Major Shane Gentry USMC First Drone Pilot Named Aviator of the Year
Major Shane Gentry, a third-generation Marine and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) pilot, was recently named the 2024 Marine Aviator of the Year, a distinguished accolade traditionally reserved for pilots of manned aircraft. This historic recognition marks the first time a drone pilot has been honored with the prestigious Alfred A. Cunningham Award, an annual recognition given by the Marine Corps Aviation Association. At the helm of MQ-9A MUX/MALE drones, Major Gentry has significantly advanced the capabilities of Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 3, demonstrating the growing strategic importance of UAVs in modern military operations.
Boom Supersonic got the first instance of Special Flight Authorization to go supersonic, planning to push their XB-1 aircraft beyond the sound barrier. The FAA granted the authorization for them to test fly at Mach 1+ in the R-2508 Complex and part of the R-2515 High Altitude Supersonic Corridor. The FAA says that it completed a thorough review and Environmental Assessment, paving the way for future supersonic flight testing in the commercial sphere. Paul Poberezny's work needs little introduction in the world of experimental aviation, sport flying, and hobbyist aero
FAA Grants New York Power Authority Outasight Waiver for Drones
The FAA has recently granted the New York Power Authority (NYPA) a significant waiver that permits the operation of unmanned aircraft systems beyond the pilot's visual line of sight. This landmark approval, announced on April 11, 2024, allows NYPA to operate drones within a one-mile radius in unrestricted Class G airspace without prior approval, enhancing their ability to inspect and monitor statewide infrastructure.
Van's Aircraft posted a short video recapping the goings-on around their reorganization as they continue to move away from the brink, and by all accounts, things are going great. Clyde Hamstreet indicated that things are going pretty well in the Chapter 11 process, and they expect their reorganization plan to be approved by the court come May. Hammerstreet noted, with pleasure, that few companies in a similar position manage to survive the process, but Van's is sitting pretty. The Affordable Flying Expo is on the books for January 9th throu
U.S. Solicitor Settles for $2.02 Million in SDM Ground Collision
The United States has successfully settled for $2,020,000 in damages from various parties following an aircraft collision that occurred on May 30, 2020, at Brown Field Municipal Airport in San Diego. This legal resolution marks the end of a significant legal battle that started in 2023, involving the U.S. Department of the Navy, which claimed extensive damages due to negligence and breach of restrictive covenants. The incident involved two aircraft: a parked MV-22 Osprey, owned by the United States Marine Corps, and a taxiing De Havilland DHC-6-100 Twin Otter, owned by Kapowsin Air Sports but leased and operated by Tac Air Ops, LLC, and Tac Air California, Inc.
Officially, the Carbon Cub UL and Rotax 916 iS is now in its 'market survey development phase', meaning it's just about to head into the oven, but the recipe isn't inked just yet. CubCrafters VP Brad Damm wants to see everyone chip in with their two cents to see how they feel about the prospective aircraft. So far, everything that's been shown off paints a very attractive portrait of a lightweight, capable, eager little bird, boasting an empty weight "well below 900 lbs..." CKD Aerospace hit innovation preview with a couple goodies right off the bat, updati
Mars Sample Return Program To Be More Feasible and Timely
NASA's Mars Sample Return program is set to greatly enhance our understanding of Mars, the solar system, and potentially life itself. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has outlined a renewed approach to make this mission more feasible financially and time wise, addressing the high costs and long timelines initially projected.
EASA Looking to the Future with Green Regional Aircraft
Aura Aero's Electric Regional Aircraft program issued an update in its quest to create an affordable, sustainable 19-seat commuter plane under the EASA CS-23 category, stating that they have launched a call for first work packages under it. Aura Aero is now issuing the first calls for tender for packages under Fuselage Design, Airframe Engineering Services, Turbogenerator, and Primary Flight Control System Actuators/Inceptors. Under the current schedule, the first parts of the flight test aircraft should be manufactured as soon as early 2025.
Joseph Izatt, a distinguished Duke University professor, tragically passed away following a midair medical crisis while piloting a single-engine airplane. This incident occurred over North Carolina on April 7, 2024. Izatt was not only piloting the aircraft but also suffered the emergency that led to his untimely death. During the flight, a passenger heroically took control of the plane and managed a successful emergency landing at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The specifics of what caused Izatt's medical emergency remain unclear.
