Also: PC-12 Record, Maule Nation, Cockpit Lockout, 34,000 Airliners Needed, Beechcraft Wins Big Contract

You know you're having a bad day when a flight goes so bad that you feel you must resort to using a parachute to see you safely through the flight… and then the chute malfunctions. That's exactly what happened last Thursday to Cirrus Pilot Tim Valentine while enroute from Addison, TX to Kansas. Valentine spoke at length with ANN shortly after the incident saying he experienced an instrumentation failure at 7,000 feet and "in the soup" while trying to avoid the backside of a thunderstorm. With the loss of his HSI and autopilot and a suspect attitude indicator, he decided to hit the silk by deploying the CAPS… a system that had been repacked the year before in accordance with the lifetime limits established by Cirrus. On Thursday the team operating NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity received confirmation in a transmission fr

Also: Wanna Buy A Control Tower?, SAC 7-35 Airdata Computer, Remembering Frank Beagle, Exp 35 Astros Drop In, 777X Team Named, AF Academy Grads Will Get Their Flyover!

The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System demonstrator (UCAS-D) completed its first ever carrier-based catapult launch from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) off the coast of Virginia Tuesday. The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) has announced plans to establish the CAF National Airbase at a major metropolitan area and its intent to launch a nationwide search immediately. ISS Commander Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian to command the station has performed a rendition of David Bowie's "Space Oddity" while aboard the orbiting outpost. Released Monday, May 13, the video quickly went viral with several million hits in its first day online and was well past 12 million when last we checked. All this... and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!

Klyde Does 'Drone' On... 

FMI: www.klydemorris.com

ANN/Aero-TV Marketing Department Needs Part or Full Time Personnel Since ANN started, we have enjoyed the amazing support of a group of sponsors who have, by and large, been generous and visionary. As a matter of fact, most of the sponsors you see on ANN called us first -- leaving us little to do but to finish some paperwork, and get them started. You have no idea how wonderful that has been for us... leaving us (mostly) to work on the editorial end of ANN and build it into what is generally recognized as the Aviation World's Most Widely Read Daily News Service.

Also: Wanna Buy A Control Tower?,  SAC 7-35 Airdata Computer, Remembering Frank Beagle, Exp 35 Astros Drop In, 777X Team Named, AF Academy Grads Will Get Their Flyover!

The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System demonstrator (UCAS-D) completed its first ever carrier-based catapult launch from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) off the coast of Virginia Tuesday. The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) has announced plans to establish the CAF National Airbase at a major metropolitan area and its intent to launch a nationwide search immediately. ISS Commander Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian to command the station has performed a rendition of David Bowie's "Space Oddity" while aboard the orbiting outpost. Released Monday, May 13, the video quickly went viral with several million hits in its first day online and was well past 12 million when last we checked.  All this... and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!

An Amazing Experience Awaits The Chosen Few...

One of the more unique and enjoyable aspects of our coverage is that we've been smart enough to do away with the usual institutional arrogance we see at so many publications... where the Editors think that only they know what you want... whether they really do or not (or worse cover what THEY like... regardless of YOUR interests). We instituted the Aero-Stringer program over a decade ago to allow promising writers and photographers, with a true passion for aviation, to come aboard and help us cover the Oshkosh experience through THEIR EYES and keep us in touch with the true rank and file of the aviation world...

Bankruptcies, Problems With Dreamliners And A380s Balanced Against Record Orders And Strong Future Forecasts

Both Airbus and Boeing had problems with their flagship products ... the A380 and the Dreamliner, respectively, and Congress passes legislation that will require far more experience for airline pilots. Europe blinked when it came to implementation of its Emissions Trading Schedule, and Boeing racked up some record orders, mostly for its re-engined 737 MAX.