Man Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS) MANPADS are lightweight, shoulder-launched, missile systems used to bring down aircraft and create mass casualties. The potential for MANPADS use against airborne aircraft is real and requires familiarity with the subject. Terrorists choose MANPADS because the weapons are low cost, highly mobile, require minimal set-up time, and are easy to use and maintain. Although the weapons have limited range, and their accuracy is affected by poor visibility and adverse weather, they can be fired from anywhere on land or from boats where there is unrestricted visibility to the target.

“This achievement is the culmination of our efforts including our Gold Standard Safety Awards, a groundbreaking study on single pilot go-around decision making and pilot performance analysis through flight operational quality assurance data collection." Source: David Miller, director of programs and safety education for the CJP Safety and Education Foundation, commenting on the report that the Association (CJP), the largest organization for operators of the Cessna Citation series of light jets, has successfully completed 12 months of accident and incident-free flights.

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An interesting rumor has made its way through the inboxes of aviation enthusiasts this week. A business for sale, labeled “Legendary Aircraft Manufacturer”, with an asking price of $15 million, accompanied by a short video of the Mooney factory. The unusual listing includes the owners’ 2020 overview and strategy document, now nearly a year out of date. The price may seem somewhat small in an industry that regularly headlines hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions, but some fans of the troubled marque worry that there isn’t much meat left on the bones. Interviews with the new president last year sounded pragmatic and realistic. CEO Jonny Pollack was clear in his interview with us that “we have to walk before we fly.” The American Bonanza Society/Air Safety Foundation (ABS/ASF) has increased its priz

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Swedish company Jetson has officially launched their ONE, a commercially available, personal electric aircraft with VTOL capabilities. The cockpit is flanked by four twin rotors, and the folding, ultralight vehicle appears ready for sale in its recently released promotional video. The ONE appears suited for the recreational crowd, with space for a single pilot and… well, there’s probably somewhere to wedge a granola bar somewhere in that tubing. Piloting is accomplished by a fighter like HOTAS configuration, with the right hand controlling three axes of flight, and power on the left. Ten years ago, history maker Pat Moorehead completed a record 81 jumps on his 80th birthday to raise funds for the International Skydiving Museum & Hall of Fame (ISMHF), bringing in $20,000 with his efforts. Now, for his 90th birthday, he will jump again. For th

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A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Texas returned an indictment charging a former Chief Technical Pilot for The Boeing Company with deceiving the FAA’s Aircraft Evaluation Group (AEG) in connection with their evaluation of the Boeing 737 MAX, as well as scheming to defraud Boeing’s U.S.-based airline customers to obtain tens of millions of dollars for Boeing. Mark A. Forkner, 49, former Chief Technical Pilot for Boeing, has been charged with two counts of fraud involving aircraft parts in interstate commerce and four counts of wire fraud. Delta Airlines Boss, Ed Bastian, has spoken about their lack of mandatory employee coronavirus vaccination. With other carriers entering a game of chicken, where employees choose between vaccination or forced termination, the move made weekend headlines. Bastian said, “The reason th

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Textron Aviation released news of a recent order for 10 Cessna Skyhawks, destined for Kansas State University Salinea Aerospace and Technology Campus, bringing their total fleet to 20. “K-State” also owns Bonanzas, Barons, motorgliders, and sailplanes in their collection, all put to use in their Part 141 pilot training program. The Salina, Kansas school was one of the earliest participants in Textron’s Top Hawk program, receiving their position in 2015. Since then, they use their customized, branded Skyhawks for promotional activities and flight training. The United State Air Force (USAF) found itself short of its annual goal for 1,500 new pilots, as increased airline hiring and low retention draw away aviators towards other careers. The Air Education Training Command (AETC) is the center of USAF's efforts to create pilots fi

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A final flight time of 8 days, 50 minutes, and 47 seconds covering 12,200 miles of continuous flight was achieved when the Vanilla Unmanned prototype ISR UAS touched down October 2. It created the newest world record for unrefueled, internal combustion endurance of an unmanned aircraft. The ET-CTF has been essential to the development of Vanilla’s prototype drone aircraft, trying to create a cost-effective, airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance demands for long-term periods aloft. Honda Motor Company recently released its ambitious "2030 Vision", an series of changes and projects geared towards future-proofing the company by integrating its wide range of expertise in combustion, electrics, aeronautics, and robotics into a series of products suited for a rapidly changing economy. Central to their new "mobility ecosystem" will be a hybrid gas turbine and el

We're Not Sure That A Five-Stripe Uniform Will Fix Much, Klyde

FMI: www.klydemorris.com

Aero Linx: Civil Air Navigation Services Organization CANSO is the global voice of the air traffic management industry. As the industry association, we bring the world’s air navigation service providers, leading industry innovators and air traffic management specialists together to share knowledge, develop best practice and shape the future for secure and seamless airspace. Together we are experts, we are innovators and we are the architects of future ATM.

Marker Beacon An electronic navigation facility transmitting a 75 MHz vertical fan or boneshaped radiation pattern. Marker beacons are identified by their modulation frequency and keying code, and when received by compatible airborne equipment, indicate to the pilot, both aurally and visually, that he/she is passing over the facility.