Also: Martha King Scholarship, Montaer Grows, Textron Updates Pistons, FlySto
The FAA is hiring thousands of air traffic controllers, but the window to apply will only be open for a short time. The FAA has issued a call to action, requesting anyone and everyone meeting the relatively accommodating standards. They will have to bolster their numbers soon, with plans to hire 1,800 more controllers this year, and another 2,000 in 2025. Spirit Airlines announced its decision to defer the delivery of new Airbus aircraft and furlough approximately 260 pilots. The budget airline, headquartered in Miramar, Florida, is taking these measures as part of its s
Eve Air Mobility has recently announced a promising collaboration with AirX Inc., Japan's premier public helicopter charter service, by signing a letter of intent to provide up to 50 of its advanced electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. This partnership is set to drive the next generation of urban air mobility (UAM) in Japan, offering an innovative solution to the congested urban environments in the Asia-Pacific region.
Also: Seaplane Pilots Association, Rotax 916’s First Year, Gene Conrad
After a decade and a half of struggling with the FAA and other aero-politics, G100UL is in production and there are a million gallons currently available. You can NEVER have too many good aids in keeping a flight safe... Holy Micro has an interesting approach to keeping pilots informed. The folks at Plane Tags have collected memorabilia from over 200 aircraft of all makes and categories... And offer mementos of great planes in aviation’s proud history. SPA’s Steve McCaughey updates the Airborne team on the latest and greatest in one of the aviation world&rsquo
The Japan Coast Guard has recently expanded its fleet by adding three new H225 helicopters, raising its total number of these aircraft to 18. This acquisition marks another step in the JCG's long-standing relationship with Airbus Helicopters, reflecting their trust and satisfaction with the Super Puma family, which has been in service with them for three decades. These additional helicopters will play a crucial role in enhancing the JCG's operational capabilities across a range of missions, including maritime law enforcement, coastal and island protection, and disaster relief efforts.
Easy Online Forms Available For Sport Plane Manufacturers And Suppliers To Be Listed In The Upcoming eSPRG
Work on the SportPlane Resource Guide is going well… Albeit a little bit behind schedule, because as we got into this process, things became a bit more complicated simply because we learned we could do an even better job at certain aspects of this project than we thought from the beginning. They say that the enemy of true quality is the phrase "good enough" and we want to be far more than “good enough.”
FMI: www.sportplane.com,
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From 2009 (YouTube Version): Ed McKeown Introduces His Award-Winning Rearwin Restoration
Inspired by the world’s newfound aviation intrigue, Raymond Andrew Rearwin, along with his sons Royce and Ken, started Rearwin Airplanes in 1928. Bursting into the industry scene during the “Golden Age of Aviation,” the company designed and built more than 400 aircraft before closing in 1946. Among the instrument trainers and gliders, Rearwin Airplanes debuted the Rearwin Cloudster in 1939; featuring strut-braced high-wings, the aircraft included an enclosed cabin and fixed, tailskid undercarriage. Though the Cloudster’s commercial succe
With The eSPRG Only Weeks Away From Its Start Date, A-AF Will Help To Support Sport Flyers, Worldwide
With the all-new and all-digital SportPlane Resource Guide getting ready for publication early next year, the Aero-News Network is pleased to announce yet another addition to the Airborne video news programming roster… Airborne-Affordable Flyers. Dedicated to keeping people up-to-date on the most affordable aspects of sport and general aviation, Airborne-Affordable Flyers is one of our most exciting offerings yet. A-AF will delve into more than just the current LSA community, but look at all aspects of aviation to examine and ev
Prior To The Accident Flight, (Pilot) Had Not Flown In Over 90 Days
Analysis: The pilot of the glider reported that prior to the accident flight, he had not flown in over 90 days. The purpose of the accident flight was to refamiliarize himself with the tasking area of an upcoming soaring contest, with a general aim to stay within gliding distance of the departure gliderport. For about 2 hours, the pilot flew south of the gliderport at altitudes between 3,000 to 4,000 ft above ground level. He then encountered weaker soaring conditions and miscalculated his altitude by 300 ft due to a discrepancy between the glider’s primary altimeter and the altitude displayed on his GPS/moving map computer.
