Equus Asinus Delivers Kick to Free Markets

The Biden Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Tuesday, 07 March 2023 that it had filed a lawsuit seeking to block JetBlue Airways' $3.8-billion purchase of Spirit Airlines. In a 43-page document, the DOJ alleged the merger would reduce competition among U.S. domestic air-carriers and drive up consumer air-fares.

Rebounding Company Announces Shiny New Base Configuration for Popular Helicopters

Enstrom Helicopters has made the jump into the 21st century, now building all 480GB and 280FX helicopters with G500H Txi EFIS displays at minimum. The base configuration replaces traditional 'steam' gauges, granting a weight bonus and reliability increase along with a boost to situational awareness and safety. 

NTSB Investigating Possible Aircraft Trim Issue

On Friday, 03 March 2023, a Bombardier Challenger 300 business jet traveling from Keene, New Hampshire’s Dillant–Hopkins Airport (EEN) to Virginia’s Leesburg Executive Airport (JYO) encountered severe, possibly extreme turbulence which claimed the life of one of the aircraft’s three passengers. On 06 March, Connecticut State Police identified the decedent as 55-year-old Dana Hyde, a former White House and international development official who’d been traveling with her husband and one of her sons.

Also: ANN's Infamous April 1st Edition, Aspen FBO Selection, Navy F-35C Accident, Drone Pilot Apprenticeships

Women in Aviation International just completed held one of its largest and most successful annual gatherings during their 34th Annual Conference at Long Beach Convention Center last week. With its blend of world-class speakers, busy exhibit hall, an array of education sessions, and more than 120 scholarship awards, the WAI2023 conference delivered numerous opportunities to connect and network with female peers in the aviation and aerospace industry. As AirCorps Aviation has bought up the biggest repository of P-51 Mustang parts in the wo

Also: 787 Dreamliner Pause, Modern Aviation Acquires Three, Minot AFB Shakeup, eAircraft Market Report

The B-29 Doc History Restored Tour will open the 2023 season with two stops in Arkansas. The 10-day tour will land in Fayetteville, AR and Texarkana, AR beginning March 16 through March 26. Both stops on the tour will include B-29 Doc Flight Experience rides, along with ground and cockpit tours of B-29 Doc, one of only two B-29 Superfortresses still airworthy and flying today. The Society of Aviation and Flight Educators set forth that the aviation industry is suffering an epidemic of flight-test applicants failing to even qualify for their written tests and

Also: 787 Dreamliner Pause, Modern Aviation Acquires Three, Minot AFB Shakeup, eAircraft Market Report

The B-29 Doc History Restored Tour will open the 2023 season with two stops in Arkansas. The 10-day tour will land in Fayetteville, AR and Texarkana, AR beginning March 16 through March 26. Both stops on the tour will include B-29 Doc Flight Experience rides, along with ground and cockpit tours of B-29 Doc, one of only two B-29 Superfortresses still airworthy and flying today. The Society of Aviation and Flight Educators set forth that the aviation industry is suffering an epidemic of flight-test applicants failing to even qualify for their written tests and

Also: ANN's Infamous April 1st Edition, Aspen FBO Selection, Navy F-35C Accident, Drone Pilot Apprenticeships

Women in Aviation International just completed held one of its largest and most successful annual gatherings during their 34th Annual Conference at Long Beach Convention Center last week. With its blend of world-class speakers, busy exhibit hall, an array of education sessions, and more than 120 scholarship awards, the WAI2023 conference delivered numerous opportunities to connect and network with female peers in the aviation and aerospace industry. As AirCorps Aviation has bought up the biggest repository of P-51 Mustang parts in the world from Pione

One Aircraft, Three U.S. Wars

The Douglas A-26 Invader is a WWII era, American, twin-engined light-bomber and ground attack aircraft designed to meet a 1940 U.S. Army Air Corps (USAAC) requirement for multi-role light-bomber optimized for low-level and medium-altitude precision bombing attacks. The order called for an aircraft capable of carrying both a substantial bomb-load and a great deal of defensive armament. The A-26 fit the USAAC’s specifications to a tee, being the first U.S. aircraft capable of carrying a truly large bomb-load—three-thousand-pounds internally and another two-thousand-pounds beneath its outer wing panel

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The latest and most highly-sophisticated iteration of an eVTOL racer is Alauda Aeronautics’s Airspeeder Mk4, a swift machine with a top-speed of 196-knots. The 2,094-pound Mk4 is powered by a 1,340-brake-horsepower Thunderstrike Hydrogen Turbogenerator that feeds electrical power to the vehicle’s batteries and motors. The turbogenerator comprises in part a 3D-printed combustor developed for the rocket engines peculiar to the orbital space industry. Following a test-firing of the Raptor rocket engines by which its Super Heavy booste

Twin-Engine Pods Require Refreshed Development for B-52 Installation

Rolls-Royce is hard at work on its B-52 replacement engine program, announcing the first round of F130 testing at the NASA Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The F130 engine was chosen for the re-engining program by the US Air Force, and will end up with more than 600 units delivered under the current contract. The test burn was the first time the design had been lit while installed in a dual-pod configuration mimicking the B-52's antiquated layout.

