High-Altitude Endurance Flight Glider

Thales and Iridium have joined the Perlan project, the infamous ultra-high-altitude, continuous flight program. The engineless glider can now avail itself of the Iridium communications network, offering the world's highest internet hot spot at more than 65,000 feet. Perlan will use their newfound connectivity for inflight communications, as well as live streaming from both the glider and its Egret super tow plane. Currently, the team was unable to travel to Argentina as planned due to pandemic restrictions around the world. Perlan has used that downtime well, however, completing the installation of the Thales Flightlink equipment in late 2021. 

Los Angeles Area Set for Peak Demand in February

General aviation pilots hoping to fly into Los Angeles, California from February 6th to the 14th will be required to follow special air traffic procedures put into action with the Super Bowl sporting event occurring in the vicinity.  The new NOTAM's publication was accompanied by familiarization aids from the FAA, showing a few LA-area airports on video. Pilots can see the actual runway approach, taxi procedures, and more with on-screen graphics and visuals to identify hot spots and other safety-sensitive issues ahead of their trip. A reservation program for aircraft parking will be in effect as well, according to the agency. Pilots interested in leaving their plane at a number of local airport

SpaceX Launch Delivers 44 SuperDove Satellites

Planet, an ecological space surveillance company, has successfully launched their Flock 4X satellite cloud, adding 44 to their fleet of roughly 200 already in orbit. The delivery was made in conjunction with SpaceX by sending the new additions aboard a Falcon 9X, bringing its track record with Planet up to 127 satellites across 8 launches. The new mission was the first under a recent multi-year, multiple launch rideshare agreement between the two. 

Funding Given to Foster Next Generation of Aviation Maintenance Personnel

The US Department of Transportation has awarded $5 million in grants in an effort to "develop a diverse talent pool of aviation maintenance technicians," ahead of a forecasted shortfall in qualified personnel in the coming years. The Aviation Maintenance Technical Workers Workforce Development Grant is awarded to those organizations that teach technical skills and prepare participants for future careers in aviation maintenance. This iteration of grants has gone to a variety of locations, ranging from school districts, community colleges, training facilities, universities, and even state departments of education and transportation. One DC-area organization, the Internati

National Aeronautic Association Opens Collier Nominations

The NAA is now accepting nominations for their Robert J. Collier Trophy, an interesting award meant to bring attention to the real world, effective aeronautical advancements made over the preceding year. The trophy will be presented in June at a formal NAA dinner celebrating the event. Recent winners include the Boeing X-37B team, the inventors of the F-35’s auto GCS team, Blue Origin’s New Shepard, and NASA’s JPL. The association describes their criteria by saying "The Robert J. Collier Trophy is awarded annually, for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicl

UAV Survey and Mapping Company Obtains 3.3-Mile Approval on DoD Project

Censys Technologies obtained Beyond Visual Line of Sight approval for Architecture, Engineering, Constructions, Operations, and Management (AECOM), maintaining the company's 100% BVLOS waiver approval rate. The infrastructure consulting firm aids designers, engineers, environmentalists, and construction specialists in their efforts to map and survey projects in the making. Their record of approval is vital to keeping  timeframes and schedules as planned, important considerations in construction when projects involve a litany of moving parts to maintain an efficient building pace. 

Australian Subsidiary Reduces Capacity by 25% in Jan/Feb Amid Rising COVID Cases

Virgin's wing down under has announced a series of reductions across its travel network by an estimated 25% through January and February, citing an increase of mandatory isolations for COVID-exposed staff and a drop in airline travel demand. The move isn't the only one this month, as similar trends have been seen across the industry with cancellations in everything from industry conferences to movie releases. The move will reportedly suspend some of the lower-demand routes, including 9 domestic Australian flights and its only international flight to Fiji. Australia's COVID regulations have made a name for themselves in recent memory, becoming somewhat renowned fo

From 2017: MD Helicopters Introduces New Concept Aircraft…

MD Helicopters introduced a new concept aircraft at Heli-EXPO 2017, in Dallas, that the company says will fill a number of gaps in the helicopter market. Craig Kitchen, Chief Commercial Officer for MD Helicopters, told ANN CEO and Editor in Chief Jim Campbell that the missions for the MD6XX helicopter will range from a top level gunship platform that offers speed and endurance to an EMS aircraft. The MD6XX has been designed to improve max gross takeoff weight performance from the standard 600 airframe. It will also have a faster cruise speed, a five-hour endurance, and a 500 nautical mile

Pilot Stated... That He Encountered Wake Turbulence On Short Final

On December 16, 2021, about 1007 eastern standard time, a Cirrus SR22, N162AM, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Knoxville, Tennessee. The commercial pilot was fatally injured, and the passenger received serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. A review of preliminary radar data and voice transcriptions revealed the pilot of N162AM was conducting practice approaches at the time of the accident event. Air traffic control (ATC) advised N162AM to extend their downwind and issued a traffic advisory for an Airbus A320 on a 3-mile final.

Traffic Management Program Alert A term used in a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued in conjunction with a special traffic management program to alert pilots to the existence of the program and to refer them to either the Notices to Airmen publication or a special traffic management program advisory message for program details. The contraction TMPA is used in NOTAM text.

Aero Linx: The Air Charter Association of North America (ACANA) The Air Charter Association of North America (ACANA) invites you to become a part of the ACANA community of brokers and operators worldwide. Our membership is open to companies associated with chartering aircraft globally. Our members strive to adhere to the highest standards of ethics, integrity and professionalism. ACANA is the universally accepted industry authority concerning matters of air charter regulation and best practices, thereby elevating the standard in the North American private air charter marketplace. For our members, we endeavor to be the definitive source of information and guidance, continually raising the quality

"The Robert J. Collier Trophy is awarded annually, for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly demonstrated by actual use during the preceding year. In order to nominate an individual, entity, or company, they must have been engaged in the "development and manufacturing of aerospace products in the USA." Source: From a statement by the NAA, which is now accepting nominations for their Robert J. Collier Trophy, an interesting award meant to bring attention to the real world, effective aeronautical advancements made over the preceding year. The trophy will be presented i