Cold Space, Hot Wheels

Mattel Inc., the California-based multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company, has announced that it has entered into a multi-year agreement with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to create and market products inspired by the pioneering space company’s launch-vehicles. The first toys and collectibles produced under the new partnership will be released in 2023 under Mattel’s Matchbox and Mattel Creations banners—the latter being the company’s direct-to-consumer platform.

When the CAF Talks…

The Commemorative Air Force is an American institution. The non-profit organization comprises over 13,000 members and pilots who, together, maintain and operate 170-classic aircraft—the world’s largest collection of warbirds.  

It's Just My Job Five Days a Week…

After nearly 30-years of furthering humanity’s off-planet endeavors, NASA Astronaut Michael Gernhardt is hanging up his helmet. His last day as an American Astronaut is 25 July 2022.    

An Amazing Experience Awaits The Chosen Few...

Oshkosh, to us, seems the perfect place to get started on watching aviation recover the past couple of years... and so ANN is putting EXTRA effort and resources into our coverage of Oshkosh 2022... just a little over 70 days hence. We are now starting the process to seek talented stringers to help us present Oshkosh and the sport and general aviation community to the world around us. If you ever thought about joining us, this is THE year to do it.

Also: WWII POW Found, NBAA Addresses Congress, Edwards AFB, DoT To Force Seat Rules

The worsening enmity between the US and Russia took a dive when three Russian cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station posed with flags NASA construed to be anti-Ukraine. Photos were subsequently posted to the Telegram channel of Roscosmos. The images depicted cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev, and Sergey Korsakov holding the flags of the Luhansk People’s Republic and the Donetsk People’s Republic—two Russian-backed separatist regions in Ukraine. The University of Zurich, hosted a trio of champion (human) drone-racers as they squared-off agains

Type Becomes Largest Aircraft to Land at Iconic Airport

An Embraer aircraft departed the Farnborough Airshow and proceeded to London’s London City Airport (LCY) where it landed without incident. The story seems an utter bore and deserving of no mention whatsoever until one takes into account the facts that London City Airport’s runway is a scant 4,947-feet long, and the aircraft in question was a 135,000-pound, 146-seat, E195-E2—the largest of Embraer’s E-Jet family of twin-engine, narrow-body airliners.

From 2019 (YouTube Version): Company Updates Its Program For Highly Modifying Lancair IV-P Airframes

RDD Enterprises, a company that was created to modify Lancair IV-P airplanes into a safer, longer-range bird, provided Aero-TV with an update about the program at AirVenture. According to David McRae, the owner of RDD Enterprises, the LX7 is designed to be a faster and safer aircraft than the IV-P from which it is built. The company will help a buyer find a suitable donor airplane, from which the wings and tail are removed. The company installs an entirely new wing and tail, as well as new avionics and other upgrades. McRae said that the work is conside

AD 2022-15-02 Requires Repetitively Inspecting Certain Stratus Double Burner Hangers

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Cameron Balloons Ltd. (Cameron) Stratus double burner assemblies installed on hot air balloons. This AD was prompted by reports from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) originated by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI identifies the unsafe condition as fatigue cracking of the weld on Stratus double burner hangers. This AD requires repetitively inspecting certain Stratus double burner hangers and replacing certain Stratus double burners, and prohibits installing certain parts. The FAA is issuing this

The Pilot Stated, “200 Overcast We’ll Give It And Try And See If We Can Get Her Down.”

On March 8, 2022, at 1846 central standard time, a Cessna 182Q airplane, N182XT, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP), Panama City, Florida. The private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated by the pilot as a personal flight conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Review of Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that the pilot initiated an instrument flight rules (IFR) cross-country flight from his home airport of

AD 2022-14-14 Requires Repetitively Inspecting The Wing Root Ribs For Cracks, Looseness, And Damage...

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. Segelflugzeugbau Model ASW-15 gliders. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) originated by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI identifies the unsafe condition as wing root damage. This AD requires repetitively inspecting the wing root ribs for cracks, looseness, and damage and replacing any root rib with a crack, a loose rib or lift pin bushing, or any damage. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these produ

Aero Linx: The Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting Working Group (ARFFWG) The Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting Working Group (ARFFWG) is a non-profit membership organization established in 1990 to promote the science and improve the methods of aviation fire protection and prevention. The organization exists for the benefit of fire protection personnel around the world who work at airports or work with aircraft and/or who can reasonably be expected to be involved with some type of aviation/aircraft related emergency event.

Minimum Obstruction Clearance Altitude (MOCA) The lowest published altitude in effect between radio fixes on VOR airways, off-airway routes, or route segments which  meets obstacle clearance requirements for the entire route segment and which assures acceptable navigational signal coverage only within 25 statute (22 nautical) miles of a VOR.