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The United States Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS) is the Navy's principal operator of the Northrop Grumman T-38C Talon supersonic jet trainer, with 10 of the twin-engined aircraft in its inventory. The school's T-38s fly an average of 1,100 hours per year, providing students with valuable experience evaluating its performance, flying qualities, dynamics, and transonic and supersonic flight characteristics. Because the T-38C is the school's primary fixed-wing trainer, students are required to receive formal flight training in the aircraft prior to their arrival. In the past, this has been done at the U.S. Air Force's Air Education and Training Command at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, AETC had to pare back its training commitments to the Navy and its o

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Latin American drone delivery company, Speedbird Aero, announced it has received regulatory approval from Brazil's National Civil Aviation Agency, also known as ANAC, to operate two experimental drone delivery routes in Brazil. Speedbird Aero operates a proprietary delivery drone with an integrated ParaZero parachute recovery system, and is now the first company in Latin America to win regulatory approval for a drone delivery operation. A rapid-deployment, packable unmanned aircraft made in USA with (some foreign and US components and labor) has been made available for public safety, municipal, and enterprise uses. UAV manufacturer Autel Robotics is releasing its Autel EVO II Dual Enterprise UAS bundle/package, created for public sector and enterprise use. Under the Autel Enterprise label, Autel Robotics o

Iconic Bomber Will Need A New Engine

The Gulf Coast Wing of the Commemorative Air Force is launching a fundraising campaign on behalf of their iconic bomber, the CAF B-17 Flying Fortress, Texas Raiders, which resides at Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport. Fondly known as “TR” by her volunteer crew, the big bomber suffered a performance issue on one engine while in transit on September 4, and out of an abundance of caution the decision was made to land the aircraft in Texarkana. Upon further inspection it became apparent that an engine change would be needed. The iconic aircraft had to be left on the ramp at Texarkana while the aircrew made their way home to prepare for the engine change. It’s a tough enough task to change an 1,100 pound engine, not to mention having to do it away from home. And the task will be expensive.

Pilots Must Conduct A Pre-Flight, Comprehensive Review Of Weather, Including An Assessment Of Icing Potential

The NTSB issued Safety Alert SA-082 this week, highlighting the importance of pilots assessing, understanding and preparing for the risk of wet snow and icing conditions before flight. The “Flight in Snow” safety alert provides guidance to pilots, dispatchers and operators regarding flight during wet snow and icing conditions. Wet snow contains liquid particles on the snowflakes or liquid particles falling amongst the snowflakes compared to dry snow in which there is no liquid. The liquid in wet snow has the potential to compromise flight safety through structural, engine and windshield ice accumulation.

Firescout Arrived Sept. 15 Aboard Naval Station Norfolk

HSC-22 marks the first East Coast squadron to operate all three systems to include the MH-60S Knighthawk, MQ-8B Firescout, and MQ-8C Firescout. The new added capability of the MQ-8C combines the capabilities of the MQ-8B with the MH-60S Knighthawk to improve the Navy’s ability to investigate and target hostile surface contacts. “Incorporating the MQ-8C will represent a significant improvement in our unmanned air vehicle mission capability,” said Cmdr. Matthew Wright, HSC-22’s commanding officer. “The ‘Charlie’ is bigger, faster, can carry more mission equipment, and remain airborne over twice as long as our already-proven MQ-8B’s.”

This Infrastructure Will (First) Enable BVLOS Flights In Mckenzie And Williams Counties

The Northern Plains UAS Test Site (NPUASTS) has begun the initial stages of implementing infrastructure for North Dakota’s statewide UAS beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) network. The key site location chosen for this initial deployment of the BVLOS network is in the surrounding areas of Watford City and Williston, ND, due to the proximity of many potential use cases and existing state and local government infrastructure that can be leveraged for this deployment.

FAA 'Looks Forward To Working With The Committee To Implement Improvements Identified' (In The Report)

The FAA has responded to the long awaited report from the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure has been published and as many government reports are wont to do, it places a lot of blame... but not always prioritized according to the realities of the situation at hand. We noted in our original report that 'While the politicians were patting themselves on the back generously, the report fails to prioritize the ponderous issues involved with the airlines (and the training issues associated with them), that the airlines involved in the two accidents, presented. It also makes sweeping judgments about improper/fraudulent intent on the part of Boeing and the FAA when the aero-community scuttlebutt insists that (in many cases) such malevolent intentions were not truly evident -- i.e., they may have screwed up, but it was through error, careless and such rather than outright intent to deceive, defraud and the lik

From 2009: T-28s Celebrate 60 Year Anniversary

On July 29th, 2009, AirVenture visitors watched an exciting celebration during a special section of the air show.  This year marked the 60th year of the North American Aviation's T-28 Trojan. As jets began to replace piston aircraft after the end of World War II, the Air Force needed a more appropriate aircraft for trainers. In September of 1949, the first T-28 prototype made a successful maiden flight. Soon after, the T-28s began full production replacing the T-6s as the primary training aircraft.

"Flight Appeared To Be Losing Altitude Rapidly And (Controller) Advised The Pilot To Level The Airplane's Wings"

HISTORY OF FLIGHT: On September 4, 2020, about 2055 central daylight time, a Cirrus SR22 airplane, N733CD, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Chester, Arkansas. The private pilot and three passengers sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to initial information, the accident pilot called his flight instructor/airplane mechanic at the Muskogee-Davis Regional Airport (MKO), near Muskogee, Oklahoma, on September 4, 2020, about 1900, and advised the mechanic that he intended to fly to North Carolina. The mechanic advised the pilot to leave in the morning. Fueling records showed the accident airplane was refueled about 1949, with 36.41 gallons of 100 low lead aviation gasoline.

AD 2020-18-14 Prompted By A Report From The Manufacturer That A Subsurface Anomaly Was Found

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all General Electric Company (GE) GE90-110B1 and GE90-115B model turbofan engines with a certain high-pressure turbine (HPT) rotor stage 2 disk installed. This AD was prompted by a report from the manufacturer that a subsurface anomaly was found on a HPT rotor stage 2 disk. This AD requires an ultrasonic inspection (USI) of the HPT rotor stage 2 disk and, depending on the result of the inspection, replacement of the HPT rotor stage 2 disk with a part eligible for installation. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products. This AD is effective October 21, 2020.