Nolen’s Day Dawns?

Contemporaneously faced with an unprecedented and worrying paroxysm of runway incursions and a fast-approaching summer travel season, the Federal Aviation Administration has resolved to improve U.S. domestic aviation safety.

Nine Lives Lost in Kentucky Tragedy

U.S. Army officials confirmed on Thursday, 30 March 2023 that two Black Hawk helicopters assigned to the Army’s famed 101st Airborne Division have gone down in southwestern Kentucky’s Trigg County, near the Kentucky-Tennessee border. The accident claimed the lives of all nine service-members aboard the two aircraft. The mishap—the cause of which remains unknown—occurred at approximately 22:00 EDT on Wednesday, 29 March during a night-time training exercise in which the two UH-60 helicopters were engaged.

'Pipedreams' Do Come True

Samson Sky, the “flying motorcycle” guys have been a perennial fixture at the national airshows for years, many thinking they were nothing but so many flashes in the pan, pie in the sky flights of fancy we have seen before. We have all just been corrected in a most pleasant manner. Those that have kept up with samson have seen trials and tribulations working thru cobbling together a road driveable aircraft that did both functions well enough to be practical and attractive enough to be desirable. The Samson Switchblade is by all accounts an attractive vehicle shedding the usual awkwardness of a combo vehicle.

CFII Candidates, Rejoice!

The new Cleared for Instrument Instructing course and curriculum cumulatively add an Instrument Instruction (CFII) rating to a CFI’s Flight Instructor certificate. The courseware is the latest addition to King Schools’ Cessna Flight Training System (CFTS). The program includes home study material plus flight school tracking of FAA Part 141 approvable syllabi for Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Flight Instructor, and now the Instrument Flight Instructor (CFII) rating. The complete set of courses allows a flight school to develop a professional pilot program by which candidates may proceed seamlessly from zero hours to airline hire.

Also: Air-Britain, FAA Lifetime Achievement, NASA Update, BizAv Boom... NOT?

It’s not enough to build great headsets anymore... now they have to start doing tricks... and the Lightspeed Delta Zulu is leading the pack. We've Had one here at ANN for a few weeks and while we could go on about how well it works as a stand-alone headset, it's the CO Monitoring capability and the apps that go with it that get so much attention and should... Like Lightspeed, Super Petrel USA had some great news to impart at the Sun ‘n Fun Innovation Preview. The new XP variant was conceived to accommodate Rotax’s 915is aircraft engine... Piper Aircraft has signed a purchase agreement for a large fleet of new Piper aircraft. The long-term agreement includes full replacement of the school’s extant single-and multi-engine fleets with Piper’s reliable, robust, and eminently proven Archer TX single-engine and Seminole twin-engine aircraft. The order co

Also: Kolb Aircraft, Cuban Hang Glider, Kodiak 100 Prop Upgrade, truSky ADS-B Spoofing Detection

Just prior to the festivities at SnF23 got a start, we had the chance to do a quick test jaunt in Diamond’s long-awaited DA50RG. The conditions were not great... a direct crosswind, lots of nearby scud hiding arriving SnF traffic, and limited time in which to enjoy the flight... but, the DA50 delivers an exceptional stable platform with solid handling qualities that befits a serious traveling machine. One of the Innovation Preview presentations that seemed to get a lot of attention was the expanded look at Aerox’s Boomula... In keeping with its 'It’s Toxic to Fly Hypoxic' ethos, Aerox has brought to market a unique headset accessory to which it has ascribed the memorable appellation Boomula. We came, we saw, and we previewed! The first Sun ‘n Fun Innovation Preview is now history, and a very successful history at that. Despite having

STEM Cells

As the aerospace industry contends with a worrying paucity of skilled personnel, many professional organizations, to include the EAA and GAMA, posit aviation’s future may well hinge upon the popularity of and participation in high school aero clubs and similarly aviation-focused student organizations—such as the clubs and assemblies secondary to elementary and high school Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) curricula.

Also: Quality Aircraft Accessories, UAE Training Program, No New FAA Admin... Yet, Lockheed Vega

CubCrafters announced the latest addition to the Carbon Cub UL lineup with a lightweight, turbocharged Rotax-powered Cub geared for sales outside its home American market. The new Carbon Cub UL replaces the model's usual engine, the Titan CC340, with a Rotax 916 iS. The smaller, lighter engine provides a few benefits: The 160-hp Rotax enables the Cub to 2 adults with a full fuel load and a 'reasonable' amount of baggage at a 1,320 lb max takeoff weight. There is a new Rotax in town and a number of sport aircraft manufacturers are salivating at the prospect... and certified aircraft builders are getting kinda interested as well. The 916iS, complete with gearbox and exhaust system tops the scale at 189 pounds... and produces as much as 160HP. Following a rather ornate reception at the new Lakeland Airport Waco Kitchen, Junkers Aircraft, in cooperat

Get Your Wacky Ideas In NOW!

ANN E-I-C Note: Folks... we gotta warn you... we're trying to do our best April 1st Edition yet and based on all the nonsense we've had to endure in 2022-2023 (which we are duty-bound to lampoon), we certainly have good reason for that... so if you have any ideas of your own as to how to heighten the insanity, this is your LAST CHANCE. As always... NO ONE IS SAFE. We're going to have some fun with EVERYONE... the FAA, Cirrus, USA Today, Congress, TSA, Cirrus, EAA, AOPA, Sun 'n Fun, Dale Klapmeier, every UAV ever flown, Cirrus, every UAV-phobe in the known universe, every self-appointed aviation expert who can't spell aileron, the USAF, Cessna, Cirrus, NASA, you name it. If you want to be a part of the foolishness, get your ideas and submissions to us ASAP!

Big Fun in Small Airframes

The purchase of an aircraft is a daunting undertaking—particularly in an era characterized by $250,000 kit aircraft and $80-million Gulfstreams. Individuals drawn to flight but disinclined or insufficiently monied to burn their cash in conflagrations of AVGAS or Jet-A are encouraged to visit the website or SUN ‘n FUN exhibits of Horizon Hobby, a retailer specializing in remote-controlled (RC) aircraft.