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August 11, 2021

Airborne 08.11.21: Blackshape Gabriél, Bahamas VAX Regs, United Mandates

Also: FAA On The Warpath, Wings Over North Georgia, Tamarack Joins ICAO, OFT-2 Valve Issue

Ameri Aircraft Sales and Service in Houston, Texas, is now the exclusive sales and service dealer for the Blackspace line of aircraft. The Gabriél is the trainer version of their higher performance Prime model, certified in the EU and about to become certified by the FAA under reciprocal agreement protocols. Gabriél is a tandem-seat, retractable-gear design constructed of carbon-fiber prepreg, steel and aluminum. It is powered by a Lycoming IO-320-D1B 160 hp engine turning a Hartzell three-blade constant speed prop. Our friend, Jim Parker of Caribbean Flying Adventures, has informed us that things have changed with Bahamas entry requirements... again.

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Liftoff! NASA Science, Cargo Launches on Northrop Grumman Resupply Mission

Scheduled To Arrive At The Space Station Around 0610 Thursday, Aug. 12

A Northrop Grumman Cygnus resupply spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station with more than 8,200 pounds of science investigations and cargo after launching at 6:01 p.m. EDT Tuesday from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. At 8:46 p.m., the spacecraft’s solar arrays successfully deployed to collect sunlight to power Cygnus on its journey to the station. Cygnus is scheduled to arrive at the space station around 6:10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 12.

Inspecting Affected Valves Indicated No Signs Of Damage Or External Corrosion

NASA and Boeing continued work over the weekend and Monday morning on the company’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft service module propulsion system in preparation for the Orbital Flight Test-2 mission to the International Space Station. Work progressed to restore functionality to several valves in the Starliner propulsion system that did not open as designed during the launch countdown for the Aug. 3 launch attempt. The valves connect to thrusters that enable abort and in-orbit maneuvering. With the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V and Starliner in the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) near Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florid