The SkyCourier Celebrated Its Inaugural Flight In May 2020

Textron Aviation rolled out their first production unit of the twin-engine, large-utility turboprop, the Cessna SkyCourier, at the company’s manufacturing facility in Wichita. The design has allowed for the incorporation of the latest state-of-the-art assembly and fabrication processes and techniques. “Today is a rewarding day for our employees who have worked to design and build what I believe will become a legendary airplane for our company,” said Ron Draper, president and CEO, Textron Aviation. “The SkyCourier brings an impressive combination of cabin flexibility, payload capability, performance and low operating costs to the twin engine utility segment. We look

Announces Three Air Shows In Texas As A Part Of Its 2022 Tour Season

The B-29 'Doc' will be in the state of Texas for three air shows during the 2022 tour season. Doc has been added to the list of performers for the Great Texas Air Show at JBSA-Randolph in April, as well as the Rose City Airfest and Thunder Over Cedar Creek Lake Air Show in Tyler, TX in July. This is just the first of many announcements regarding the 2022 tour season for Doc, which will include stops in 13 states and more than 20 cities. The Great Texas Air Show at Joint Base San Antonio Randolph (JBSA-Randolph) is a two-day event that will include B-29 Doc as a static display and air show demo performer April 23-24. Doc will arrive at JBSA-Randolph on Friday, April 22.

Also: Piper AD, Textron Reports Q4, Musk Asks Flight Tracker To Quit, Diamond Distributor

Over the years, a number of stunning Mustang replicas have shown up, some of which have managed to duplicate the aura of the legendary bird to an extraordinary degree... and for millions less than the 'real' thing. Most recently, here in the states, the lovely all-metal Titan Aircraft T-51 series is getting a lot of deserved attention for their rendition of this historic machine but a Polish replica, the ScaleWings SW-51, is starting to get its share of attention for a different approach to the P-51 replica formula. And here in the states, they'll be partnering wit

Also: Piper AD, Textron Reports Q4, Musk Asks Flight Tracker To Quit, Diamond Distributor

Over the years, a number of stunning Mustang replicas have shown up, some of which have managed to duplicate the aura of the legendary bird to an extraordinary degree... and for millions less than the 'real' thing. Most recently, here in the states, the lovely all-metal Titan Aircraft T-51 series is getting a lot of deserved attention for their rendition of this historic machine but a Polish replica, the ScaleWings SW-51, is starting to get its share of attention for a different approach to the P-51 replica formula. And here in the states, they'll be partnering with Titan for US customer completions. Icon Aircraft has, again, been the subject of increased scr

Additional Law to Further Criminalize Criminal Acts Involving Drones

Those in the know have undoubtedly seen the covert arms race in lightweight, consumer grade drones that has been galloping along over the preceding decade, from drug smuggling small sachets of product behind prison walls to improvised air-dropped mortars in conflict zones around the world. Those images have brought the problem into focus for policy makers, who answered the call of prison wardens around the US with the Drone Act of 2022. The bipartisan bill criminalizes dangerous drone activity, focusing on smuggling, spying, and ordnance delivery using unmanned aerial systems. 

LAANC Celebrates Milestone in Drone Safety Program

The FAA issued its 1,000,000th airspace authorization for drone pilots use of airspace, a hallmark of the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) program. The effort came about to help protect airspace utility across the aeronautical spectrum, as well as provide early interventions to a nascent UAS industry. The program automates the process for drone pilots to rapidly obtain authorization and provides notice to ATC prior to drone operation.

GAMA, NBAA, Want More Feedstocks Under Consideration and Boosted SAF Output

A broad spectrum of aviation interests and industry groups have urged the EPA to create more opportunities for the development of sustainable aviation fuel as the agency looks to update the federal Renewable Fuel Standard. The coalition believes that the updated program, which has seen little change since its inception in 2005, needs to include changes to the industry to incorporate nearly 2 decades of technological progress. The GAMA, HAI, NATA, NBAA, and more urge EPA Administrator Michael Regan to expand the list of eligible feedstocks from the somewhat limited range allowed before. Under the original list, only biocrude, fatty acid, and undenatured ethanol were ru

Static Line Deployment Cord May Be Stretched Out of Tolerance, Says MarS 

Czech parachute manufacturer MarS a. s. has announced an urgent use advisory for owners of its Rescue Parachute ATL-15 SL, advising that owners suspend use of affected serial numbers. A variety of parachutes are affected, manufactured from 2016 to 2021. The ATL emergency parachute is popular amongst glider and sport pilots around the world, coming in a low profile, slim pack, with options for back-mounted and seated styles. The parachute may also be sold as the ATL-88/90, -88/92-S, and -88/98-S. The warning concerns those chutes that rely on Microline cord for its static extension line.

Montreal A320 Full Flight Sim On Tap for 5 Years with Canada Jetlines

Canada Jetlines is the country's newest addition to the airline ecosystem, beginning operations as Canada's equivalent ultra low-cost carrier in the vein of Ryanair and easyJet. So far, their growth has been progressing as expected, with recent changes to their training regimen for company pilots. They have now signed an exclusive 5-year training agreement with CAE, for training on the CAE 7000 XR Airbus A320 full-flight simulator at the educator's Montreal Training Centre. Eddy Doyle, CEO of Canada Jetlines, said the partnership will help to streamline training in an affordable and time-efficient manner, and for good reason.

From 2012: A Little More In-Depth Look At One Of The Bright Shining Lights In The GA World

Some months ago, we offered up a short but impressive look at a small organization that embodies the true spirit of today's aviators... the Veteran's Airlift Command. This time around, we get a little more in-depth and detailed about one of the true stars in the GA biz... folks who serve those who served us and present a positive and impressive aero-image for the world.  Amid the heights of excitement at NBAA 2011, the message was clea

Airplane Came To Rest After It Impacted The Cabin Of A Parked Fuel Truck

On January 18, 2022, about 1100 central standard time, a Cessna 120 airplane, N90129, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Sturtevant, Wisconsin. The private pilot sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Security camera footage was obtained from the Sylvania Airport (C89), Sturtevant, Wisconsin. A preliminary review of the footage showed the airplane was attempting to depart to the east, using runway 08R. The takeoff roll was initiated and about a quarter way down the length of the runway, the airplane departed the runway to the left (north) for undetermined reasons.

Aero Linx: ANGEL FLIGHT SOARS Located at the Dekalb Peachtree Airport, ANGEL FLIGHT SOARS was formed by Jim Shafer in 1983 as a loosely organized group of volunteer pilots that helped out patients whenever possible. Due to increased media coverage in 1990, and an alliance with several other similar organizations (Air Care Alliance), ANGEL FLIGHT SOARS has taken off! 

Inner Marker A marker beacon used with an ILS (CAT II) precision approach located between the middle marker and the end of the ILS runway, transmitting a radiation pattern keyed at six dots per second and indicating to the pilot, both aurally and visually, that he/she is at the designated decision height (DH), normally 100 feet above the touchdown zone elevation, on the ILS CAT II approach. It also marks progress during a CAT III approach.

“The SkyCourier brings an impressive combination of cabin flexibility, payload capability, performance and low operating costs to the twin engine utility segment. We look forward to this highly versatile aircraft entering the market very soon.” Source: Ron Draper, President and CEO, Textron Aviation, in comments made as Textron Aviation rolled out their first production unit of the twin-engine, large-utility turboprop, the Cessna SkyCourier, at the company’s manufacturing facility in Wichita.