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February 09, 2024

Airborne 02.09.24: Virgin Galactic Problem, Rotax Fly-In, 3 Archers

Also: EAA Webinars, Enstrom Inks Deal, New WAI COO, NetJets Goes Gogo

Virgin Galactic has admitted that during 'routine post-flight reviews' following its most recent spaceflight, ‘Galactic 06,’ the Company became aware that an alignment pin detached from the launch pylon of the mothership, VMS Eve, during flight. The Company notified the FAA on January 31 in accordance with regulations and is conducting a review in conjunction with the FAA. Rotax is taking its Fly-In on the road, moving beyond its historical stomping ground of Wels, Austria. The 2024 Fly-In World Tour will see them touch down in Australia, Argentina, Canada, too, allowing more of their international market to get in on the fun. (Austria is still on, too,

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Rotax Announces 2024 Fly-In Tour Dates

German LSA Community Get a Schedule for Spring, Fall Get-Togethers

Rotax is taking its Fly-In on the road, moving beyond its historical stomping ground of Wels, Austria. The 2024 Fly-In World Tour will see them touch down in Australia, Argentina, Canada, too, allowing more of their international market to get in on the fun. (Austria is still on, too, of course.) Each event will see keynote speakers, food trucks, manufacturer demonstrations, vendors, dinner with music, and more.

Piloted Midnights Will Power the Bulk of FAA Testing

The first trio of Archer Midnights is on the way to completion, representing what the company calls its "first three conforming" aircraft in its long road to wider mass production. The aircraft are already far enough along in the process to eye final assembly in the coming weeks, with parts being collated, machined, and installed at Archer's San Jose, California home. The piloted aircraft will be used in FAA certification testing later this year, moving on towards "for credit" demonstrations as Archer continues working on commercialization for the eVTOL design.

Internet Provider Chosen for Fleetwide Service

NetJets has signed on with Gogo Business Aviation to include its AVANCE L5 and associated services to the fractional operator's fleet. The deal will include the AVANCE system, Gogo 5G, and Gogo Galileo, the company's satellite-based LEO broadband internet service. The agreement is good for a full decade, and allows NetJets the chance to upgrade its aircraft fleet wide with all the necessary kit.

Avion Lends FFS to Aerobility for a Day

Aerobility got a chance to bring some of its friends, students, and staff to the Avion Flight Training Centre at London Luton Airport, offering the disabled aviators a chance to try out the narrowbody airliner in the simulated world. The experience comes courtesy of the Aviatrix Project, "an organization that works to raise awareness, particularly amongst women and girls but also people from diverse backgrounds, about aviation as a potential career choice". Aviatrix donated the experience to Aerobility, a charity whose mission aligns somewhat closely with its own.

Also: Coulson Aviation ATO, Western Nevada College, Cabri G2 Emergency AD, NetJets Skirmishing

Greater Lawrence Technical School in Andover, Massachusetts is joining the number of schools expanding their operations to address the shortage of qualified aeronautical personnel. The school is a 4-year tech high school serving the local communities of Andover, Lawrence, and Methuen, and they're moving into a new hangar at the Lawrence Municipal Airport to provide instruction regarding aircraft maintenance. Kenny Keller, a 23-year rotary wing instruction veteran, has published his own take on teaching students to meet and exceed PPL standards in helicopter operatio

Wichita Aero Club Honors Senator Jerry Moran

2023 Wichita Aero Club Trophy Awarded to Friend of Aviation

The Wichita Aero Club held its handover ceremony recognizing the efforts of Kansas Senator Jerry Moran, thanking him for his efforts to assist aeronautics throughout his career. The trophy gala also happened to raise more than $50,000 for educational initiatives, further bolstering Moran's assistance to the local ecosystem. Moran has served on both the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and the Senate Committee on Appropriations, making this a multifaceted friend of the industry.

From 2016 (YouTube Version): Hear the Story of the CAF B-29 Named “FIFI”…

While at EAA AirVenture 2016, our ANN video crew headed out to get some shots of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) B-29, known as “FIFI”. We met up with Steve Zimmerman, who was the aircraft commander for “FIFI” on this year’s trip to AirVenture. Zimmerman provides a great overall background of the airplane, how it flies, and what kind of original equipment it still has installed. As Zimmerman describes the various i

Pilot Said He Could Not Recall Setting The Flaps To “MID” Position Prior To Takeoff

Analysis: The pilot reported that during the takeoff roll, shortly after rotation, he cycled the gear up. The airplane then descended and contacted the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the lower fuselage. The flap control lever and the flaps were found in the “UP” position following the accident. Review of the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) directed the flaps to be set to MID during the before taxi check and to check flaps MID during the before takeoff check.

Aero Linx: European Association of Aviation Training and Education Organizations Welcome to the “European Association of Aviation Training and Education Organizations –EATEO”. EATEO aspires to be the European voice for driving the best aviation training and education practices and to provide a common forum for its Members, enabling them to contribute to aviation safety and other fields of civil aviation, to defend their common interests in European as well as international fora and to support them in their efforts as regards promotion of their training activities and the securing of new business.

Breakout A technique to direct aircraft out of the approach stream. In the context of simultaneous (independent) parallel operations, a breakout is used to direct threatened aircraft away from a deviating aircraft.