Will Join A New Sustainable Segment: Textron eAviation

Textron appears to be ready to collect another trophy for its collection of brands, this time buying up lightweight electric aircraft manufacturer Pipistrel. The acquisition may see the same benefits given to other brands under the Textron banner, granting access to "greater resources, technical, and regulatory expertise," according to the company. The deal will also unlock a "global aircraft sales and support network, enabling it to accelerate its development and certification of electric and hybrid aircraft. Maybe.

Also: EAA-FAA Summit, Lilium-Netjets, Ok's Museum of Women Pilots, CommutAir Pilots

he recently defunct Enstrom Helicopter Corporation may soon rise from the dead, following the purchase of its remains by MidTex Aviation. Enstrom declared bankruptcy in January citing severe financial difficulties, allowing its assets to be sold off by a Michigan court. MidTex was able to purchase nearly everything from the company, including pre-owned aircraft, tooling, materials, drawings, intellectual property, and factory equipment. MidTex says they will reopen the factory for operation through a new subsidiary entity named Enstrom Aerospace. EAA WomenVenture has ann

Stratospheric Tourist Outfit Exhibits Accommodations for All-Day Journey

World View, a balloon-based space tourism company, has debuted its passenger capsule prototype ahead of expected commercial flights in 2024. The capsule is the first look at the all-day accommodations granted to passengers aboard the World View experience, an important design given the length of time that travelers will spend aboard. During their flight, passengers will load up and take off before dawn from the World View Spaceport, rising up slowly to 100,000 feet.

Also: 2M Flt Hours For MQ-9, Nyet To RD-181 Support, F-35 Deep Recovery, Model Airfield

General Atomics has announced its newest addition to its portfolio drones, the Gambit. Described as an "Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP)”,  the drone will be a jet-powered, autonomous recon wingman for manned aircraft, working in tandem as a lower cost, low-risk option to send on scouting tasks that would be too dangerous for larger aircraft. The FAA's Office of Airports has begun requesting comments on the current draft for Vertiport Design. Engineering Brief 105 contains interim safety standards for those facilities that will soon dot the America

1 Deceased, 1 Injured in Aircraft Evaluation for Italian Air Force Plane

Italians in the region of Colico reported a large explosion earlier this week, followed by a large, continuous plume of thick black smoke from an impact site on the mountains nearby. Italian defense manufacturer and European aviation giant Leonardo confirmed reports of an incident involving one of their small jets bound for the Italian Air Force. An evaluation flight resulted in a fatality when the test pilots ejected for undisclosed reasons.

Dassault's Baby Continues Progressing Towards Release After Proving Systems on the Icy Tundra

The Dassault Falcon 6X has completed its far-north cold soak testing, successfully proving its capabilities even in some of the harshest conditions. The test saw one of 3 initial testbed Falcons flown to a small tundra down in the far Canadian north. During the evaluation, Iqaluit saw temps as low as -35 F°, the perfect conditions to evaluate the plane's performance when pressed into service in extreme conditions.

From 2018 (YouTube Version): Aero-TV: AEA’s Paula Derks - Closing Out an Amazing Era…

Each year at the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) convention and trade show, Aero-TV is granted unprecedented access to Paula Derks, the President and CEO of the organization. This year, Derks spoke with Aero-News Network Editor-in-Chief and CEO, Jim Campbell, about the future of the avionics industry and what AEA is doing to strengthen that future. Derks said one of the things the AEA is doing to brighten the future of the industry is the AEA Technology Incubator, set for August 16, 2018. The incubator is designed to demystify the path forward, for

Carrier, Production, and Type Certificates Expected by 2024

Joby is approaching the completion of their Part 135 Air Carrier Certification, according to a company released earlier this week. The certification program is in its 4th of 5 stages to obtain approval from the FAA, which will allow the eVTOL manufacturer to begin offering its sustainable taxi services in cities and communities throughout the US. It is an integral part of the company's regulatory trifecta: A Type Certificate for the Joby aircraft, a Production Certificate for the assembly of a series of additional aircraft, as well as the Carrier Certificate. Joby believes they will have all the necessary approvals to begin their aerial ridesharing services in 2024.&nb

"Airspace Modernization Straight Talk" Tackles the Spectrum of Next-Gen Systems

Duncan Aviation has released an updated book in their Straight Talk series, addressing the changes surrounding the FAA's Airspace Modernization initiatives. The book, Airspace Modernization Straight Talk, covers mandates and advances in the United States and around the world, sharing the operational requirements and equipment necessary to take advantage of new technology.

Also: 2M Flt Hours For MQ-9, Nyet To RD-181 Support, F-35 Deep Recovery, Model Airfield

General Atomics has announced its newest addition to its portfolio drones, the Gambit. Described as an "Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP)”,  the drone will be a jet-powered, autonomous recon wingman for manned aircraft, working in tandem as a lower cost, low-risk option to send on scouting tasks that would be too dangerous for larger aircraft. The FAA's Office of Airports has begun requesting comments on the current draft for Vertiport Design. Engineering Brief 105 contains interim safety standards for those facilities that will soon dot the America

One Of The Witnesses Noted White/Blue Colored Smoke Trailing The Left Engine

On February 16, 2022, about 1707 eastern standard time, a Beech 58 airplane, N58LF, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Lexington, North Carolina. The private pilot was fatally injured, and the driver of the tractor-trailer and a passenger of that truck sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Three witnesses who were on the airport ramp observed a portion of the takeoff roll, rotation, and initial climb before losing sight of the airplane just before impact.

Aero Linx: Joint Helicopter Command In 1999 the Royal Navy’s Commando Helicopter Force (CHF), alongside RAF support helicopters and the Army Air Corps, became part of the newly formed Joint Helicopter Command (JHC). Joint Helicopter Command (JHC) is a tri-service organisation uniting military helicopters of the British Armed Forces for command and coordination purposes. JHC units continue to belong to their parent service and maintain their respective single service ethos; however, they now come under the Operational Command of HQ Land, pooling their respective specialist capabilities in order to provide a formidable source of aviation assets to support ground operations.

North Atlantic High Level Airspace (NAT HLA) That volume of airspace (as defined in ICAO Document 7030) between FL 285 and FL 420 within the Oceanic Control Areas of Bodo Oceanic, Gander Oceanic, New York Oceanic East, Reykjavik, Santa Maria, and Shanwick, excluding the Shannon and Brest Ocean Transition Areas. ICAO Doc 007 North Atlantic Operations and Airspace Manual provides detailed information on related  aircraft and operational requirements.

Aero-News Quote of the Day "Not discussed, though, is the state of resolution (or lack thereof) concerning complaints and in-process litigation lodged against Pipistrel by former North American Distributor, Michael Coates, who claims hundreds of thousands of dollars (over $600K, at last count) owed to him by Ivo Boscarol and Pipistrel. Additionally; a number of complaints have been made and/or published about the Slovenian company by owners, dealers, and former dealers. There are also a number of ponderous issues being brought up as to the conduct of the personnel and company that ultimately was appointed to take Coates's place, Righht Rudder Aviation -- who has refused to discuss the ma