"Goldfinch" Prototype Reaches 3,200 ft

Electra Aero's demonstrator took flight on a real-deal test flight from Manassas Regional in Virginia, getting up to 3,200 feet for a 30-mile trek. The news is good to hear in an industry so often eager to announce "test flights" that are little more than tethered hover evaluations, making the 2-seater Goldfinch - an eSTOL in a market filled with eVTOLs - a real-deal aircraft. It sports a distributed system of 8 electric motors spread across its strutted high wing. The design appears little different from a raft of tried and true utility aircraft in use around the world today, just with a handful of props in place of a couple.

12 Tons of Fresh Food and Fresh Faces Touches Down on the Blue Ice

The first Boeing 787 to touch the Antarctic ice pack arrived courtesy of Norse Atlantic Airways, supporting the Norwegian Polar Institute. Dreamliner LN-FNC, nicknamed “Everglades”, touched down on the ‘blue ice runway’ at Troll Airfield (QAT) loaded for bear with 12 tons of essential research equipment. Along with all the fresh supplies came 45 new faces, scientists from the Polar Institute and its associated partners around the world. They made their way from Oslo, Norway on the 13th of November, passing down to Cape Town, South Africa, before embarking on the final chilly leg of their journey.

T-28 Sales See Free 1-Year Trainer Association Membership and Ground School

Courtesy Aircraft Sales hit an unusual record with the sale of its 500th North American Aviation deal since 1992. That milestone is a strange one to have so many years after the dissolution of the marque, once known for a plethora of aviation gems from the Second World War on through the Cold War. Of course, Courtesy Aircraft Sales has made the majority of its sales from the NAA's trainer and warbird catalog, like their still-beloved T-28 and T-6 Texan.

Also: First T-38 Replacement, Aviation Discovery Fest, Spacewalkers Lose Tools, Rocket Lab

The long-awaited first flight of the Tom Hodgson B29 Replica took place last week... in style. A one-hour first flight featured a number of fly-bys and low passes before the builder/pilot decided that he had all the data he needed and brought it back to its home drone in Kokomo, Indiana. Hodgson reported that the aircraft was pretty much in trim and that there were no significant issues during the test flight. A heartfelt request from the family owners of Cleaveland Aircraft Tool began making the rounds this week, an unfortunate reminder of just how

Also: Another Flying Car, Ingenuity Twofer, Shipborne JUMP 20 UAV, Police Drone

The much-anticipated second test flight of the SpaceX Starship may finally be imminent... but the main reason for the delay has little to do with R&D, but bureaucracy... especially from the folks at the Fish & Wildlife department... which hold the keys to the last remaining roadblock. Nearly a year after its original unveiling last December, the B-21 Raider was spied making its first flight test, exciting aviation enthusiasts with the long-running B-2 Spirit’s successor. Despite the futuristic and utilitarian design of flying wings, they remain a

Also: Another Flying Car, Ingenuity Twofer, Shipborne JUMP 20 UAV, Police Drone

The much-anticipated second test flight of the SpaceX Starship may finally be imminent... but the main reason for the delay has little to do with R&D, but bureaucracy... especially from the folks at the Fish & Wildlife department... which hold the keys to the last remaining roadblock. Nearly a year after its original unveiling last December, the B-21 Raider was spied making its first flight test, exciting aviation enthusiasts with the long-running B-2 Spirit’s successor. Despite the futuristic and utilitarian design of flying wings, they remain a

Request for Release from Mediation Begins Setting the Table for a Strike, (But Just the Napkins)

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), submitted a request to be released from mediation in their negotiations with American Airlines. The group decided to make their intentions clear that a ratifiable, viable deal was to be presented "no later than the week of November 13th", and now that the date has come and gone they feel it's time to be released from the process. The National Mediation Board would have to approve the release, which would then put APFA into a 30-day 'cooling off' period, after which a strike could begin to cohere.

“Labor Relations Have Deteriorated” Say Collected Unions

The United Airlines pilots, represented by the ALPA’s United Master Executive Council, lent their voice to a wide coalition of unionized employees of the airline, raising concerns over the company’s “lacking labor standards” and “draconian” approach to discipline. The group first pointed out its recent concerns surrounding a proposed codeshare agreement with Emirates airlines, noting that they now speak in regards to conditions inside their own home.

Pratt & Whitney Hybrid System Proves Promising in Twin Otter Demonstrator

Raytheon’s hybrid-electric prototype managed to nail a recent power test, showing a full 1-megawatt output at full tilt in a promising development for sustainable flight. The 1MW motor will be combined with a Pratt & Whitney engine, resulting in a combo that offers a 30% improvement in fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions over today’s regional commuter craft fleet. The electric generators in use today pale in comparison to the Collins equipment used on the RTX aircraft, offering about ¼ of the power with twice the heat loss and weight.

The Manifold Pressure On The Left Engine Indicated About 21 Inches, While The Manifold Pressure For The Right Engine Indicated 23 Inches

On November 13, 2023, about 0800 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 310D, N86H, was substantially damaged with it was involved in an accident near Hayden, Idaho. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations personal flight. The pilot reported that he had departed Coeur d'Alene Airport - Pappy Boyington Field (COE), Hayden, with an intended destination of Nampa, Idaho. As he ascended to about 4,500 ft mean sea level, he noticed that the manifold pressure on the left engine indicated about 21 inches, while the manifold pressure for the right engine indicated 2

From 2016 (YouTube Version): An Amazing Opportunity For Colorado’s STEM Educators…

In this video you’ll hear about a program that is designed to inspire teachers to inspire their students by sharing with them the excitement of flying in a 1942 Boeing PT-17 Stearman trainer plane. Hetty Carlson, of the Teacher Flight Program, explains how they use aviation as a tool to motivate and encourage students. Their Colorado-based operation has a goal of flying one teacher from every school along the Colorado Front Range. Counting up the school districts and the schools involved means that they are offering 1,600 teachers, throu

Aero Linx: European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) ECAC has been providing the major focus for inter-governmental cooperation in air transport matters in Europe for 68 years now. Membership and expertise of this pan-European organisation enables it to respond to the increasingly complex needs of the air transport industry in Europe.

Localizer Performance With Vertical Guidance (LPV) A type of approach with vertical guidance (APV) based on WAAS, published on RNAV (GPS) approach charts. This procedure takes advantage of the precise lateral guidance available from WAAS. The minima is published as a decision altitude (DA).

“The most crucial aspect is the environmental gain we can achieve by using large and modern aircraft of this type for Troll... This can help reduce overall emissions and the environmental footprint in Antarctica, Landing such a large aircraft opens up entirely new possibilities for logistics at Troll, which will also contribute to strengthening Norwegian research in Antarctica.” Source: Camilla Brekke, Norwegian Polar Institute director, describing the rationale for the first Boeing 787 to touch the Antarctic ice pack with an arrival courtesy of Norse Atlantic Airways, supporting the Norwegian Polar Institute. Dreamliner LN-FNC, nicknamed “Everglades”, touched down on the ‘blue ice runway’ at Troll Airfi