“Sentinel 2 is the next important milestone to deploy Europe´s Copernicus program for which Airbus Defence and Space is a key contributor. In particular, we are prime contractor for five of the seven Sentinel missions, and have built state of the art instruments and components for the others, such as the radar of Sentinel-1A that is working perfectly in orbit.”  Source: François Auque, Head of Space Systems. After six months of intensive testing, the first Sentinel-2 satellite developed and built by Airbus Defence and Space for the European Space Agency (ESA) is getting ready for its mission in space.

Also: Bell 505 Update, Mooney Update, UAV Hysteria, AAR Sells Telair, True Blue Power, More UAV Waivers, Flyers Rights

The Bombardier CSeries CS300 airliner made its first flight today from Montreal's Mirabel airport. After a weather cancellation Thursday and nearly hour's delay this morning, the CS300 took off at 1100, ET, after dealing with an issue with the flight test monitoring system. Once fixed, C-FFDK took off from runway 24 without any problems and engaged in a 'picture perfect' 5 hour test flight. ANN also just learned of the passing of Science Fiction TV/Movie Icon, Leonard Nimoy, whose 'Mr. Spock' character inspired many to dream of great things. The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation approved Christopher Hart as chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board on February 26, sending the nomination to the full Senate. Hart originally served with the NTSB from 1

Videographer/Reporters Needed For Airborne Unlimited Program Expansion

Aero-News and Airborne are expanding--and innovating! And we're seeking additional on-air video journalist(s) to assist us with our Feature and Scheduled programming. These are autonomous `one man/woman band` positions where you must be as comfortable behind the camera as in front of it. You will be responsible for presenting aviation/aerospace related news stories on camera while often handling all audio, video and lighting as well as editing the final product. The ideal candidate will be an experienced videographer and editor, with prior on-air experience. Being knowledgeable of the Aviation Industry is highly recommended (and will need to be learned, regardless).

Also: Pioneering Space, IMC Clubs, BizJet Forecast, R44 SAIB, Twin Otter Upgrade, Cecil Field's Naval Influx

The saga of Santa Monica Airport in California continues as the NBAA has called into question new moves to diminish access to the airport.The Association’s latest statements about preserving airport access follows vote by the Santa Monica Airport Commission recommending that the city council move ahead to implement costly new leases for tenants, close a portion of the airport’s runway and enact a new emissions ordinance. If you have never seen an F-22 Raptor strut-Its-stuff, the Air Force is going to make it easier for you to know where you can see it live. The U.S. Air Force Air Combat Command F-22 Raptor demonstration has released their 2015 air show schedule, with the first performance set for the Melbourne, Florida Air & Space show held at Melbourne International Airport March 2

Also: Pioneering Space, IMC Clubs, BizJet Forecast, R44 SAIB, Twin Otter Upgrade, Cecil Field's Naval Influx

The saga of Santa Monica Airport in California continues as the NBAA has called into question new moves to diminish access to the airport. The Association’s latest statements about preserving airport access follows vote by the Santa Monica Airport Commission recommending that the city council move ahead to implement costly new leases for tenants, close a portion of the airport’s runway and enact a new emissions ordinance. If you have never seen an F-22 Raptor strut-Its-stuff, the Air Force is going to make it easier for you to know where you can see it live. The U.S. Air Force Air Combat Command F-22 Raptor demonstration has released their 2015 air show schedule, with the first performance set for the Melbourne, Florida Air & Space show held at Melbourne International Airport March

Also: Rutan Celebration, Orbis Flying Eye Hospital, Prince Harry, 1300th PC-12, Malaysian Pipers, Chalet Suzanne Auction

NASA’s Orion spacecraft continues on the agency’s journey to Mars as engineers analyze data from the spacecraft’s December flight test and make progress developing and building the spacecraft for its first mission atop NASA Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket. By the end of the year, engineers hope to have the primary structure for Orion’s next mission to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for processing. Meanwhile, every piece of data and each element of the spacecraft flown in the December test is being analyzed and compared to pre-flight models to improve Orion’s design. The head of the Air Line Pilots Association wrote in a recent editorial for USA Today that pilots see UAVs as a "potential danger" to the safety of airliners in the U.S. Capt

Also: Rutan Celebration, Orbis Flying Eye Hospital, Prince Harry, 1300th PC-12, Malaysian Pipers, Chalet Suzanne Auction

NASA’s Orion spacecraft continues on the agency’s journey to Mars as engineers analyze data from the spacecraft’s December flight test and make progress developing and building the spacecraft for its first mission atop NASA Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket. By the end of the year, engineers hope to have the primary structure for Orion’s next mission to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for processing. Meanwhile, every piece of data and each element of the spacecraft flown in the December test is being analyzed and compared to pre-flight models to improve Orion’s design. The head of the Air Line Pilots Association wrote in a recent editorial for USA Today that pilots see UAVs as a "potential danger" to the safety of airliners in the U.S. Captain Tim Canoll wrote that, while ALPA is n

Also: Antarctic Balloon, Royal Albanian Team?, A400M Refuel, A4A Joins UAV Program, AFASF Standdown, WAI Award

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft has announced that Transport Canada inspectors have issued the flight permit that allows the first CS300 flight test vehicle to join the flight test program. The CS300 aircraft's first flight is expected to occur during the period February 26 – 28. The aircraft is expected to perform a series of handling and system calibration tests, at a wide range of altitudes and speeds. The private non-profit organization Mars One ... which plans to send human volunteers on a one-way trip to colonize Mars ... has named 50 men and 50 women to proceed to the next round of the Mars One Astronaut Selection Process. Mars One has a goal of establishing the colony on the red planet in 2025. It appears EAA's Ford Tri-Motor flew a record number of passengers during its tour stop la

Also: Seeker Certified, Aero-Calendar, UAV NPRM, KingAir Service, Durban Airshow Cancelled, PC-21 #100

Becker Avionics International has introduced a new ADS-B based tracking and surveillance system for flight and ground operations. The system is called ATLASS, short for ADS-B Traffic Localization and Surveillance System. ATLASS is a state-of-the-art, stand-alone ADS-B traffic monitoring system that provides a recognized air and ground situational awareness picture.  The situation awareness capability provided by ATLASS provides unique surface applications that can apply to specialized operations that combine air and ground coordination. TTD President Ed Wytkind and Secretary-Treasurer Larry Willis were re-elected to their respective positions during TTD’s 25th anniversary convention and Executive Committee meeting. TTD represents 32 transportation unions in all sectors of transportation to pro