Third Spaceflight Deemed A Succcess After Previous Inflight Abort

Virgin Galactic has completed its third spaceflight and the first ever spaceflight from Spaceport America, New Mexico. The Spre-announced Saturday flight allows New Mexico to become the third US state to launch humans into space. VSS Unity achieved a speed of Mach 3 after being released from the mothership, VMS Eve, and reached space, at an altitude of 55.45 miles before gliding smoothly to a runway landing at Spaceport America. On VSS Unity’s flight deck were CJ Sturckow and Dave Mackay, while Kelly Latimer and Michael Masucci piloted VMS Eve. CJ, who flew as pilot-in-command, becomes the first person ever to have flown to space from three different states.

Launch Activity Has Dramatically Accelerated From Only One In 2011 To A Record 39 In 2020

Saturday’s Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo flight from Spaceport America in New Mexico marks the 400th launch that the FAA has licensed. This achievement is made possible by the U.S. commercial space industry’s ingenuity and the FAA’s commitment to public safety. FAA licensing is a critical step in protecting public safety during commercial space operations. An FAA license is required to conduct any commercial space launch or reentry, the operation of any launch or reentry site by U.S. citizens anywhere in the world, or by any individual or entity within the United States. The FAA works with operators to make sure they are meeting the requireme

GRM's 1st DA42 MPP Will Conduct Aerial Ecology Surveys Of Irish Coastal Waters

On May 10, 2021, a DA42 MPP departed from the Diamond Aircraft factory in Wiener Neustadt, heading to Cork, Ireland, the home base of Green Rebel Marine. The DA42 MPP is equipped with a camera system from Phase One which is mounted in a gyro-stabilized mount from Somag. In addition, an AIS receiver is recording GPS position of vessels or boats that are detected within the survey area. The first digital aerial ecology surveys of Irish coastal waters to be undertaken by a domestic company are about to begin following the arrival of a new special mission aircraft owned by Green Rebel Group into Cork Airport.

Luxaviation Group Plans To Work With Lilium On European Airline Operations

Lilium and Luxaviation Group have announced plans to support Lilium in building out airline operations in Europe. The parties anticipate Luxaviation Group will become responsible for parts of the airline operations being developed by Lilium. This includes securing necessary approvals and managing pilots, which will be trained following a type rating concept developed by Lufthansa Aviation Training, another Lilium partner. As Lilium continues developing its launch networks in Europe for the planned commercial launch in 2024, Luxaviation Group will also work with Lilium on the development of its customer experience -- built around Lilium’s digital airline platform and t

Massive Effort Shows Capabilities, Coordination Between Services

The Coast Guard, Navy, Marines, and Air Force conducted a search and rescue exercise off the coast of Cape Lookout, N.C., last week. The purpose of the exercise is to test and provide realistic feedback on existing policies, plans, procedures, and agreements with the Coast Guard and partner Department of Defense units within the Fifth Coast Guard District’s area of responsibility. “We always look forward to opportunities that highlight our multi-agency partnerships, and this outstanding exercise only further underscored the value of our relationships with our partners," said Capt. Timothy Eason, chief of response for the Coast Guard 5th District.

The Six H160s Will Be Equipped With A Winch And A Modular Cabin That Can Be Optimized For Each Mission

The French Armament General Directorate (DGA) has confirmed an option to Airbus Helicopters, Babcock and Safran Helicopter Engines for two more H160s for the French Navy. These aircraft will join the fleet of four H160s already contracted in 2020, the first of which is currently being assembled by Airbus Helicopters in Marignane, in the south of France. The six H160s will be delivered in a SAR configuration and will gradually start operating from May 2022 from Lanveoc-Poulmic naval air station (Britany), Cherbourg airport (Normandy) and Hyères naval air station (Provence).

An Occupant Of The Airplane Advised The Controller Of An Engine Failure

On May 1, 2021, about 1428 eastern daylight time, a Beech A36, N125WC, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Lakeland, Florida. The private pilot was seriously injured, and the pilotrated passenger was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data, earlier on the day of the accident the airplane flew to several airports before arriving at Bartow Executive Airport (BOW), Bartow, Florida. The accident flight departed BOW about 1420 and proceeded toward Lakeland Linder International Airport (LAL), Lakeland, Florida.

AD 2021-09-13 Requires Revising The Existing Maintenance Or Inspection Program

The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directives (AD) 2000-23-04 R1 and AD 2018-20-14, which applied to certain ATR-GIE Avions de Transport Régional Model ATR42-500 airplanes. AD 2000-23-04 R1 and AD 2018-20-14 required revising the maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate new and/or more restrictive maintenance requirements and airworthiness limitations. This AD requires revising the existing maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate new or more restrictive airworthiness limitations; as specified in a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which is incorporated by reference. This AD was prompted by the FAA'

AD 2021-11-06 Prompted By The Loss Of A Windshield In Flight

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Airbus SAS Model A318, A319, A320, and A321 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by the loss of a windshield in flight, and the consequent rapid depressurization of the flight deck, which caused damage to flight deck items and systems and subsequent thermal shock and overheat, damage to windshield structural plies, and impaired structural integrity of the windshield. This AD requires repetitive inspections and electrical test measurements (EMTs) of affected windshields, and corrective actions if necessary, as specified in a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which is incorporated by reference. The FAA is issui

Aero Linx: Grumman Owners & Pilots Association Grumman Owners & Pilots Association -- GOPA -- The Grumman Type-Club. As THE type club for Grumman light aircraft, GOPA is an active community of Grumman pilots, owners, maintenance operators and enthusiasts.  GOPA membership opens the door to video libraries and live demos; tech manuals and transitional training; critical FAA input; and the camaraderie of casual fly-ins and annual meetings...all geared to make Grumman aviation more accessible and safer. From buying to flying, GOPA is the place to come for all things Grumman.

North Atlantic High Level Airspace (NAT HLA) That volume of airspace (as defined in ICAO Document 7030) between FL 285 and FL 420 within the Oceanic Control Areas of Bodo Oceanic, Gander Oceanic, New York Oceanic East, Reykjavik, Santa Maria, and Shanwick, excluding the Shannon and Brest Ocean Transition Areas. ICAO Doc 007 North Atlantic Operations and Airspace Manual provides detailed information on related aircraft and operational requirements.

“This aircraft will help us to compile information that will ensure offshore wind farms are built in the best locations to protect the ecology of the ocean. We are delighted that our aircraft has arrived in Cork, which means we can now begin conducting these important surveys. With this aircraft, large sections of the ocean can be surveyed over a shorter period of time than can be achieved with traditional boat-based surveys. Thanks to the ultra high-spec of our camera equipment, our aircraft will be flying at heights that will not cause any disturbance to birds or marine megafauna while at the same time allowing us to collect the highest-quality digital imagery.” Source: Sarah Kandrot, Head of Aerial Surveys with Green Rebel G