Planned Six-Hour And 50-Minute Excursion Is On Hold
The U.S. spacewalk outside the International Space Station originally planned for Tuesday, Aug. 24 with NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide has been postponed due to a minor medical issue involving Vande Hei. This issue is not a medical emergency. Astronauts Mark Vande Hei of NASA and Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) had been busily prepping to exit the U.S. Quest airlock to prepare the International Space Station for its third Roll-Out Solar Array. The two spacewalkers had been gearing up all last week checking their spacesuits, configuring their tools, and reviewing their procedures for the planned
As you may know, CubCrafters has been offering a nosewheel option on their popular XCub.
The company has mentioned they understand the skepticism among the community, and has been testing to see how the market would respond for about a year and a half. Pilots have been getting used to seeing the nosewheel option and since the aircraft has been on the market, that skepticism has been noticeably fading.
Air traffic control audio has revealed details of the highly advanced 'drone' that dodged a police helicopter in military airspace above Tucson on February 9th. The FAA revealed the sophisticated capabilities of the drone this week. The recordings reveal that pilots and ATC were shocked by the drone, as it hovered over Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. For nearly 70 mins, the drone played a game of cat and mouse with the helicopters by hovering directly over their rotors. Not visible with night vision goggles, it escaped by exceeding the maximum flight ceiling of the helicopters. Crews are also heard saying that it was difficult to estimate the size of the mystery craft, which was difficult to visually identi
The Pentagon has ordered US commercial airlines to provide planes to help speed up Afghanistan evacuation efforts, it said Sunday. This effort will help transport Afghan evacuees as the military manages the swarms of people following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. The White House summoned the Civil Reserve Air Fleet on Sunday, which was created to assist the military during emergencies in 1952. The activation is for 18 aircraft: three each from American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines, and Omni Air; two from Hawaiian Airlines; and four from United Airlines. The civilian planes will not be flying directly into Afghanistan but instead relieving pressure off bases in Qatar, Bahrain, and Germany.
Jeff Bezos has been having a summer of ups and downs, first going to space and now losing some of his top talent at Blue Origin. According to a number of media sources, 17 key leaders have made their departure along with two engineers, Nitin Arora and Lauren Lyons. Arora now works for Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Lyons, Firefly Aerospace. Lyons was a Lead Systems Engineer in the Advanced Development Programs division at Blue Origin, who held roles in the Requirements, Verification, Validation, and Certification team for the Artemis Human Landing System National Team. Before that, she worked as a senior engineer at SpaceX where she worked on Falcon 9, Starlink, Cargo Dragon, and Crew Dragon. She will now join
'Oldest And Most Prestigious Air Race In The World'
The 2021 Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett got off to a flying start over the weekend, as the 15 teams taking part took to the skies above Aeroklub Pomorski in Torun, Poland. After being delayed for a day due to bad weather, the launch of the 64th edition of this legendary gas balloon race began under clear skies at around 9.30pm local time on Saturday 21 August 2021. The Swiss team SUI-3 was the first to take off, having won the honour of starting the race in the launch sequence draw. They were soon joined in the sky by the 14 remaining crews hailing from Germany, Poland, France, USA, Switzerland, and Austria - creating a spectacle for the fans and spectators gathered to watch the launch
Local Naval Installations Are Currently In HPCON Level Bravo (plus)
The 2021 Naval Air Station Oceana Air Show has been canceled, "due to high community transmission of the coronavirus." Naval installations in Hampton Roads are currently in Health Protection Condition (HPCON) Level Bravo (plus), which means there’s a daily average of 16 to 30 new coronavirus cases per 100,000 population in the past seven days. When the public was invited to this year’s air show in July, local installations were in HPCON Alpha.
The Philadelphia suburb of Coatesville is preparing for the closure of its Lockheed Martin Sikorsky helicopter plant, following a near shutdown of the Sadsbury Township location in 2019. The facility was kept busy at the time by pressure from Donald Trump and U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan to keep workflow going, in part by finishing the Marine One helicopters that carry the president. Lockheed Martin is a major military contractor and in the area, has facilities in King of Prussia, Johnstown PA, and Moorestown NJ, which are all within a relatively short drive of each other. Of the 360 people expected to lose their jobs, 160 of them will be given the opportunity to relocate or work remotely.
FAA Takes Action Against Indy Jet Management LLC and Associated Parties
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a $2,191,938 civil penalty against Indy Jet Management LLC and other associated parties in Indiana for allegedly conducting illegal charter flights. The FAA alleges that between March 2017 and February 2018, these parties conducted approximately 168 paid passenger-carrying flights in multiple Cessna CE-500 series airplanes. The agency alleges the parties did not have the required FAA operating or air carrier certificates, and conducted flights without appropriate operation specifications, which outline what a company is authorized to do.
Also: FAA Fines Again, Tamarack's Klinginsmith, October Airshow Cancelled, Federal Mask Mandate
SpaceX’s lunar lander contract on hold again pending Blue Origin’s lawsuit. The running battle between Blue Origin Boss Jeff Bezos and NASA over a prominent contract to build the next Moon Landing vehicle has run into yet another roadblock. After recently losing an attempt to contest the contract award to Spacex, who not only underbid Blue Origin, but also already had extensive experience in landing vehicles that had achieved orbital velocities, Bezos lawyers went back to work after the GAO went against their wishes. As the 20th anniversary of th
Aero Linx: The Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA)
The Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA) came into being in 1946 when a group of Aer Lingus pilots met and formed a committee, headed by the first IALPA President Captain P. W. (Darby) Kennedy. In the early days it dealt with the airline on matters of common interests, mainly the “lifestyle” items of salary, working conditions, pension and seniority. As the Association’s title implies, IALPA currently draws its membership from all airlines in Ireland -i.e., Aer Lingus, ASL Airlines, CHC (Ireland), CityJet, Irish Helicopters, Parc Aviation, Ryanair, Stobart Air, and Westair.
Simultaneous ILS Approaches
An approach system permitting simultaneous ILS approaches to airports having parallel runways separated by at least 4,300 feet between centerlines. Integral parts of a total system are ILS, radar, communications, ATC procedures, and appropriate airborne equipment.
“I know this is disappointing to everyone who looks forward to coming onto base, seeing our high-performance aircraft, and meeting the men and women of naval aviation who call Oceana home. But this is the right thing to do to ensure the health and safety of our force and safeguard the Navy’s mission readiness.”
Source: Capt. Bob Holmes, Naval Air Station Oceana’s commanding officer, in remarks published as he confirmed the cancellation of this year's NAS Oceana Airshow due to concerns about COVID.
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