Pricey Military Aircraft Aren’t the Only Ones With All-Weather Vision These Days

CubCrafters unveiled a nifty little gadget for backcountry bounding Cubs in the form of an infrared, forward-facing camera to provide impressive day/night visibility. The system interfaces directly to the standard G3X avionics package, providing a clear, detailed picture ahead of the plane for greatly enhanced situational awareness during low altitude operations. The resulting image has been carefully calibrated to match the same size, perspective, and dimensions as the G3X synthetic vision panel, minimizing confusion at a glance. A simple knob turn brings up a side-by-side presentation of both, retaining navigation and performance information while providi

Aircraft Currently Under Restoration

Nampa, Idaho’s Spirit of Flight Foundation museum has acquired a rare Boeing P-26 Peashooter. Foundation president Gordon Page remarked: “Only two original P-26 fighters exist of the 151 that were built by Boeing. Three other reproduction/replicas exist, and one of the two P-26s that Tim and Gayla O-Connor were building is on the way to the Spirit of Flight.” Occasioning a significant step in the evolution of fighter aircraft, Boeing’s P-26 was the first all-metal monoplane structure and last open cockpit fighter to be adopted by the U.S. Army Air Corps.

Saturday Show Remains Popular choice for Instructors New and Old

CFI Bootcamp's weekly Saturday Afternoon tradition is nearing its 160th show on November 11th, capping off years of free instruction for CFI's fresh and...not so fresh. The Power Hour broadcasts live on Zoom, bringing in a number of guest speakers and instructors to go over a broad spectrum of CFI topics. Some weeks have touched on Pivotal Altitudes, landing tips, FAA legal interpretations, and EFB tricks. (Perhaps most interesting was "How to Make Over 100K as a Flight Instructor").

"No Airshow This Year" says Commemorative Air Force

Recognizing the tragedy of last year's Wings Over Dallas show, Aviation Discovery Fest won't be seeing a "traditional airshow" later this month per CAF personnel. The change is meant to help audiences, friends, and family navigate the lingering pains of loss after a horrific collision between the CAF's B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 KingCobra that claimed the lives of 6 aviators. The casualties included Terry Barker, Curtis Rowe, Craig Hutain, Len Root, Dan Ragan and Kevin Michels.

Lock Haven, PA City Council Displeased with Revenues

Lock Haven, Pennsylvania’s William T. Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) remains endangered. Named for Piper Aircraft founder and president William T. Piper, the popular general aviation airport spans 112-acres, maintains two runways, and is operated by the City of Lock Haven, the government of which contends income generated by the facility falls short of the municipality’s wants.

Also: Rich Stowell Blog, Leonardo AW169, Cessna Fuel Selector Valves, EAGLE Initiative

Fox Nation is making ready to debut a new series titled Top Combat Pilot. The show’s premise is Top Gun derivative and features U.S. Marine Corps UH-17 Venom, AH-1 SuperCobra, and F/A-18D Hornet pilots undergoing the service’s Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course in Yuma, Arizona. The Civil Air Patrol set a new record for cadet orientation flight hours in fiscal 2023, with CAP pilots totaling 14,451-hours aloft with their young passengers—an increase of 19.5-percent over the 12,096-hour figure set in fiscal 2022. The previou

Bureaucrats Endeavor to Curb Bureaucracy

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched upgrades to its online database system—an historically flawed tangle of abstruse redundancies that archives, ostensibly, airspace obstructions, runway data, and other data the agency considers safety-critical, as well as non-safety critical data the likes of airport layout plan mapping.

Indefinite Quantity Contract Allows up to $100M Over 5-Year Period

Textron Aviation got a contract from the U.S. Army Contracting Command, for its Cessna SkyCourier, Cessna Grand Caravan EX, Beechcraft King Air 360 and Beechcraft King Air 260 turboprops, all bound for the Foreign Military Sales program. The indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract allows up to $100 million US dollars for the acquisition of Textron Aviation aircraft over a 5-year period. The first award will see a trio of King Air 360 Extended Range (KA360ER) aircraft sent South, with the first pair destined for the Peruvian Naval Aviation Force (Fuerza de Aviación Naval). The last will head to the Ecuadorian Naval Aviation (Aviación Naval Ecuatoriana) a

The Sooner You Know …

In 1963, the Oklahoma state legislature created the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission and tasked the agency with the development of the state’s aeronautics industry and infrastructure. In a formal sense, the Commission’s historic charter has been to promote Oklahoma’s aerospace industry and ensure the needs of commerce and communities across the Sooner state are comprehensively met. Comes now 2023, and the renaming of the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission, which shall be known, henceforth, as the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics.

Also: Rich Stowell Blog, Leonardo AW169, Cessna Fuel Selector Valves, EAGLE Initiative

Fox Nation is making ready to debut a new series titled Top Combat Pilot. The show’s premise is Top Gun derivative and features U.S. Marine Corps UH-17 Venom, AH-1 SuperCobra, and F/A-18D Hornet pilots undergoing the service’s Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course in Yuma, Arizona. The Civil Air Patrol set a new record for cadet orientation flight hours in fiscal 2023, with CAP pilots totaling 14,451-hours aloft with their young passengers—an increase of 19.5-percent over the 12,096-hour figure set in fiscal 2022. The

Klyde Just Can't Shake Off That Whole Explosion Thing

FMI: www.klydemorris.com 

After The Airplane Turned About 90° It Entered A Spin And Descended To The Ground

On September 6, 2023, about 1148 central daylight time, a Cessna 150K airplane, N6059G, was substantially damaged during an accident at the Huntsville Municipal Airport (UTS), Huntsville, Texas. The flight instructor and student pilot were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. According to automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data that was transmitted from the airplane to Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control, at 1027, the airplane departed from runway 14 at North Houston Regional Airport (CXO), Conroe, Texas.

Aero Linx: The Society of United States Naval Flight Surgeons (SUSNFS)  The Society of United States Naval Flight Surgeons (SUSNFS) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1976 by CAPT Frank H. Austin, Jr. Its mission is to advance the science, art, and practice of aerospace medicine and the mission of the United States Navy and Marine Corps; to foster professional development in its members and strengthen fraternal ties; and to elevate the professional standing of Naval Flight Surgeons and other aerospace medicine practitioners. Membership in the Society is open to all Aeromedical Officer graduates of the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute in Pensacola, Florida.

Under The Hood Indicates that the pilot is using a hood to restrict visibility outside the cockpit while simulating instrument flight. An appropriately rated pilot is required in the other control seat while this operation is being conducted. (Refer to 14 CFR Part 91.) 

“Only two original P-26 fighters exist of the 151 that were built by Boeing. Three other reproduction/replicas exist, and one of the two P-26s that Tim and Gayla O-Connor were building is on the way to the Spirit of Flight.” Source: Foundation president Gordon Page, in remarks made as Nampa, Idaho’s Spirit of Flight Foundation museum acquired a rare Boeing P-26 Peashooter.