Flameout Pattern An approach normally conducted by a single-engine military aircraft experiencing loss or anticipating loss of engine power or control. The standard overhead approach starts at a relatively high altitude over a runway (“high key”) followed by a continuous 180 degree turn to a high, wide position (“low key”) followed by a continuous 180 degree turn final. The standard straight-in pattern starts at a point that results in a straight-in approach with a high rate of descent to the runway. Flameout approaches terminate in the type approach requested by the pilot (normally fullstop).

“We have brought in additional supply-chain partners and have to understand how we end up with a better-integrated plan. For instance, we were asking Rolls-Royce for equipment before we were ready for it or before we were ready to certify.” Source: Vertical Aerospace chief technology officer, MIchael Cervenka, discussing the issues that have pushed their certification timetable back towards the end of 2026 after a confluence of factors began to induce drag on operations.  

Holding Out for a Hero

The Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) announced on 30 May 2023 that it is accepting bids from airports and localities seeking to partner with the organization for purpose of hosting future air racing events. On 09 March 2023, the Reno Air Racing Association’s board of directors regretfully announced that 2023’s 59th National Championship Air Races—spanning 13 through 17 September—are to be the last held at Reno, Nevada’s Reno-Stead Airport (4SD).

The Bigger They Are …

North Carolina-based charter and fractional ownership concern Jet It—the world’s 12th largest private jet operator by the metrics of charter and fractional flight hours—is reportedly shuttering the entirety of its flight operations. On 26 May, Jet It informed its employees by way of letter that the company was closing down and their jobs were permanently terminated. Jet It CEO Glenn Gonzales has ascribed blame for his company’s failure to HondaJet exclusively, claiming the plane-maker’s Honda HA-420 HondaJet is inherently flawed. Mr. Gonzales’s allegations were subsequently condemned by the HondaJet Owners & Pilots Association (HJOPA), a group representing HondaJet owners.

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Virgin Galactic has successfully completed its Unity 25 space mission, thinking this makes them ready for commercial service after just a few handfuls of flights. Mission specialists Jamila Gilbert, Christopher Huie, and Luke Mays ventured spaceward for purpose of conducting final end-to-end assessments of Virgin Galactic’s Unity spacecraft and overall spaceflight experience. The first delivery of Cessna's passenger-layout SkyCourier was tendered to Western Aircraft, Inc last week, kicking off the industry's next favorite twin-turboprop, light commuter twin - or so Textron hopes. The delivery marks off the first time a passenger SkyCourier has made its way into operator hands, with previous deliveries consisting solely of cargo variants. GAMA released its first-quarter 2023 General Aviation Aircraft Shipment and Billing Report—compared to the same period in 2022&m

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Textron has unveiled the Cessna Citation Ascend, the newest model in Cessna’s proven and popular 560XL series. Made public on the eve of 2023’s European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE), the Citation Ascend—by virtue of its wholly redesigned cockpit, improved performance, and a more luxurious cabin—pleasantly disrupts the midsize business jet market. Representatives of Airbus’s Perlan Mission II announced its pilots and engineers had completed a successful flight test campaign in the Southwestern U.S., thereby clearing the way for a 2023 attempt to set a new aviation world altitude record for manned, level flight. The pressurized Perlan II glider—which, in 2018, set the subsonic world altitude record at over 76,000-feet—was shipped from the U.S. on 01 May and is currently enroute to El Calafate, Argentina. A sa