Testing Confirms Predicted Benefits

Inflight testing of a Beechcraft King Air 350 fitted with Tamarack Aerospace Group‘s Performance SMARTWING  has confirmed predicted increases in endurance and payload, high/hot take-off abilities, extended loiter time, and inflight stability. Early comparative analysis of the flight-testing suggests a five-percent improvement in fuel economy during loiter-mission cruise; a ten-percent increase in climb-gradient; and a five-hundred-pound, “High/Hot” weight, altitude, temperature (WAT) improvement that correlates to almost two hours of added aircraft endurance.

Also: Apollo 1 Astronauts Honored, FAA Awards $518 Million, Drone Ethics, Russian Airliners Banned

magniX, the Washington State-based, Singapore-owned manufacturer of electric aircraft motors, announced the successful first flight of an all-electric Robinson-44 helicopter powered by a magniX electric propulsion unit (EPU). The Saturday 04 June flight was conducted at California’s Los Alamitos Army Airfield by  Tier 1 Engineering, a Santa Ana-based provider of engineering services specializing in lightweight aircraft structures. Paramount Pictures has been sued by the family of Ehud Yonay, author of the 1983 article Top Guns, upon which the 1

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center to Welcome Historic C-47s

Four DC-3s of the D-Day Squadron will fly in and display during the Innovation in Flight event at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum‘s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. The annual, single-day hootenanny affords attendees opportunity to explore the engineering and design innovations that have taken place during the last century of flight. The aircraft to be presented by the D-Day Squadron are the C-47 Clippers: Tabitha May, based in Manassas, VA; Betsy’s Biscuit Bomber, based in Paso Robles, CA; Miss Virginia, based in Bridgewater, VA; and the C-53, Spirit of Benovia, based in Aurora, OR. Mr. Rod Moyer of Miss Virginia, is serving as mission chief pilot for this event.

Also: Apollo 1 Astronauts Honored, FAA Awards $518 Million, Drone Ethics, Russian Airliners Banned

magniX, the Washington State-based, Singapore-owned manufacturer of electric aircraft motors, announced the successful first flight of an all-electric Robinson-44 helicopter powered by a magniX electric propulsion unit (EPU). The Saturday 04 June flight was conducted at California’s Los Alamitos Army Airfield by  Tier 1 Engineering, a Santa Ana-based provider of engineering services specializing in lightweight aircraft structures. Paramount Pictures has been sued by the family of Ehud Yonay, author of the 1983 article Top Guns, upon which the 1

Serious Injury Incurred During JSF Maintenance

A U.S. Navy sailor was seriously injured while conducting maintenance on an F-35C Lightning II jet at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, according to the Naval Safety Command and officials. The 01 June incident occurred as the sailor was performing routine maintenance on an F-35 assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 97, according to a Naval Air Forces statement. Following the mishap—of which little is known—the sailor was provided on-scene, emergency medical care, then air-lifted to a hospital in Fresno, California.

Regional Airline Aims to Draw and Retain Pilots

Piedmont Airlines, Inc.—the American regional airline and wholly owned subsidiary of the American Airlines Group—has reached an agreement with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). The deal will see Piedmont pilots substantially exceed their regional peers in both pay and benefits. Voting members of ALPA’s Master Executive Council (MEC) unanimously agreed to accept the contract extension, which increases first year Captain pay from $78/hr to $146/hr, and first year, first officer pay from $51/hr to $90/hr. The increase comes outside of the contract amendable date and includes a contract extension from 2024 to 2029.

Broad Support for Pro Air-Mobility Measures

The United States House of Representatives has passed two important bills that support the development of the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) sector: the Advanced Aviation Infrastructure Modernization (AAIM) Act (H.R. 6270), and the Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act (S-516). Advanced Air Mobility refers to a transportation system that transports people and property by air between two points in the United States using aircraft, including electric aircraft or electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, in both controlled and uncontrolled airspace.

From 2015 (YouTube Version): The Airframes Displayed At AUVSI 2015 Were Quite Innovative

It’s common to visualize a small vertical lift UAV as having 4 to 6 propellers, it’s very maneuverable, but it has a short range and limited load caring capabilities. Well, NASA says you can have your cake and eat it too with something they call “Greased Lightning.” ANN CEO and Editor-In-Chief, Jim Campbell, spent time at the Unmanned Systems 2015 Conference and met with aerospace engineer Bill Fredericks to talk about what’s different with

Tail Rotor Crosshead Drive Plate... Was Not Bolted To The Tail Rotor Crosshead

On June 4, 2022, about 1201 eastern daylight time, a Bell 407 GXP helicopter, N98ZA, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Fairfield, New Jersey. The commercial pilot was seriously injured. The helicopter was operated by Zip Aviation as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 positioning flight. The helicopter departed Essex County Airport (CDW), Caldwell, New Jersey, about 1147 and was destined for John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York, New York.

AD 2022-12-07 Requires Repetitively Inspecting The Glue Joint At Elevator Rib Number 1

The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 75-23-03 for all Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. Segelflugzeugbau (Alexander Schleicher) Model Ka2B, Ka 6, Ka 6 B, Ka 6 BR, Ka 6 C, Ka 6 CR, K 7, K 8, and AS-K 13 gliders. AD 75-23-03 required visually inspecting the glue joint between the elevator nose rib number 1 and the nose plywood skin and replacing the glue joint if insufficient glue adhesion was found. Since the FAA issued AD 75-23-03, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) superseded prior EASA ADs for the unsafe condition on these products. This AD adds the Model K 8 B gliders to the applicability and requires repetitively inspecting the

AD 2022-11-12 Requires Performing Tests, Inspections, And Lubrication Of The FCU Push Rod Assemblies

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Viking Air Limited (type certificate previously held by Bombardier Inc. and de Havilland, Inc.) Model DHC-6-1, DHC-6-100, DHC-6-200, DHC-6-300, and DHC-6-400 airplanes. This AD was prompted by mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) originated by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI identifies the unsafe condition as binding of the rod end bearing connecting the lower fuel control unit (FCU) push rod assembly to the FCU power lever. This AD requires performing tests, inspections, and lubri

Aero Linx: Australian Aviation Wildlife Hazard Group Aircraft and wildlife, especially birds, have been coming into contact with one another since the beginning of aviation. The first reported bird strike occurred in 1905, when the Wright Flyer flown by Orville Wright struck a bird over an Ohio cornfield. Bird strikes happen every day, and occur most commonly at airports (90 per cent according to ICAO), when aircraft are landing, or taking off. The majority happen at low altitudes: 50–60 per cent of bird strikes occur at zero to 50 feet, and 30 per cent between 50–500 feet. Bird strikes worldwide have accounted for 262 human fatalities since 1988 and destroyed 250 aircraft.  Bird str

Nondirectional Beacon An L/MF or UHF radio beacon transmitting nondirectional signals whereby the pilot of an aircraft equipped with direction finding equipment can determine his/her bearing to or from the radio beacon and “home” on or track to or from the station. When the radio beacon is installed in conjunction with the Instrument Landing System marker, it is normally called a Compass Locator.

" …the robust flight-testing program for the Tamarack Performance SMARTWING King Air 350 focused on every aspect of safety and performance to ensure all modified aircraft will have been rigorously tested.” Source: Nick Guida, CEO and Founder of Tamarack explaining the processes involved in adapting the Tamarach technologies to the King Air line.