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Stratolaunch is reporting that it has successfully completed the first powered flight of the Talon-A test vehicle, TA-1. This first flight represents a major milestone in the development of the country's first privately funded, reusable hypersonic test capability. Primary objectives for the flight test included accomplishing safe air-launch release of the TA-1 vehicle, engine ignition, acceleration, sustained climb in altitude, and a controlled water landing. SpaceX is gearing up for the third flight test of its Starship rocket, tentatively scheduled for March 14, pending regulatory approval. The aerospace giant has announced that a live webca
UAV Industry Dusting Off Sidelined Designs in Search of Smaller, Lighter Powerplants
The legendary sound of the old V-1 of WWII fame is back, except this time it's powering an...uncrewed, combat-ready UAV. Okay, so most everything about it is the same when it comes to the broad strokes, but in this case, the simple fact is that the autonomous aspects of drones have finally caught up to the point where having a super cheap, simplistic jet engine makes sense. North American Wave Engine Corporation got some civilian attention with the publication of its civilian-spec pulsejet engines, using their J-1 engine atop a very familiar silhouette.
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"BS" Module Offers Even Lighter, Cheaper Compliance
Dronetag announced a new offering among their portfolio of Remote ID broadcast modules, the 'Basic Solution'. The 'BS', as the Czechs unfortunately abbreviate it, tips the scales at a nigh invisible 0.035 ounces, or a single gram, making it the "tiniest and lightest remote ID solution on the current market". The module can be had as a standalone purchase for $85 or in a combined pack with enclosure, battery, charger, and antenna for 99 bucks, though they say that's more of a limited-time introductory price. Knowing their American audience, at least, Dronetag says that the upgrade to the full package comes in "at the price of a single BigMac menu", proving that Euro manufacturers really can m
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Flight Instructor Attempted To Restore Power By Manipulating The Throttle; However, The Engine Did Not Regain Power
On February 27, 2024, at 1622 eastern standard time, a Cirrus Design Corp SR20, N485DA, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Sanford, Florida. The pilot receiving instruction was seriously injured, and the flight instructor and a back seat observing pilot were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The flight departed Sanford International Airport (SFB), Sanford, Florida, at 1718 for an instrument training lesson. On the return flight to SFB, the pilot under instruction was “under the hood” conducting an instrument a
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