It's Oshkosh -- There HAD To Be Storms... Right?

Well folks, you missed quite a blowout if you were outside of AirVenture's geographic influence. We got hit by serious rain and winds... which is not a surprise to those of you who have traipsed to Wittman Field for the last several decades. And when we say RAIN... we don't mean raindrops... we mean sheets/buckets of strong driving rain that can soak you to the skin in seconds ... which ANN's Jim Campbell found out the hard way. EAA's official report notes that, at approximately 1815, Saturday, a thunderstorm front came through Oshkosh, including Wittman Regional Airport, site of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. It was part of a line of storms across Wisconsin late that afternoon and early that evening.

California Dreaming

Ampaire, the California-based electric aviation concern, has secured a firm order for five of its low-emission, nine-seat Eco Caravan aircraft, plus an option for an additional 20. The order comes from fellow California company, WingTips, an on-demand, regional air-carrier with a unique and innovative business model. Both companies anticipate another 175 orders for the Eco Caravan as WingTips expands nationwide. In addition to the handsome Eco Caravan buy, WingTips plans to purchase fifty of Ampaire’s upcoming, 19-seat, Eco Otter aircraft—a hybrid-electric take on de Havilland’s DHC-6 Twin Otter.

Of Rising Suns and Middle Kingdoms

EHang Holdings Limited, the Guangzhou-based manufacturer of autonomous and manned aerial vehicles, has announced that its EH216 autonomous air-vehicle has successfully completed a series of demonstration flights in four Japanese cities.

Welcome to AirVenture!

The Hartzell family of brands is pleased to present a full agenda of activities at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2022 beginning today through Sunday, July 31st.

If You Build It, They Will Buy…

Textron Aviation, parent company of Cessna, Raytheon, and [formerly] Hawker, has announced a maritime patrol variant of its Cessna Citation Longitude aircraft. Cessna’s Longitude is a super-midsize business jet with trans-Atlantic (3,500-nautical-mile) range and a full-fuel payload of 1,600-pounds. The Longitude is powered by a pair of aft-fuselage mounted Honeywell HTF7700L turbofan engines, each of which produces 7,655-pound-feet of thrust.

All the Security, None of the Obligation

Hydroplane—the Los Angeles-based maker of hydrogen-powered aircraft engines—has announced that it will offer future customers positions on a no-obligation waitlist for its upcoming hydrogen fuel-cell aircraft powerplants. Interested parties are invited to visit Hydroplane’s exhibit booths (Hangar “D” booths 4055 and 4066) at EAA AirVenture 2022 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Pilots and aircraft owners on the waitlist—though under no financial commitment—will be afforded first opportunity to purchase Hydroplane’s modular hydrogen fuel-cell powerplant and will receive regular updates on the company's progress toward its goal of flying a demonstrator aircraft powered by

“Talent is a Flame; Genius is a Fire”  — Bernard Williams

Aerial fire-fighting is a dangerous, high-stakes business with little room for error. It’s also a big business—tragically so. In 2021, 58,985 wildfires blazed across 7.1-million U.S. acres. Since 1983, when official record-keeping began, the occurrence of wildfires in these United States has increased by a staggering 223%. Humans cause 90% of wildfires; Californian humans primarily. Among the myriad challenges presented by wildfires is the matter of training the valorous lunatics who pilot their aircraft into the turbulent, smokey miasma of backwoods infernos for purpose of combating the flames. Urban firefighters train in concrete structures filled w

From 2014 (YouTube Version): After Restoring Mustangs, What Could Possible Be Next? A JN-4D Jenny, Of Course!

While at EAA AirVenture 2014, Special Aero-News Correspondent Michael Maya Charles has a chance to take a step back in time with Bob Baker from Alva, Oklahoma who is restoring a World War I era Curtis JN-4 Jenny. Baker is well known and recognized for his restoration of two P-51 Mustangs, and he tells Charles that he wanted to try something different. The JN-4 Jenny certainly qualifies as something being different from a P

Flight Review Being Conducted By The Helicopter Manufacturer’s Flight Instructor

On April 26, 2022, at 1300 eastern daylight time, a Bell Helicopter Textron Canada, 429, N507TJ, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Elba, New York. The instructor pilot and company pilot were fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. A representative of the operator, Mercy Flight Inc., stated that the instructional flight was a flight review being conducted by the helicopter manufacturer’s flight instructor with multiple flight reviews planned throughout the day; the accident flight was the second flight of the day.

Aero Linx: Airport Services Association (ASA) ASA is the internationally recognised trade association for the independent ground and air cargo handling industry. We represent the men and women that are responsible for ensuring the safety and comfort of billions of travellers worldwide. We collaborate with affiliate associations to advance the sector’s interests and influence decision-makers on issues that are relevant to our industry.

Touchdown Zone Lighting Two rows of transverse light bars located symmetrically about the runway centerline normally at 100 foot intervals. The basic system extends 3,000 feet along the runway.

Mountain Wave Mountain waves occur when air is being blown over a mountain range or even the ridge of a sharp bluff area. As the air hits the upwind side of the range, it starts to climb, thus creating what is generally a smooth updraft which turns into a turbulent downdraft as the air passes the crest of the ridge. Mountain waves can cause significant fluctuations in airspeed and altitude with or without associated turbulence.

“The Cessna Citation Longitude jet provides an excellent value for Special Mission operations due to its acquisition cost and operation cost combined with excellent speed, range and payload capacity. Textron Aviation has developed and had certified factory provisions for various mission equipment supporting maritime patrol and surveillance missions, maximizing value for operations worldwide.” Source: Bob Gibbs, vice president, Special Mission Sales for Textron Aviation, explaining the rationale behind their offering of a Maritime variant of the Cessna Citation Longitude.