Junior Instructors Gain Funding Apparatus for Cliding Career

The Soaring Society of America  is accepting applications for its Junior CFI-G Scholarship program, a deal that will provide $3,000 USD for direct training and testing expenses. Applicants must show an interest in soaring and becoming a flight instructor in gliders, with the full award gated behind the attainment of an FAI Silver Badge or Kolstad Century Award. Glider rated Junior members of the Soaring Society aged 17 to 24 can apply, though the under-18 crowd must have parental consent.

Long-Lived Flying Boat Finds a Home to Retire

After a very long life as a working bird, firefighting operator Coulson Aviation is putting its Hawaii Mars out to pasture, donating the historic aircraft to the BC Aviation Museum. The aircraft has been a very high-profile example of WWII flying boat technology, cutting a gargantuan figure everywhere it goes. Now, however, increasing maintenance costs, insurance requirements, and fuel burn have all intersected to make a convincing case for retirement. The Hawaii Mars was one of 4 such aircraft sold into the Pacific Northwest's timber industry, where they began working as flying tankers to safeguard forestry from raging wildfires.

VENOM-AFT Aims to Equip Falcons with Uncrewed Flight Capabilities

The 96th Test Wing and 53rd Wing brought in the first of a trio of well-worn F-16 Fighting Falcons that will be used in the Viper Experimentation and Next-gen Operations Model – Autonomy Flying Testbed (VENOM-AFT, in the always flashy USAF tradition). VENOM-AFT aims to develop and accelerate the use of autonomy software on both crewed and uncrewed aircraft, and will draw on existing work being done at Eglin AFB under the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program and similar projects. The F-16s will be modified to a more limited extent than "uncrewed" perhaps implies, since humans will remain behind the stick to babysit the experimental jets throughout the program. 

Hyperian Plans Mach 10 Hyperliner

Hyperion Aerospace, a company designing on the leading edge of hypersonic aircraft technology, has unveiled its  SKYLIFT VTOL family of aircraft. A trio of specialized aircraft types will include the SKYLIFT, SKYCARGO, and SKYTACTICAL variants. Hyperion aims to redefine regional air travel with a design capable of large passenger capacity, extended range, and vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. The SKYLIFT, the flagship of the family, boasts a remarkable capacity of up to 50 passengers and an impressive range of 3000 miles, addressing the growing demand for efficient and convenient air transportation between smaller communities and major hubs.

 

Mission Aimed To Transport A Patient Suffering From Internal Bleeding From The Village Of Kotlik

The Alaska Air National Guard executed a vital medevac operation in response to a request from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation. This mission aimed to transport a patient suffering from internal bleeding from the village of Kotlik to a facility capable of providing a higher level of medical care. Civilian air ambulances were unable to carry out this task due to adverse weather conditions in the region. 

April Fool's Seems Too Good to Be True ('Cause it Is)

"Ultra-Low Fare Carrier" Frontier Airlines surprised onlookers with a surprisingly believable announcement, promising some new aircraft and a most unusual international route. They announced the upcoming addition of widebody aircraft to the Frontier fleet next June, promising the first order of business would see the start of a twice-weekly flight between John F. Kennedy International Airport of New York to Mote Mute Airport in Bora Bora, French Polynesia.

Official Process of Haggling a New Contract Opens Anew After Failed Merger

JetBlue Airways pilots will soon begin the lengthy march towards a new contract with their employer, after serving written notice to management to begin negotiations. As always, the process falls under the Railway Labor Act, forcing their hands and codifying a number of delays, periods, and rules onto the ongoing duel of bureaucrats. The Air Line Pilots Association is again taking point on this one, representing the JetBlue pilot base with their Master Executive Council.

Also: 2024 AMA National Fun-Fly, B-29 Doc and B-25 Berlin Express, Rex B737 FFS, Dreamliner Pilot Seats

The Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center has embarked on a search for the remains of its WWII ace namesake's aircraft, working with preservation specialist Pacific Wrecks in an effort to find the P-38 Lightning "Marge". Richard, or 'Dick' as friends and internet-adepts today know him, racked up a healthy medal case throughout his time in the Army Air Corps, downing 40 Japanese aircraft in the Pacific Theater. Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lunar lander is not answering their calls, despite hopes that its solar system would possibly provide enough j

Also: 2024 AMA National Fun-Fly, B-29 Doc and B-25 Berlin Express, Rex B737 FFS, Dreamliner Pilot Seats

The Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center has embarked on a search for the remains of its WWII ace namesake's aircraft, working with preservation specialist Pacific Wrecks in an effort to find the P-38 Lightning "Marge". Richard, or 'Dick' as friends and internet-adepts today know him, racked up a healthy medal case throughout his time in the Army Air Corps, downing 40 Japanese aircraft in the Pacific Theater. Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lunar lander is not answering their calls, despite hopes that its solar system would possibly provide e

Pilot Noted That The Gyroplane Was Unable To Maintain Sufficient Airspeed And Altitude

On March 24, 2024, about 1410 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built MTO Sport, N291AG, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Tavernier, Florida. The pilot and passenger sustained minor injuries. The gyroplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot stated that he performed an engine run-up with no anomalies noted. About six minutes after engine start up, shortly after takeoff, the pilot noted that the gyroplane was unable to maintain sufficient airspeed and altitude.

From 2023 (YouTube Version): First Kits to Ship October 2023

Having formerly resurrected the storied shape of the Ryan ST—in effigy, anyway—Montrose, Colorado-based Timber Tiger Aircraft has plied its considerable expertise and experience to the revival of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company’s JN-4—a World War I-era biplane known colloquially by generations of pilots and aviation enthusiasts as the Curtiss Jenny, or simply, Jenny.

Aero Linx: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Since 1963, members from a single professional society have achieved virtually every milestone in modern American flight. That society is the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 95 corporate members, AIAA is the world’s largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession. Created in 1963 by the merger of the two great aerospace societies of the day, the American Rocket Society (founded in 1930 as the American Interplanetary Society), and the Institute of the Aerospace Sciences (established in 1933 as the Institute of

New Form Makes Subscribing, Unsubscribing Even Easier

While we're very proud of our newly-redesigned website, we know that some folks really enjoy the convenience of having their Aero-News dropped into their e-mail boxes every day. Our new site makes that process even easier than before.

Maximum Authorized Altitude A published altitude representing the maximum usable altitude or flight level for an airspace structure or route segment. It is the highest altitude on a Federal airway, jet route, area navigation low or high route, or other direct route for which an MEA is designated in 14 CFR Part 95 at which adequate reception of navigation aid signals is assured. 

"Coulson Aviation would like to acknowledge and thank the BCFS, USFS, and CALFIRE for allowing us, since 2007, to showcase our company's capability to safely and effectively operate these aircraft and serve ground firefighters and citizens under the threat of fire. It has been an honor for our family to be entrusted with these aircraft and the hope they represent for the public in time of need as we have all been negatively impacted in some way by the devastation of wildfire. We will immediately start preparing the aircraft for its final destination, the BC Aviation Museum in Victoria. We are very appreciative of the wonderful people we are working with at BCAM, who have helped make this final journey of the Hawaii Mars its most important mission."

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