Also: Lilium Jet Sidestick Controllers, Ameriflight, Drone Pilot Apprenticeships, UND Adds Aerospace Engineering

The latest and most highly-sophisticated iteration of an eVTOL racer is Alauda Aeronautics’s Airspeeder Mk4, a swift machine with a top-speed of 196-knots. The 2,094-pound Mk4 is powered by a 1,340-brake-horsepower Thunderstrike Hydrogen Turbogenerator that feeds electrical power to the vehicle’s batteries and motors. The turbogenerator comprises in part a 3D-printed combustor developed for the rocket engines peculiar to the orbital space industry. Following a test-firing of the Raptor rocket engines by which its Super Heavy booster is

Boutique FBO Chain Expanding to Plan

On 02 March 2023, Odyssey Aviation U.S. announced it had acquired Golden Isles Aviation, a Fixed Base Operator (FBO) serving Georgia’s McKinnon St. Simons Island Airport (SSI). Private investment firms Granite Creek Capital Partners LLC and Everside Capital, provided financing for the undertaking. Golden Isles is a full-service FBO providing aviation fuel, hangar rental, ramp space, and additional services to general aviation customers at the McKinnon St. Simons Island Airport (SSI) on St. Simons Island, GA, a resort destination on Georgia’s Atlantic coast.

Booking Operator Sees Gap in Regional Connectivity Perfect for eSTOL Aircraft

KinectAir provides an easy, streamlined system to book charter and advanced mobility services, and their work so far has shown an underutilized network of 5,200 regional airports and strong demand for sub-500 mile service. The partnership between Electra and KinectAir will aim to provide simple, easy, convenient access to point-to-point air travel by leveraging a combination of flexible infrastructure and underutilized airports.

Australian eVTOL Sees Development with Air Ambulance Operator CareFlight

AMSL, an Australian eVTOL company, has seen increased interest following its February test flight of the all-electric Vertiia. The multirotor aircraft is slated to have a range somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 km (~155 sm) and a cruise speed up to 300 km/h (161 kts) in its first battery-powered form. Eventually, AMSL plans to release a hydrogen-powered iteration of the Vertiia for increased range and quick refueling. The operator plans to begin Vertiia operations sometime in t 2026, with a 1 pilot/4 passenger layout in the standard model, and a cargo version with a 500 kg (1,102 lb) payload.

Gen 4 Prototype Flies 156.7 Miles in Circular Pattern, Besting Joby by 3 km

Chinese manufacturer AutoFlight announced the completion of a long-distance test flight using the 4th generation of their eVTOL aircraft, the Prosperity I. accompanied by some footage of the flight. The flight was confirmed with the addition of ForeFlight and Stratus GPS, allowing them to maintain a continuous record of the track, speed, and altitude throughout the test. Ultimately, the prototype flew 250.64 km, about 3 km longer than the last eVTOL distance record set by Joby in 2021.

Contract Negotiations Drag On

On 03 March 2023, for purpose of advancing contract negotiations with American Airlines management and reaching an agreement acknowledging Flight Attendants' contributions to the air-carrier’s success, American Airlines Flight Attendants represented by the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) filed for federal mediation with the National Mediation Board.

TSA Agents Detect Explosive Device in Suspect’s Baggage

The suspect’s motivations and state of mind notwithstanding, it remains profoundly fortunate that TSA personnel intercepted the explosive device, thereby precluding its loading onto the outbound Allegiant Air flight and possible detonation. That hundreds of lives may be owed to the vigilance and professionalism of the ABE TSA staff is a distinct and worrying possibility.

New Compliance Ready Option Unveiled for Drone Operators

Uncrewed aircraft manufacturer uAvionix unveiled another solution to FAA remote ID requirements, the pingRID. The unit is a compact, lightweight, easily affixed transmitter that provides a simple, effective method to meet Part 89 Remote ID standards. The pingRID comes pre-configured and ready to use out of the box, only requiring the assignment of a drone's aircraft identification number and a simple attachment before flight.

Joint USAF Effort Provides Instruction for Test Pilots in Assessing Space Force Equipment

The US Air and Space Forces have created a new "Space Test Course", an evaluation to provide guidance on "robust and methodical system testing on space-flight equipment" for use at the Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The new course was signed into being by both Space Force Vice Chief of Space Operations General David D. Thompson and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff General David W. Allvin on February 23rd.

Things Looking Upbeat for British Launch Specialist

Virgin Galactic announced its financial results for its 4th quarter last year, showing a "strong" cash position of $980 million despite a net loss of $151 million. The news was no surprise, as many commercial launch providers are in similar financial positions - space launch is a nascent market, and the industry is still working out exactly how to maintain healthy profitability. Throughout the year of 2022, Virgin saw a net loss of $500 million, up from $353 million the year before. GAAP selling, general, and admin expenses similarly increased, hitting $175 million from $167M the year before. The overall adjusted EBITDA totaled $431M, compared to $245M in 2021.

In Service of Aerospace Supply Chains

Auburn University, the public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, recently opened a new Aviation and Aerospace ID Lab, the researchers and staff of which will focus on emerging technologies germane to resolving the supply chain shortfalls by which the aviation and aerospace industries are currently afflicted.

“...now looking at a reported trim issue that occurred prior to the in-flight upset.” Source: Part of an NTSB statement following an inflight fatality that occured to a Bombardier Challenger 300 business jet traveling from Keene, New Hampshire’s Dillant–Hopkins Airport (EEN) to Virginia’s Leesburg Executive Airport (JYO), but diverted enroute to Connecticut’s Bradley International Airport (BDL) after an encounter with severe, possibly extreme turbulence claimed the life of one of the aircraft’s three passengers.