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The Boeing Loyal Wingman aircraft being developed with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) recently moved under its own power for the first time, a key milestone for the aircraft that’s expected to make its first flight this year. RAAF Head of Air Force Capability Air Vice-Marshal Cath Roberts said“Air Force partners with industry to ensure we can find innovative solutions to meet our future priorities, Boeing’s Loyal Wingman project is a perfect example of what this collaborative appr

Adjusts Test Flight Schedule in 'Response to New State Government COVID-19 Restrictions'

Virgin Galactic has announced, in accordance with new guidelines from the New Mexico Department of Health to disrupt the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the state, that it will be minimizing its operational footprint at its New Mexico facilities. This will set back the long-awaited VG flight schedule... again. In consultation with government officials, and as a result of these new operations restrictions, the space flight that was planned to occur between November 19-23, 2020 will be rescheduled.

Multi-Aircraft Cessna Citation Business Jet Delivery Announced

Textron Aviation and Thrive Aviation have announced the delivery of three preowned Cessna Citation Sovereign+ business jets. Thrive Aviation is a private aviation company providing proactive service and elevated flight experiences for its guests across North America. With a newly opened corporate headquarters at Henderson Executive Airport, Thrive Aviation's footprint in Las Vegas includes an expanded, private 21,000 square foot hangar at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport.

Assists Veterans Transitioning To New Careers As Pilots

Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao has announced that 32 military veterans completed flight training through the Forces to Flyers initiative, earning commercial multi-engine pilot’s licenses. Secretary Chao announced the research initiative in 2017 to determine how to assist veterans transitioning to new careers as pilots. “The Forces to Flyers flight training demonstration has helped America’s veterans transition from military service to find good jobs in the transportation sector,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

Online And Social Media Experience Will Go Live Dec. 1

NORAD is busy preparing for its annual tradition of tracking Santa's journey delivering gifts around the world. Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, the NORAD Tracks Santa program is on schedule and NORAD will track Santa on Dec. 24, as they have done every year since 1955. NORAD notes that, "As we move forward in our preparations for this year’s NORAD Tracks Santa program, some adjustments are being made to safely carry out our special mission of tracking Santa." The NORAD Tracks Santa website, social media pages, a new mobile app and partner platforms will again be an important part of the program allowing children around the world to track Santa.

From 1017: New Composite Prop Introduced For King Air 350…

Hartzell Propeller and Raisbeck Engineering are collaborating on new structural composite swept blade props for the Beechcraft King Air 350 turboprop. The prop was introduced at AirVenture 2017 in July. The new King Air 350 propellers are an extension of the propeller blade technology advancements developed jointly by Hartzell and Raisbeck for the King Air 90, King Air B200 series and King Air 300 series aircraft. The new composite propellers have an extended 3,000-hour, three-year warranty.

Precision Machined Aluminum Assembly Can Be Easily Attached To Existing Bell 505 Rear Seat Hard Points

AeroBrigham has recently announced the completion of a new Bell 505 helicopter accessory fitting designed to improve safety. Developed as an attachment point for utility operations such as personal restraint harnesses during doors off flight operations, the assembly is now FAA approved as an STC component. Each precision machined aluminum assembly can be easily attached to existing Bell 505 rear seat hard points and allows for two rings supporting a total of 600 pounds (300 pounds per side). The fitting can be used in any of the three aft seat positions and can be installed and removed without tools or log entries.

In Addition To The JGSDF, the V-22 Is Critical To Three US Branches Of Military

Japanese Self-Defense Forces began V-22 flight operations at Kisarazu Air Field Nov.6, marking the first international partner to fly the U.S. military aircraft. “The JGSDF [Japan Ground Self Defense Force] is taking a big step toward integrating the V-22’s unique capabilities into its mission,” said Col. Matthew Kelly, program manager for the V-22 Joint Program Office (PMA-275). “Beginning with Japan’s selection of the V-22 in 2015, it has been an honor working with our international ally and partner to make this program a reality.”

FSC Was Founded In 2005 And Is Based In Amsterdam

CAE has acquired all the issued and outstanding shares of Flight Simulation Company B.V. (FSC) for a cash consideration of approximately €70 million (approximately C$108 million) paid to the sellers, calculated on the basis of an enterprise value of €100 million (approximately C$155 million). The acquisition expands CAE’s ability to address the training market for customers operating in Europe, including airline and cargo operators. It provides CAE with an expanded portfolio of customers and an established recurring training business which is highly complementary to CAE’s network. FSC is based in Amsterdam and includes a modern fleet of mainly CAE-built full-flight simulators

Pilot Contacted ATC, Declared “Engine-Out” And Requested To Change The Destination

On October 29, 2020, about 0939 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 310, N101G was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Henderson, Nevada. The pilot and the passenger sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot departed North Las Vegas Airport (VGT), Las Vegas, Nevada at 0929 en route to Gillespie Field Airport (SEE), San Diego/El Cajon, California. At 0935, the pilot contacted Air Traffic Control (ATC), declared “engine-out” and requested to change the destination to Henderson Executive Airport (HND), Las Vegas, Nevada.

Aero Linx: Airport Operators Association (AOA) Founded in 1934, the Airport Operators Association (AOA) is the national voice of UK airports. We are a trade association representing the interests of UK airports, and the principal such body engaging with the UK Government and regulatory authorities on airport matters. The AOA’s members include over 50 airports and more than 150 Associate Members, made up of companies representing a wide range of suppliers in the aviation industry. Working on behalf of these members, the AOA’s mission is to influence governments, regulators and opinion formers at national and international level, in order to secure the policy outcomes that will deliver its

Discrete Code As used in the Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System (ATCRBS), any one of the 4096 selectable Mode 3/A aircraft transponder codes except those ending in zero zero; e.g., discrete codes: 0010, 1201, 2317, 7777; nondiscrete codes: 0100, 1200, 7700. Nondiscrete codes are normally reserved for radar facilities that are not  equipped with discrete decoding capability and for other purposes such as emergencies (7700), VFR aircraft (1200), etc.

‘With the health and safety of our team members in mind, and in accordance with the recent direction from the New Mexico Department of Health, we will be minimizing our New Mexico operations to the greatest degree possible. While these new restrictions cause us to adjust our flight schedule, we take this pause in stride and will be prepared to resume our pre-flight procedures and announce a new test flight window as soon as we can. Our team members at Virgin Galactic, our Future Astronauts, and our fans around the world remain incredibly excited for our upcoming spaceflight.’ Source: Michael Colglazier, CEO, Virgin Galactic, commenting as the company announced the laterst in a series of delays in their flight test program.