Core Stage Will Provide More Than 2 Million Pounds Of Thrust

The flight computers and avionics of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s core stage for the Artemis I mission were recently powered on and have completed a thorough systems checkout. The test used Green Run software that was developed for the test and loaded in the flight computers for the first time. The SLS avionics power on and checkout was the second of eight tests in the Green Run test series at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, where the core stage is installed in the B-2 Test Stand.

F-35 Simulators Connect For The First Time With Other USAF Aircraft At Nellis AFB

Lockheed Martin, the Joint Program Office and the Air Force successfully connected the F-35, F-22, F-16 and E3 Sentry in a highly contested simulated environment during a Distributed Mission Training final acceptance test at Nellis AFB, Nevada. This simulated training event was the first time these platforms were connected virtually. Additional platforms such as the F-15 can also connect into this shared virtual environment. The F-35 DMT capability creates interoperability across military platforms for continuation training and large force exercises. The initial delivery at Nellis AFB is a major step forward as it establishes the framework for F-35 simulators around

Aero Linx: The Vietnam Helicopter Flight Crew Network (VHFCN) The Vietnam Helicopter Flight Crew Network (VHFCN) is a non profit veterans organization dedicated to the fulfillment of the following purposes: To provide a forum for recreational communications amongst a fraternity of aircrew members who served in Vietnam during the period 1961-75. Topics cover the entire spectrum from Vietnam to reunions and everything in between. The Vietnam Helicopter Flight Crew Network (VHFCN) is for the enjoyment of all regular members and potential regular members of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) or the Vietnam Helicopter Crew Members Association (VHCMA). You need not belong to either organizati

Airline Reportedly Lost $140 Million In The First Quarter

Israeli flag carrier, El Al, has suspended all operations as of July 1st... following a number of days of turmoil, magnified by a pilot action in which their union declared that the aviators would no longer fly for the company. This follows a bad first quarter in which the airline reportedly lost $140 million in the first quarter versus the previous year's loss of $55 million over the same time the previous year. The airline's revenue also reportedly dropped 25% to $321 million. Operating losses also grew by 75% to some $93 million.

Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI) An airport lighting facility providing vertical visual approach slope guidance to aircraft during approach to landing by radiating a directional pattern of high intensity red and white focused light beams which indicate to the pilot that he/she is “on path” if he/she sees red/white, “above path” if white/white, and “below path” if red/red. Some airports serving large aircraft have three-bar VASIs which provide two visual glide paths to the same runway.

"While completion of the flights is an important milestone, a number of key tasks remain, including evaluating the data gathered during these flights. The agency is following a deliberate process and will take the time it needs to thoroughly review Boeing’s work. We will lift the grounding order only after FAA safety experts are satisfied that the aircraft meets certification standards." Source: Excerpted from an FAA statement describing the current state of FAA activity involved in getting the Boeing 737 MAX back to flying status.