Doolittle Trainer Pulled from S.C. Lake in 1983

On 06 June 1944, a B-25 Mitchell bomber plunged into the waters of South Carolina's Lake Greenwood. For 39-years, the aircraft lay, silent and brooding, at the lake's muddy bottom. In 1983 it was raised. Some years later, the B-25, known colloquially as Skunkie, passed into the possession of the South Carolina Historic Aviation Foundation. On Saturday, 12 August 2023, the South Carolina Historic Aviation Foundation will host a fund-raising open house to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Skunkie’s emergence from Lake Greenwood and secure funds for its ongoing restoration. 

Cayuse Warriors and MD 530Fs Bound for Middle East

MD Helicopters (MDH) has announced the signing of a contract by which the rotorcraft-maker will deliver six Cayuse Warrior Plus Attack/Scout aircraft with precision weapons capability and six MD 530F glass cockpit upgrades to a Middle Eastern Customer. The twelve aircraft will support counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations by providing area security, tactical reconnaissance, convoy escort, and drug interdiction throughout their destination region.

Delta Air Lines Cash Infusion to Sustain Wheels Up—For Now

Wheels Up has forestalled release of its 2023 second-quarter earnings, supplanting the customary disclosure with an announcement that Delta Air Lines, which owns twenty-percent of the company—is making a further, short-term capital investment in the embattled New York City-based provider of on-demand aircraft services.

Also: National Air Force Museum, Virgin Flight Succeeds, NASA Supersonic, Cessna SkyCourier

SpaceX has performed a static-fire test of a new Super Heavy booster at its Boca Chica, Texas Starbase launch facility. While the ignition of 33 Raptor rocket engines proved a memorable spectacle; the test-firing yielded both favorable and unfavorable results. The Coast Guard employed Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) capabilities in collaboration with the FAA, Seattle PD, and Mercer Island PD to enforce FAA-issued temporary flight restrictions over Lake Washington during 2023’s Seafair Weekend Festival in support of the event’s constituent airshow. T

Previously Undisclosed Numbers Prove Telling

For the first time since the type’s flirtation with infamy, Boeing has disclosed the by-model breakdown of its 4,339 gross unfilled 737 MAX family orders. The numbers are at once interesting, promising, and indicative of growing confidence in the embattled family of narrow-body jets.

Florida Court Finds Against IAero Airways

Private Jet Services Group was awarded a $29-million judgment against iAero Airways (formerly known as Swift Air). The judgment is thought to pertain to a partnership agreement dating to June 2020. Handed down by the Circuit Court of the 11th Judicial Circuit in and for Florida’s Miami-Dade County, the ruling derives of an arbitration judgment issued on 13 February 2023.  The Florida Court’s filing sets forth the award’s total amount equaled $28,504,084.82, with interest to accrue at nine-percent per-annum or at a per-diem rate of $7,028.40 following a ninety-day grace period.

Organization Seeks Zero Fatal Civil Helicopter Mishaps

The United States Helicopter Safety Team (USHST)—a volunteer team of US government and industry stakeholders formed to improve the safety of civil helicopter operations in the National Airspace System (NAS)—is hosting two safety-focused events in September. All interested members of the vertical lift industry are invited to attend. The events include a nearly day-long “COPTER IFR/Weather Camera Summit” on Monday, 11 September, followed by USHST’s quarterly “All Hands” meeting on 12 September. 

Appropriating Tragedy

On 23 June 2023, ramp-worker David Renner, 27, lost his life after being ingested into the operating engine of a Delta Airlines Airbus A319 newly arrived at Texas’s San Antonio International Airport (SAT). Comes now August 2023, and Mackenzie Hill, a woman traveling aboard the Delta A319 by which Renner perished, has filed a lawsuit against Unifi Aviation, Renner’s (then) employer and the U.S.'s largest provider of ground-handling services.

23 September Event to Include STEM and Aviation Outreach

Atlantic Aviation at Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE) has joined Women in Aviation International (WAI) chapters and corporate members globally as a host for Girls in Aviation Day (GIAD) Greater Delaware Valley - an annual outreach event organized by nonprofit, Aviation Influence, Inc. (AVi). Taking place at Atlantic Aviation’s PNE location, this event aligns with the Greater Delaware Valley on bringing more aerospace opportunities to the region. GIAD aims to inspire the next generation of females in aviation.

Propeller Maker Named a Top American Small Employer

Hartzell, the storied, Piqua, Ohio-based manufacturer of aircraft propeller systems, has been recognized as one of America’s best small employers by global financial media concern Forbes. The honor was set forth in Forbes’s 2023 list of America’s Best Small Employers. Hartzell Propeller—the flagship operation of parent entity Hartzell Aviation—is listed as the 64th best small employer among three-hundred organizations vetted by Forbes. Hartzell Propeller was listed, also, among the top-five Aerospace and Defense sector concerns.

From 2018 (YouTube Version): Clarity Aloft Introduces The TSO Certified Flex Headset

The newest addition to the Clarity Aloft headset range is a big departure from previous designs and ushers in a new standard for in-ear headsets. Not only is it the lightest model yet from Clarity Aloft, it is also the most customizable. Pilots using the Flex can set the microphone boom on the right or left, adjust the boom length and headband circumference, and collapse it flat for storage. No other headset will disappear so completely onto your head or into your flight bag.&n

Taking a Page from the Automotive Industry, Honda Readies its Used Market

While it's now been able to cement itself into a niche all its own, the HondaJet still represents a company willing to do things its own way - like a very automotive "Certified Pre-Owned" sales program for used HondaJets. The program was announced at the end of June to the surprise - or even notice - of few, but it once again serves as a little signifier that the manufacturer is unafraid to do what it wants even if it's the only one doing so.

Pilot Perishes in Missouri Mishap

The NTSB has released its preliminary report on a 20 July 2023 accident in which a Piper PA-31P Pressurized Navajo, registration N200RA, was damaged beyond repair and its pilot/sole-occupant killed shortly after departing Missouri’s Mosby-Midwest National Air Center Airport (GPH). The aircraft, according to FAA documents, was being ferried to Kansas’s Kingman Airport/Clyde Cessna Field (9K8), and was operated as a private flight under Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations.

Aero Linx: Vintage Sailplane Association The purpose of the Vintage Sailplane Association (VSA) is to promote the acquisition, restoration and flying of vintage sailplanes by its members, and to assist the National Soaring Museum in the preservation of soaring history and the promotion of vintage sailplane activity.

ICAO Three-Letter Designator (3LD) An ICAO 3LD is an exclusive designator that, when used together with a flight number, becomes the aircraft call sign and provides distinct aircraft identification to air traffic control (ATC). ICAO approves 3LDs to enhance the safety and security of the air traffic system. An ICAO 3LD may be assigned to a company, agency, or organization and is used instead of the aircraft registration number for ATC operational and security purposes. An ICAO 3LD is also used for aircraft identification in the flight plan and associated messages and can be used for domestic and international flights. A telephony associated with an ICAO 3LD is used for radio communication.