Also: MultiGP's IO2020 Postponed, Ehang Granted Approval, Saker-1C, ND UAS BVLOS Network

As previously reported; the FAA and AUVSI have announced the two-part virtual event for the revised FAA UAS Symposium – Remotely Piloted Edition. Episodes I and II, will take place on July 8 to 9 and August 18 to 19, 2020. The FAA is promoting some positive messaging this year... stating that, “Registering and flying your drone has never been easier — or safer. The FAA has cut the red tape and increased efficiencies by streamlining our processes and providing online access to them. Learn all about

Increases Commercial Participation in Human Spaceflight

Virgin Galactic has signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA’s Johnson Space Center to encourage commercial participation in orbital human spaceflight to the ISS while enabling the development of a robust economy in Low Earth Orbit. Under the agreement, Virgin Galactic will develop a new private orbital astronaut readiness program. This program will include identifying candidates interested in purchasing private astronaut missions to the ISS, the procurement of transportation to the ISS, on-orbit resources, and ground resources. Supporting and coordinating the use of ISS resources will be an important point of integration required for each private astronaut mission.

Forbes Article Promoted 'A Caricature Of Business Aviation'

NBAA is mad... again.... and we're glad they are. A recent Forbes article chose an “outlier flight” to promote a caricature of business aviation, offering readers an uninformed view into an important industry that has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen recently wrote in a letter to the publication. “As we slowly recover from this crisis, mobility will be essential to restoring our economy, and business aviation will play a vital role in helping the nation emerge from a moment unseen in recent history,” Bolen wrote. “Instead of presenting a rare, even peculiar airplane mission as some kind of norm, let’s focus on th

From 2016: The Stemme S12 Powered Glider Offers Cadillac Features and a Glide Ratio of 53 to 1…

While at EAA AirVenture 2016, our ANN news crew visited with the Director of Flight Operations and Maintenance for Stemme USA. Wes Chumley gave us an inside view of their new motorglider, known as the Stemme S12. The aircraft’s appearance at AirVenture is the first time it has been shown in the USA. Motorgliders come in various sizes and shapes, but the Stemme is quite different from most of them. It’s unique in that the engine is mounted in the front of the aircraft and the propeller

Applauds Provision in House Infrastructure Package

NATA has expressed their approval of the inclusion of language in H.R. 2, “The Moving Forward Act,” which supports the industry’s goal to increase the use of sustainable aviation fuels in business aviation. The bill authorizes $5,000,000 annually through 2025, to be appropriated from the general fund of the Treasury to be used exclusively for work performed by the Center of Excellence for Alternative Jet Fuels and Environment, including toward “programs to assess and reduce the environmental impacts of aviation and to improve the health and quality of life of individuals living in and around airport communities.” The FAA will oversee the distribution of the funds. The

But... Company Refuses To Enumerate How Many Hours And Flights Have Thus Far Been Conducted

Bye Aerospace tells ANN it has begun the next phase of its flight test program for its two-seat all-electric eFlyer 2 technology demonstrator... but not much else. When questioned about specifics of the flight test program to this date, asking specific questions about accumulated flight hours and number of flights, the company refused to answer.

Brings Current Total Commitment To Three Aircraft

The Australian government is providing the bucks for an additional MQ-4C Triton aircraft and associated ground mission control stations, bringing its current total commitment to three aircraft. Australia currently intends to purchase six aircraft. A cooperative development program between the Royal Australian Air Force and the U.S. Navy, the MQ-4C Triton provides a round-the-clock maritime wide-area intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability. With its ability to operate at altitudes exceeding 50,000 feet and cover more than two million square miles of ocean and littorals in a single flight, Triton provides what Northrop Grumman describes as “unprecedented awareness to operationa

Fines Spirit Airlines for Violating DOT’s 'Bumping' Rules

DOT has fined Spirit Airlines $350,000 for violating federal rules protecting passengers who are denied boarding (“bumped”) on oversold flights, and for not providing accurate reporting of passengers denied boarding. The airline was also ordered to cease and desist from future similar violations. During a review of consumer complaints filed with DOT, the Department’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection found that Spirit required passengers who were involuntarily denied boarding to sign waivers or documents suggesting that those passengers were “volunteers.” 

Witness 'Advised The Pilot That The Rear Seat Belt Was Securing The Rear Control Stick'

On June 13, 2020, about 1400 central daylight time, a Vans RV8 airplane, N836JC, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Mandan, North Dakota. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to initial information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a witness observed the airplane on the ramp prior to the flight and advised the pilot that the rear seat belt was securing the rear control stick. The pilot subsequently departed in the airplane on runway 13 at the Mandan Municipal Airport (Y19), near Mandan, North Dakota. The takeoff was a 3-point t

AD 2020-11-01 Updates The Software Of Each PFCAS Remote Electronics Unit (REU), Which Includes An Improvement To The LVDT

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (Gulfstream) Model GVI airplanes. This AD was prompted by a report that the primary flight control actuation system (PFCAS) linear variable displacement transducer (LVDT) mechanical disconnect monitor may not trigger the disconnect of the affected control surfaces as required in the event of a control surface failure. This AD requires updating the software of each PFCAS remote electronics unit (REU), which includes an improvement to the LVDT. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products. This AD is

Aero Linx: The Air Transport Association of Canada The Air Transport Association of Canada came into existence as a result of a conference of aircraft operators and aircraft manufacturers held in Ottawa (at the Chateau Laurier Hotel) on November 18, 1934. Forty-one delegates from commercial companies were present, as well as nine representatives from the Civil Aviation Division, which was then under the Department of National Defence, and five members of the National Research Council. The association was called the Commercial Air Transport and Manufacturers' Association of Canada. At the inception of the Association, and during its first three years of existence, th

Autorotation A rotorcraft flight condition in which the lifting rotor is driven entirely by action of the air when the rotorcraft is in motion. a. Autorotative Landing/Touchdown Autorotation. Used by a pilot to indicate that the landing will be made without applying power to the rotor. b. Low Level Autorotation. Commences at an altitude well below the traffic pattern, usually below 100 feet AGL and is used primarily for tactical military training. c. 180 degrees Autorotation. Initiated from a downwind heading and is commenced well inside the normal traffic pattern. “Go around” may not be possible during the latter part of this maneuver.

“As we slowly recover from this crisis, mobility will be essential to restoring our economy, and business aviation will play a vital role in helping the nation emerge from a moment unseen in recent history. Instead of presenting a rare, even peculiar airplane mission as some kind of norm, let’s focus on the centrality of business aviation to America’s economy and transportation system.” Source: From a letter to Forbes by NBAA Boss, Ed Bolen, calling them on the carpet for an article that misrepresented the BizAv community.