Contentious Letter to FAA Says They're Overreaching With Demands

Deadlines never seem to be all that important until the 11th hour, and the impending launch of 5G wireless services have once again proved that human behavior can be fairly predictable. Verizon Communications and AT&T, the 2 biggest cell operators in the U.S., have told federal transportation authorities that they will no longer postpone the rollout of their new network services, deciding that they have held off long enough. The contentious 5G bands have brought out industry concerns over interference due to their theoretical overlap with radio altimetry frequencies, and possible errors in rangefinding during the landing approach. 

Letter Contends That Inconsistencies and Discrepancies Call NTSB Assertions Into Question

Tamarack Aero has formally requested the National Transportation Safety Board reassess its report of a 2018 CitationJet Mishap that occurred near Memphis, Indiana. The company insists that the NTSB's relative unfamiliarity with their equipment led to a premature assignment of blame, and that the board failed to evaluate the factual information of the case. The NTSB's final report on the crash that killed the pilot and 2 passengers levies blame on the CJ2+ equipped with Tamarack's Active Winglets. Tamarack maintains that the incident is not the result of their equipment, proven with an assortment of evidence. The final report contains facts pertaining to

Newest Development Offers A Distributed Electric Propulsion System With In-Wing Propellers

Chip Erwin of Aeromarine LSA brought their new Merlin Lite LSA to the 2021 Deland Sport Aviation Showcase and showed Aero-News Editor-in-Chief Jim Campbell the interesting directions they've taken their single seater sportplane. "In aviation, the price goes up with the number of seats," said Erwin. "You can get a 120 mph, all aluminum, fully painted, EFIS-equipped, ADS-B in and out, transponder, electric trim - all of that for $52,000.

Fractional Ownership Company Sees Growth, Expansion to 23 Aircraft

Fractional ownership company and world's largest HondaJet operator Jet It hits the ground running as it heads into 2022, announcing another expansion of its fleet as it retains its momentum from 2021. The company accounts for over 10% of the flying HondaJet fleet, racking up nearly 20% of the type's flight hours over its 3 years of operation. Their selection of the HondaJet went far in building a unique, recognizable brand for the company as one of the few fractional offerings for the distinctive aircraft. Jet It has bolstered their fleet with 2 Gulfstream G150s, but by and large have found a solid measure of success by being one of the only ways for many buyers to enjoy ownership

El Paso County Search and Rescue Unit Gets A Workout

The US Customs and Border Protection Air Marine Operations, El Paso Air Branch (AMO) completed their helicopter casualty evacuation training with firefighters and sheriff's deputies from the local El Paso county Search and Rescue unit of the West Valley Fire Department. The practice engagement saw the teams come together to practice real-world patient extraction and packaging for immediate airlift, courtesy of the Border Patrol's bountiful equipment, personnel, and UH-60 Blackhawks. 

Best Practices for Wildlife Photography: Adequate Distance and space

The yearly tradition of unmanned aviators has been quiet this year, in a hobby that often sees swathes of excited new drone owners exploring the legal limits of their fresh new toys. It seems that the industry has come a long way towards educating buyers on best practices, however, with fewer incidents involving drones that make nationwide headlines. One wildlife research specialist stepped in this year, however, stressing not just regulations, but best practices. For users regarding wildlife following a wildlife group's use of unmanned recording equipment a little too close to the critters they protect. 

Guangzhou Location Opens the Company's "100 Air Mobility Routes" Initiative

Chinese Advance Aerial Mobility manufacturer EHang has announced the newest addition of its "Intelligent Air Mobility Experience Center" in Guangzhou, China. The facility is hoped to serve as an introduction to the concept of sustainable, electric eVTOL systems in a city entirely dependent upon ground transport. If the spot can build a name as a flagship location for the aerial mobility concept, it could go a long way in acquainting the somewhat traditionalist Chinese culture with their city runabouts. 

The Airplane Descent Increased Before It Went Off Radar

On December 8, 2021, about 1957 central standard time, a Piper PA 28-140 airplane, N3865K, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Houston, Texas. The student pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. There were no witnesses to the accident. Radar indicated the airplane departed the West Houston Airport (IWS) about 1955 and proceeded generally south-southwest. About 1.5 miles later the track showed a slight descending left turn and the groundspeed of the airplane increased.

AD 2022-01-06 Immediately Requires Either Replacing The QSO Flange Adapter Or Inspecting The Fuel Cylinder For Leakage

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Cameron Balloons Ltd. (Cameron) fuel cylinders installed on hot air balloons. This AD results from 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 quick shut-off (QSO) flanged adaptors manufactured with non-conforming (undersized) threads. This AD immediately requires either replacing the QSO flange adapter or inspecting the fuel cylinder for leakage and taking corrective action, and replacing t

Aero Linx: NASA Beginner's Guide to Aerodynamics What is aerodynamics? The word comes from two Greek words: aerios, concerning the air, and dynamis, which means force. Aerodynamics is the study of forces and the resulting motion of objects through the air. Judging from the story of Daedalus and Icarus, humans have been interested in aerodynamics and flying for thousands of years, although flying in a heavier-than-air machine has been possible only in the last hundred years...

Hazardous Weather Information Summary of significant meteorological information (SIGMET/WS), convective significant meteorological information (convective SIGMET/WST), urgent pilot weather reports (urgent PIREP/UUA), center weather advisories (CWA), airmen’s meteorological information (AIRMET/WA) and any other weather such as isolated thunderstorms that are rapidly developing and increasing in intensity, or low ceilings and visibilities that are becoming widespread which is considered significant and are not included in a current hazardous weather advisory.

"Now, on the evening of New Year’s Eve, just five days before the C-Band spectrum will be deployed, we received [FAA] letter asking us to take still more voluntary steps - to the detriment of our millions of consumer, business and government customers - to once again assist the aviation industry and the FAA after failing to resolve issues in that costly 30-day delay period, which we never considered to be an initial one." Source: From a letter written by AT&T, one of the the 2 biggest cell operators in the US protesting the FAA's concerns about their 5G plans, and who have told federal transportation authorities that they will no longer postpone the rollout of their new network services, deciding that t