Army Demonstration Team Followed Procedures for Washington, DC Flight

The US Army Recruiting Command has issued a statement regarding its role in the April 20 false alarm that led to the evacuation of the Capitol. The demonstration and airshow team was doing a regular performance for the Washington Nationals’ Military Appreciation Night crowd when the U.S. Capitol Police initiated procedures to evacuate Congressional buildings, mistakenly identifying the team's aircraft as a threat.

Autonomous Cargo Aircraft Facility Inbound to San Diego

Natilus has announced an expansion to its operations at San Diego, California's Brown Field to prepare for mass production of their short-haul feeder UAV. Manufacture of the first aircraft in the Natilus family, an uncrewed cargo hauler sporting a 3.8 ton payload, has begun in preparation for its first flight in early 2023. The Brown Field facility includes a 12,000 square-foot hangar for prototype final assembly, structural testing, system's integration and the extensive secondary structural binding required to complete the aircraft.

Ocean Flyer Purchases 25 Hydrofoil Sea-to-Air Gliders for Regional Transit

Regent has announced that Ocean Flyer has placed firm deposits for the company's all-electric seaglider. The deal is said to be the largest private transportation deal in New Zealand's history and increases Regent's footprint in the Southern Hemisphere, an important market to tap while trying to revive the seaplane market. Valued at more than $700 million, the sale will provide Ocean Flyer with the first commercial production models for use in harbor to harbor overwater transportation.

Força Aérea Nacional de Angola Becomes 38th Operator of Type

The Airbus C295 has gotten a bolstering, minor order from the Republic of Angola, with the sale of 3 multirole aircraft. Angola ordered 2 of the type specially equipped for oceanic and coastal surveillance and patrol, designated the C295 Maritime Surveillance Aircraft. Their mission will consist primarily of search and rescue, patrolling for illegal fishing, unauthorized border transit, and intelligence-gathering missions. Angola believes the ISR suite on the variant provides a wider range of capability, not just providing enhanced oversight for enforcement, but better support for mass recovery operations in case of natural disasters.

Applicants Gain Status Updates During Medical Process

The FAA has (finally) enabled application tracking to MedXPress, allowing aviators to track the status of their medical certificates online throughout their application and review process. The change obviates the former need to call the Office of Aerospace Medicine for updates on their status. For those procrastinators running up against a time crunch, the feature is a thankful addition to the process. The change of pace at the FAA may seem slow to younger members of the collective aviation scene, but recent developments do seem to be coming quicker than ever before.

From 2016 (YouTube Version): Swift Fuels Expands the No-Lead Avgas Option across the Country…

While at EAA AirVenture 2016, ANN CEO and Editor-In-Chief, Jim Campbell, met with Chris D’Acosta, the CEO of Swift Fuels, to get an update about the progress of introducing this new no-lead avgas to the flying public. Let’s quickly review what Swift Fuels is all about. Swift is producing an alternative aviation gasoline that does not use lead. At this time, the fuel they are marketing is the equivalent of 94 octane, and it is a fuel specifically formulated for aviation that complies with all FAA criteria for use in type-certificated aircraft

HawkEye 360 Mission to Become Inaugural Launch of New Virginia Complex 2

Rocket Lab has obtained another contract, this time being the lucky recipient of business from HawkEye 360 for the launch of 3 Electron rocket missions towards the end of this year. The multi-launch contract will deliver 5 clusters, totaling 15 satellites for the Virginia company. Their satellite constellation will allow them to offer radio frequency geospatial analytics to their customers. The first HawkEye 360 mission will launch in December 2022, with additional launches across 2022 and 2024. The first 3 satellites will be launched as part of a rideshare mission, with 6 each on the following launches.

"It Felt Unusual. Normal Crosswind  Correction Inputs Made No Difference..."

On April 2, 2022, at 1119 eastern daylight time, a Learjet Inc 45, N877W, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Morristown Municipal Airport (MMU), Morristown, New Jersey. The airline transport pilots and the two passengers sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Each crewmember provided written statements, and their statements were consistent throughout.

AD 2022-08-11 Prompted By In-Service Reports Of The Loss Of Display

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Bell Textron Canada Limited Model 429 helicopters. This AD was prompted by in-service reports of the loss of display and subsequent recovery of certain display units (DUs). This AD requires revising the existing rotorcraft flight manual supplement (RFMS) for your helicopter and disabling the traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS) POP-UP feature for certain DUs. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products. This AD is effective May 27, 2022.  

Aero Linx: Alaskan Aviation Safety Foundation Welcome to the Alaskan Aviation Safety Foundation. The foundation was created to improve aviation safety in Alaska through education, advocacy and research. We are a non-profit  membership organization, established as a 501(c) 3 tax exempt corporation. Some of our activities include organizing  safety seminars, hosting a  segment on public television, and participating in a variety of forums and working groups to promote aviation safety.

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) GNSS refers collectively to the worldwide positioning, navigation, and timing determination capability available from one or more satellite constellations. A GNSS constellation may be augmented by ground stations and/or geostationary satellites to improve integrity and position accuracy.

“After an initial review of the pre-planning and coordination for the U.S. Army Golden Knights flight and parachute demonstration, we have confirmed that the parachute team filed all appropriate and required Federal Aviation Administration documentation and received FAA approval prior to operating within the National Capital Region’s airspace. The team also confirmed the pilots established and maintained communication with the FAA prior to and throughout the operation.” Source: Kelli LeGaspi, public affairs director for the US Army Recruiting Command -- via a statement regarding its role in the April 20 false alarm that led to the evacuation of the Capitol. The demonstration and airshow team was d