This Is The Final Commercial Flight of VSS Unity, Production of Delta Class Spaceships Continues

Virgin Galactic completed its second spaceflight of 2024 and 12th mission to date, carrying one researcher and three private space tourists. This ‘Galactic 07’ flight marks the Company’s seventh research mission with Virgin Galactic’s spaceship again serving as a suborbital lab for space-based scientific research.

A Total Of 25 TBMs Were Flown Into Biarritz-Pays Basque Airport

Last month’s European convention of the TBM Owners and Pilots Association (TBMOPA) attracted a wide customer base from its TBM aircraft product line – from private owners and operators to the French Air Force and French Army Aviation. Daher was a co-sponsor of the annual gathering, underscoring its support for TBMOPA’s commitment to the promotion of flight safety and operational efficiency for the TBM fleet – with some 1,190 airplanes delivered to date.

The Fairchild XNQ-1 Was Restored During The Years 1983-1992

There's good news for the Hagerstown Aviation Museum with the news that, "The one and only 1947 Fairchild XNQ-1 Navy Trainer is being donated..." to the facility. This airplane is reportedly one of only two examples ever produced, and is in the process of flying from its current home in Texas to the place of its birth, Hagerstown, this Monday June 10th. The Fairchild XNQ-1 was restored during the years 1983-1992 by Don and Ann Pellegreno in their farm workshop near Story City, Iowa. The airplane has been maintained ever since and flown to air shows throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, and (naturally...) awarded “Best in Show” many times!

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Czech sportplane manufacturer Direct Fly has finished delivering its 200th ALTO NG, the latest iteration of their 600-kg sportplane. The Alto was previously offered as the Alto 912 TG model, sporting some light tweaks and changes for improved stiffness and durability. The Rotax folks have published a Service Bulletin after issues were noted that may affect all R915i and R916i series engines. Rotax operators have reported occasional, isolated, cases a momentary slipping of the overload clutch -- which may lead to a slight exceedance of the maximum rpm limit, followed by the engine rpm quickly normalizing. In perusing over 1,000 variations of sport aircraft for the current SportPlane Resource Guide, a few designs definitely catch the eye. One of the most startling of these is an all-composite, V-Tail machine that appears to offer an extraordinarily low

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A combined Spanish-Portuguese aerobatic demo team suffered a fatality at the Beja AirShow, when one of their aircraft clipped another during a performance. The show was held in the southern region of Portugal, the performing team's own backyard given their base in Ponte de Sor. Apparently, the lost pilot was the only one to die, with the other making a landing without incident. Electra has successfully achieved the first high-performance ultra-short flight operations of its piloted blown-lift hybrid-electric short takeoff and landing(eSTOL) demonstrator aircraft (EL-2 Goldfinch). The test flights, piloted by Cody Allee, took place through April and May 2024 at the Manassas Regional Airport and Warrenton-Fauquier Airport in Virginia. The longest flight lasted 1 hour 43 minutes. During the campaign, the aircraft took off in less than 170 ft and landed in under 114 ft gr

For 20 Years, That Provision Has Vexed Operators Throughout The Low-Altitude General Aviation Sphere

The recent reauthorization of the FAA brings a much-needed change to a long-running problem regarding air show restrictions. In 2004, the omnibus spending bill of 2004 included a change that restricts flights by any non-approved aircraft within 3 miles of an NCAA, NFL, MLB, or NASCAR event. Initially, it was sold to the public as an anti-terror provision, but those in the know believe it was aimed at restricting banner tow operations more than an actual attack. For 20 years, that provision has vexed operators throughout the low-altitude General Aviation sphere.

Will Include Flight Experience Rides On B-25 Berlin Express And B-29 Doc

The B-29 Doc History Restored Tour will next land at New Century Airport and in Gardner, KS, June 13-16. The tour stop will include B-29 Doc, one of 1,644 B-29 Superfortress aircraft built by the Boeing Company in Wichita, KS, during World War II and one of only two still flying today, and B-25 Berlin Express, a B-25 Mitchell, which spent time twice during the war at the North American Aviation B-25 Fairfax factory in Kansas City, KS. The tour stop, hosted by the Commemorative Air Force Heart of America Wing, will include flight experience rides on B-25 Berlin Express and B-29 Doc, along with ground and cockpit tours of both aircraft when they are not flying.

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Starship’s 4th Flight test was an engineering and visual success... providing a visual feast along much of the 66 minute journey. Starship successfully lifted off at 7:50 a.m. CT from Starbase in Texas, and completed a full-duration ascent burn. The booster’s flight ended with a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. A handful of congressional Republican vets took a leap from a vintage C-47 Skytrain in Florida, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the beach landings on D-Day. A team of House Republicans was set to jump out of a C-47 Skytrain in commemoration of D-Day's 80th Anniversary, joined by a delegation to Normandy, France. DJI has made the first delivery tests on Mount Everest for some serious bragging rights. The company joined hands with Nepalese drone specialist Airlift, making use of the infamousl

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The Rotax folks have published a Service Bulletin after issues were noted that may affect all R915i and R916i series engines. Rotax operators have reported occasional, isolated, cases a momentary slipping of the overload clutch -- which may lead to a slight exceedance of the maximum rpm limit, followed by the engine rpm quickly normalizing. As previously noted, the next Starship launch seems to be pending... soon. According to Elon's troops, the fourth flight test of Starship could launch as soon as June 6 (pending regulatory approval). The launch window will open as early as 0700CT. As is the case with all developmental testing, the schedule is dynamic and likely to change. PlaneTags has finished up a run of plates using some of the castoff skins of the upper wings from the Experimental Aviation Association's B-17 Aluminum Overcast. The skins were taken off in March of 2014

Massive Aviation News Event Started 2024 Off With a Plethora of Exciting Info

Last year, we introduced the SnF Innovation Preview in which 25 companies introduced over 30 new planes, products, engines, accessories, and more… in other words… a LOT of news. Rotax previewed the powerful 916iS, CubCrafters showcased the Carbon Cub UL, Bose introduced the A30, Aerox revealed the Boomula… and so much more. This year, we went beyond that... way beyond all that, with a larger selection of news announcements that covered ALL aspects of sport, general and commercial aviation... all at the start of the 50th Annual SUN n FUN Aerospace Expo... the undisputed start to the aviation year. This year was also a major news-breaker... especially with the announcement that the DeltaHawk Diesel engine folks were working with Piper Aircraft on an STC for the PA44 Seminole. It also hosted the first forma