Also: Second Boeing 777X Flies, CO Airport Closure Questioned, UK Pilot Union, Skydio Donations

The successful completion of Virgin Galactic’s first SpaceShipTwo test flight from Spaceport America has just taken place. This glide flight marks the inaugural solo flight of VSS Unity in New Mexico. On SpaceShipTwo’s flight deck were Dave Mackay and CJ Sturckow who, together with the team in Mission Control, executed some of the key elements of a spaceflight profile. These included take-off and landing along with high-altitude release from the mothership, VMS Eve, which was piloted by Michael Ma

'Homesafe' Activated Manually By A Prominent Orange Button On Panel

Daher has unveiled technical details for its TBM 940 very fast turboprop aircraft in the Model Year 2020 version, which is equipped with HomeSafe - an emergency system that automatically brings the airplane to a runway touchdown if the pilot becomes incapacitated. The system is activated manually by a prominent orange button atop the cockpit instrument panel. Its software integrates weather, traffic and terrain information to select the best airport for landing, taking into account fuel range and runway length. HomeSafe is available as a part of the G3000 integrated flight deck - and has been under development for the TBM since 2017 by the Avionics Engineering Office at Daher

Bolen: GA Operations Have Declined More Than 70 Percent

NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen (pictured below) asked Congress to build on the CARES Act in calling for continued, targeted relief for the nation's general aviation (GA) industry, including business aviation, in written testimony submitted before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. "Since early March, general aviation operations have declined more than 70 percent, resulting in severe economic consequences for a wide variety of businesses, from aircraft operators to airports and aviation manufacturers," reads the testimony submitted for the hearing, "The State of the Aviation Industry: Examining the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic," convened May 6 by committee

11,000 Employees To Return-To-Work Over The Next Few Weeks

Bombardier is about to begin the process of recalling most of its Canadian based employees who were placed on furlough following government mandates enacted to slow the spread of COVID-19. Suspended manufacturing and service activities will gradually resume as of May 11. Nearly 11,000 employees are expected to be back to work across Aviation and Transportation segments and Bombardier’s Corporate Office. Return-to-work schedules will vary by site and be subject to new procedures to ensure employee health and safety. Site and function leaders will be communicating specific plans and dates directly to employees. All recalled employees whose physical presence is not required at Bombardie

Partnership to Enable the Development of High Speed Point-to-Point Technologies

Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company have signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA to facilitate the development of high speed technologies. The Space Act Agreement (“SAA”), is set to enable and foster collaboration between NASA, Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company in order to advance the United States’ efforts to produce technically feasible, high Mach vehicles for potential civil applications. Virgin Galactic believes that it is able to leverage its robust platform of advanced technologies, significant vertically integrated design, engineering and manufacturing capabilities, and thousands of hours of flight testing to develop additional aer

Military Flyovers To Support Local Healthcare Professionals

2nd Marine Aircraft Wing and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point will honor healthcare professionals with a flyover across Eastern North Carolina, specifically over Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune, Carolina East Medical Center, and Carteret Health Center, around noon on May 7th. Representatives from the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing note that, "This flyover showcases our continued support to those working on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19. We stand with those who have dedicated themselves to ensuring the safety, health, and well-being of all those who need assistance, especially during a time like this...."

DJI Sponsors Inaugural AUVSI XCELLENCE Humanitarian Award

Five organizations that flew drones on critical, life-saving missions were recognized with the inaugural XCELLENCE Humanitarian Award by the Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems International (AUVSI). The award, which is sponsored by DJI was presented at the AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2018 conference at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado. These first recipients of the AUVSI XCELLENCE Humanitarian Award were recognized for using drones, also known as unmanned aircraft systems, for disaster management, medical assistance, and search-and-

Telework Operations Team Managed To Get A-10 Returned To Flight

An A-10 Thunderbolt II damaged in a deployed location was quickly returned to service after a remote engineering assessment, while disbursed in response to COVID-19. After a mission, maintenance crews needed to repair battle damage on an A-10 consisting of a bullet hole in the underbelly skin with an unknown exit point for the projectile. Despite the challenge of teleworking, an Air Force Life Cycle Management Center team of engineers from the A-10 Division at Hill Air Force Base, Utah was formed to assess the damage.

Pilot's Union Renews Call for Mandatory Compliance

The Air Line Pilots Association has released a report detailing airlines’ lack of compliance with federal public health guidelines, as U.S. senators prepare to hear testimony on the state of the aviation industry and more pilots test positive for COVID-19. The report contains deidentified first-hand accounts from ALPA pilots flying at 17 different airlines—all indicating why it is necessary for Congress to mandate that airlines follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance and FAA recommendations (outlined in Safety Alert for Operators 20009) for COVID-19 health monitoring, employee exposure notification, and workplace cleaning and disinfection.

Rejected Takeoff Results In Runway Overrun

On April 24, 2020, about 1520 eastern daylight time, an Israel Aircraft Industries 1125 Astra SP, Venezuelan registration YV3427, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE), Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The airline transport pilot, commercial copilot, and one passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that he was conducting a takeoff on runway 27 with the intended destination of Simón Bolívar International Airport (CCS), Maiquetía, Venezuela. During the takeoff roll, at rotation speed, the airplane did not respond when the pilot pu

DOD FLIP Department of Defense Flight Information Publications used for flight planning, en route, and terminal operations. FLIP is produced by the National Geospatial−Intelligence Agency (NGA) for world-wide use. United States Government Flight Information Publications (en route charts and instrument approach procedure charts) are incorporated in DOD FLIP for use in the National Airspace System (NAS).

Aero Linx: American Kitefliers Association The AKA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to sharing kiting with the world. The American Kitefliers Association was founded in 1964 by the late Robert M. Ingraham of New Mexico. Now, with thousands of members in 25 countries, we are the largest association of kiters in the world. Our purpose is to educate the public in the art, history, technology, and practice of building and flying kites – to advance the joys and values of kiting in all nations. We strive to promote public awareness of the pleasures and educational opportunities that kites provide. They can remind us about how we interact with our environment and each other. Kites can b

"The TBM 940 redefines safety and reliability in its category, and continues Daher's pragmatic introduction of cockpit automation for lower pilot workload and enhanced situational awareness. This latest step extends our innovation into a feature that specifically addresses operational safety from passenger point of view." Source: Nicolas Chabbert, the Senior Vice President of Daher's Aircraft Division, in comments made in association with technical details revelaed for its TBM 940 Model Year 2020 version, which is equipped with HomeSafe - an emergency system that automatically brings the airplane to a runway touchdown if the pilot becomes incapacitated.