Flight Testing of LTA Research Vessel to Commence

In 2015, Google co-founder Sergey Brin founded Lighter Than Air (LTA) Research for purpose of advancing airship technologies and fostering the design, development, and construction of a new generation of ecologically conscious flying machines. The aircraft borne of Brin’s investment and the diligent work of skilled personnel split between Akron, Ohio; Mountain View, California; Gardnerville, Nevada, and the LTA’s Palo Alto, California headquarters has been ascribed the apposite moniker Pathfinder 1, and was recently granted a special airworthiness certificate by the Federal Aviation Administration.

A Sensible Proposition

Spokane, Washington’s EDMO Distributors, Inc., a provider of aircraft electronics supplies and services, has broadened its product line to include the TBX-BOOT, a protective cover designed to shield uAvionix’s tailBeaconX from on-ground damage. Fashioned from durable, high-visibility, orange PETG plastic, the TBX-BOOT unit is custom designed and built to provide a perfect protective fit over the tailBeaconX’s clear glass sphere and dual ADS-B antennas, thereby shielding the aforementioned against accidental breakage.

Unleashed in the East—More or Less

EHang Holdings Limited, a Guangzhou-based Chinese developer of Autonomous Aerial Vehicles (AAV), maintains progress is being made on the certification of the company’s EH216-S, a proprietary passenger-carrying Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) platform. EHang is working in cooperation with the Southern Regional Administration of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to secure a Production Certificate (PC) for the machine. Notably, the majority of the requisite documentation reviews, definitions, and practical assessments germane to the issuance of the vehicle’s PC have been completed. Following CAAC’s issuance of the sought-after PC, EHang will commence production of its inaugural