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May 26, 2023

ALPA hands $2M Grant to ATI Pilots for Negotiations

3-Year Negotiations Continue for Frequent Amazon Air Contractor

The Air Line Pilot's Association held a special vote to disburse $2 million from its Major Contingency Fund, with the aim that the money will support almost 550 ATI pilots in a critical phase of contract bargaining. Air Transport International offers contracted services to Amazon Air and other expedited delivery companies, and have capped off a handful of post-pandemic years with strong growth and record profits. The pilot base has been increasingly fed up with ATI management, citing increasing pilot attrition throughout 2022 and 2023.

Also: MiG-21 Fleet Grounding, New Gogo Antenna, Jet It Standdown, Gulfstream Record

Textron has unveiled the Cessna Citation Ascend, the newest model in Cessna’s proven and popular 560XL series. Made public on the eve of 2023’s European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE), the Citation Ascend—by virtue of its wholly redesigned cockpit, improved performance, and a more luxurious cabin—pleasantly disrupts the midsize business jet market. Representatives of Airbus’s Perlan Mission II announced its pilots and engineers had completed a successful flight test campaign in the Southwestern U.S., thereby clearing the way for a 2023 attempt to set a new aviation world altitude record for manned, le

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GAMA Releases Q1 2023 Aircraft Shipment and Billings Report

Increasing Deliveries Across Most Aircraft Segments

On 25 May 2023, GAMA released its first-quarter 2023 General Aviation Aircraft Shipment and Billing Report—a well-crafted lens through which the wellbeing of the general and business aviation sectors may be summarily glimpsed. The aircraft manufacturing industry’s results for 2023’s first three months—compared to the same period in 2022—indicate increasing unit deliveries across most aircraft segments.

… and Dragon eVTOL

Chander, Arizona-based Rotor X Aircraft Manufacturing Company is a maker of uniquely innovative, eminently capable, singularly stylish kit rotorcraft. The company’s Phoenix A600 Turbo is a two-seat conventional helicopter featuring a two-blade main-rotor and an aft boom-mounted anti-torque-rotor. The aircraft’s ovular fuselage affords pilots excellent forward, lateral, and downward visibility and is supported by a twin-skid undercarriage. The $118,000 for which the Phoenix A600 Turbo kit retails includes an MGL Avionics EFIS suite with GPS, and an all-new 180-horsepower turbocharged engine featuring dual electro

Also: OSH Youth Programs, FAPA Event, WestJet 72-Hour Strike Notice, Citation Sim

Dreams will take flight for young people during the 30th annual International Young Eagles Day to be observed Saturday, 10 June 2023. The yearly event is undertaken to encourage all EAA members and chapters to participate in the Young Eagles program, thereby passing the challenges and rewards of aviation on to a new generation. The Vulcanair V1 is shaping up to be more efficient than before now that the design sees a freshly revamped cowling, providing cooler head temps and lower fuel burn than the original spec. Following three-years of negotiations, Amerijet International pilo

Swiss Fractional Concern to Acquire 15 Casio Aircraft

VoltAero, the French aerospace concern founded by former Airbus chief technical officer Didier Esteyne and currently about the business of developing the Cassio family of hybrid-electric aircraft, announced on 23 May 2023 that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Swiss-based SKY2SHARE for the pre-order of 15 Cassio aircraft.

Airborne-Flight Training 05.18.23: Young Eagle Day, Vulcanair, Amerijet Contract

Also: OSH Youth Programs, FAPA Event, WestJet 72-Hour Strike Notice, Citation Sim

Klyde's Cohorts Were Ready To Settle For Just A Little Over A $Billion

FMI: www.klydemorris.com

Also: KIA WWII Airman Returns, FAA Does Less, TBP Lithium For PC-12, ERAU Rocketry

On 14 May, NORAD disclosed that U.S. fighter jets had intercepted six Russian aircraft operating within the boundaries of the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). The intercepted Russian aircraft included TU-95 “Bear” bombers, IL-78 aerial tankers; and Su-35 “Flanker” fighter jets. Honeywell Aerospace’s Pilatus PC-12 test aircraft has successfully completed the first test flight of the company’s Anthem integrated flight deck. Although Honeywell Anthem has been in flight test for more than a year and has accumulated upwards of 120 ho

Pilot Ratification Vote Inbound to Approve Proposed Contract

WestJet pilot leaders voted to approve an Agreement-In-Principle with WestJet management, possibly leading to an eventual end to more than 9 months of negotiations. The management will put the issue to a vote among WestJet pilots some time in the latter weeks of May. The group has been pretty unhappy with their arbitrated contract, one WestJet reps say was "forced" upon them in 2018.

Manufacturing Issues Affects Stage 1 Disks, Compressors in LEAP 1-A Engines

The FAA has issued an Airworthiness Directive for the LEAP 1-A engines used in the Airbus A320neo family of aircraft, working on a notice from their manufacturer regarding materials deficiencies in their construction. CFM International pointed out the discovery that iron was detected in 3 non-LEAP-1A HPT rotor disks, parts used in the 1st stage of the engine.

NFL’s Buccaneers Charter Provider Out of Bounds?

Speaking to the subject of alleged wrongdoing on the part of private aviation membership club AeroVanti, Attorney Ryan C. Wagner of Fort Lauderdale, Florida’s WLG law firm stated: “Based on the information and documentation that was discovered, and continues to be discovered, the activities and misappropriation of funds related to AeroVanti’s Top Gun Membership, are hallmarks of a Ponzi scheme.” If true, Mr. Wagner’s allegations—which pertain to two separate lawsuits recently filed against Annapolis, Maryland-based AeroVanti—tacitly set forth the worrying possibility that dozens of the private flight provider’s clients have lost as much

NTSB Releases Final Report on July 2021 RV7 Accident

Pilot Survives, Airplane Dies Young

The NTSB has released its final report on a 04 July 2021 accident in which an experimental, amateur-built, Rans RV7 two-seat, single-engine, low-wing airplane, registration N654C, was destroyed after its engine lost power shortly after the aircraft departed Pottstown, Pennsylvania’s Heritage Field Airport (PTW).

Now Begins the Work

Founded in 1947 to foster the prosperity of business aviation in the United States and worldwide, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), on 23 May 2023, applauded Congressional passage of the NOTAM Improvement Act of 2023—legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (Republican, West Virginia), Amy Klobuchar (Democrat, Minnesota), and Jerry Moran (Republican, Kansas) for purpose of preventing future shutdown of the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS) by, in part, directing the Federal Aviation Administration to improve the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAMs) system.

Aero Linx: HC-130J Combat King II

The HC-130J replaces HC-130P/Ns as the only dedicated fixed-wing Personnel Recovery platform in the Air Force inventory. It is an extended-range version of the C-130J Hercules transport.

Sail Back

A maneuver during high wind conditions (usually with power off) where float plane movement is controlled by water rudders/opening and closing cabin doors.

“This vital legislation will ensure the NOTAM system operates with the most up-to-date technology available to make it more resilient and create a safer National Airspace System (NAS) for all operators.” Source: NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen, applauding the Congressional passage of the NOTAM Improvement Act of 2023.