BIG Upgrades In The Works --- ANN Is Seeking EXCEPTIONAL New Staffers
The last few years have been about as challenging a time as we can recall... but we survive (yeah, we're kinda surprised, too) and look forward to 2023 and what we see as a very rewarding (and yes, still challenging) new generation of activities at ANN. After some truly weird times during the pandemic, ANN continues to expand slowly, but surely, and we have some truly intriguing upgrades coming up over the next few months. In other words, we're about to grow again -- REALLY/TRULY -- and in some novel directions. The much-appreciated expansion of
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And That's But One Of Over A Dozen Major Developments Planned For The Next Year Or So
Aero-News Network is now available on Roku and Amazon FireTV! That’s right folks. You can now get your daily dose of aviation news… right on the ol' giggle box! This is an EPIC development for our network, one of many to come, and we’re thrilled to offer you this new way to watch our news programming. Whether you’re a traditional website reader, podcast listener, or YouTube subscriber, we’re dedicated to giving you quality, honest, aviation news that you can trust and broadening our reach and audience aggressively in the coming years, so that we may both Grow and Inform the aviatio
Brand New! Avoid The Need For A Comeback... Get Your Marketing Right, Right Now!
Some time ago, the Aero-News Network, responding to numerous requests, established a marketing and communications sister company by the name of AEROPRENEUER... and it's been doing amazing work under these difficult circumstances -- and getting results! We're getting rave reviews from our clients, and working hard to earn the trust of a number of new marketing partners along the way. ANN's Amber Cedroni has come up with a few tips to help aero-businesses stay alive in these tough times, and
Emphasis On Growing The Future of Aviation Through Concentration on 'AFFORDABLE FLYERS'
It's been a number of years since the Latest Edition of Jim Campbell's HUGE SportPlane Resource Guide first saw the light of day. That massive 1100 page book last featured over 800 exciting sport aircraft from all over the SportPlane universe... at a time when the SportPlane industry was still a healthy, thriving enterprise (those were the days...). While there has been some consideration, off and on, toward updating the nearly 5 pound book, the near implosion of the SportPlane and kit industry over the last decade has made such a pursuit an unwieldy one... until now.
It’s been a while since we have reminded everyone about all the ways we offer your daily dose of aviation news on-the-go...so here is a full list of ways you can subscribe to our channels and get notifications when there are new episodes or breaking news!
1) Subscribe To Our Newsletter
When surveyed, almost half of our audience shared with us that they rely on our daily newsletter to get their aviation news for the day and stay up-to-date in their field or craft. Are you subscribed yet? If not, use the link below to receive our daily Propwash emails that always feature a feed of our latest stories and breaking news.
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Aero Linx: OX5 Aviation Pioneers
Each year a national reunion of OX5 Aviation Pioneers is hosted by one of the Wings in the organization. The reunions attract much attention as many members travel from all parts of the country to gather and renew old acquaintances and relive the golden days of yore.
Light Gun
A handheld directional light signaling device which emits a brilliant narrow beam of white, green, or red light as selected by the tower controller. The color and type of light transmitted can be used to approve or disapprove anticipated pilot actions where radio communication is not available. The light gun is used for controlling traffic operating in the vicinity of the airport and on the airport movement area.
As the preeminent online aviation news resource out there, the editorial staff at Aero-News sees a large number of news releases. We look at all of them, and can usually tell whether something merits publishing consideration within reading the first couple of paragraphs. Often, however, a new and innovative product can be overlooked because of the very words written to promote it, by the very people who created it.
"The journey to this achievement started nearly a decade ago when a freshly commissioned Gentry, driven by a fascination with new technologies and a desire to contribute significantly to military operations, chose to enter the nascent field of unmanned systems. Throughout his career, Gentry has piloted various UAV models, including the RQ-21 and RQ-7B, before advancing to the MQ-9A, contributing to critical missions overseas and shaping the operational landscape."
Source: From the narrative describing how a USMC Drone Pilot became the 2024 Marine Aviator of the Year, a distinguished accolade traditionally reserved for pilots of manned aircraft.
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