Also: ISU Plane Mess, Redbird-NBAA-Deland, 1st Inuit Female Pilot, NTSB on Reno, Rotorwash, Air Tanzania Q400s, Av-Appreciation

It looks like the concept of presidential candidates taking swipes at each other on Twitter has caught on, and it’s moved over to the private spaceflight industry. The rocket motor that Elon Musk hopes will power missions to Mars was test-fired last Sunday at their facility in McGregor, Texas. Musk posted images of the test firing on Twitter, as well as some of the specifics for the engine. The Raptor engine was first introduced four years ago, and is intended to be a multi-stage engine that could eventually boost people and material to Mars. It is also planned to be reusable to reduce the cost of those missions. Two national aviation associations have filed a motion to intervene in the legal dispute between the City of Santa Monica and the FAA over

Audio Panels Engineered for Pilots with Features that Make Sense…

At EAA AirVenture 2016, PS Engineering Inc. was talking about, and showing, their PMA450A and PMA8000G audio panels for aircraft. While audio panels started off as simply a box that allowed switching between a couple of radios, we are now a long way from that starting point. About the only thing these audio panels don’t do is start your morning coffee, and we’ll have to see if that shows up next year.

Also: LA Times v SMO, APS UAT Program, Gordon Bennett 2016, Tucson Control Tower, Hubble Find, Southwest Airlines, Iowa State

Another new small unmanned aerial system is now on the market as drone manufacturer, DJI, has released its Mavic drone, which they say is their smallest aircraft equipped with a 4K camera. The Mavic follows the recent trend of drones with foldable rotors for easy transportation. It follows recent introductions of the GoPro Karma and a Yuneec drone that also feature foldable rotors. The Mavic is about half the size of the DJI Phantom 4 flagship drone, but still includes sensors on the front and bottom of the aircraft for obstacle avoidance, subject tracking, indoor stability, and autonomous landing. In April of this year, EAA’s Accessible Safety STC, was approved to allow the installation of Dynon EFIS-D10A and EFIS-D100 systems in certain Cessna and Pi

We're Everywhere... Thanks To You!

Even with the vast resources and incredibly far-reaching scope of the Aero-News Network, every now and then a story that should be reported on slips through our fingers. There's a lot of news out there, and sometimes we just don't get to all of it... so we came up with the idea of News Spies.

"This isn't just about Sikorsky and our new relationship with Lockheed Martin - it's also about the supply chain companies and their employees that will benefit from the CH-53K being built by Sikorsky." Source: Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy.

A lateral deviation from a cleared track, normally in excess of 25 Nautical Miles (NM).

National Championship Air Races Runway Collision -- Two Views

By now you probably have heard about the collision on the runway at the 2016 National Championship Air Races.

Also: LA Times v SMO, APS UAT Program, Gordon Bennett 2016, Tucson Control Tower, Hubble Find, Southwest Airlines, Iowa State

Another new small unmanned aerial system is now on the market as drone manufacturer, DJI, has released its Mavic drone, which they say is their smallest aircraft equipped with a 4K camera. The Mavic follows the recent trend of drones with foldable rotors for easy transportation. It follows recent introductions of the GoPro Karma and a Yuneec drone that also feature foldable rotors. The Mavic is about half the size of the DJI Phantom 4 flagship drone, but still includes sensors on the front and bottom of the aircraft for obstacle avoidance, subject tracking, indoor stability, and autonomous landing. In April of this year, EAA’s Accessible Safety STC, was approved to allow the installation of Dynon EFIS-D10A and EFIS-D100 systems in certain Cessna and Pi

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.

Also: GPS Sat, Aero-Calendar, B-21 Raider, Boeing 777X, Tecnam P2002JF, NBAA Honors Louis Seno, Alaska-Virgin Merger

EAA has reached a major milestone, as the association has surpassed 200,000 members. It appears that more and more pilots are finding EAA represents their kind of flying more than ever before. Jack J. Pelton, EAA CEO and Chairman of the Board said in part, “We reached this milestone by building on the legacy established by our founder, Paul Poberezny, more than 60 years ago when he stated that all who wish to participate are welcome.” Some military pilots with as few as 500 hours flying time could be eligible for a right seat spot at an airline, according to sources familiar with guidelines being discussed by an FAA advisory committee. Under the rules that were put in place in 2013 by the FAA, first officers are required to hold an Airline Transport Pilot