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Airborne 09.18.19: Draco's Demise, Redbird Skyport Shutdown, tailBeacon STC

Also: Boeing T-X Becomes T-7A Red Hawk, TFRs Near Area 51, NASCAR Driver Lost, Maine Air Show

A PZL-104 Draco Turbine Wilga belonging to Mike Patey was substantially damaged departing from Reno-Stead Airport (KRTS) in Nevada Monday.

The airplane ground looped during its takeoff roll at KRTS. The pilot was attempting to depart before a weather front arrived at the airport. Winds were picking up. He said the left wing lifted during takeoff and the aircraft swerved off the right side of the runway, coming down hard and causing a wing to collapse. The aircraft is an extensively modified PZL-104 Wilga 2000 airframe with a PT6A-28 turbine engine, redesigned wings. control surfaces and landing gear. This was a bit of a shock on first notice... but after consideration, maybe not so much. The fairly well-known Redbird Skyport FBO of San Marcos, TX, has shut down, as of September 14th according to Redbird’s Jerry Gregoire. Why? Well... according to Gregoire, the business was simply not profitable... “In its eight years of operation, the Skyport has never made a dime. Not even a profitable quarter. Had it not been for Redbird Flight Simulator’s explosive growth and profitability over those years, the Skyport might have found itself in deep trouble very early on. The demise of the Skyport is the result of some poorly informed decisions and miscalculations on my part, made long before the project ever broke ground.” The FAA has issued STC approval to uAvionix for its tailBeacon integrated rear position light ADS-B OUT solution. Much like the skyBeacon, the tailBeacon has been optimized for ease of installation times of less than one hour, including documentation. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!

Airborne 09.18.19 is chock full of info in this Daily News Episode, Wednesday, September 18th, 2019... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Host Sophie Hurlock. Sophie is supported by ANN Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, as well as ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell. This episode covers:

  • Draco STOL Airplane Extensively Damaged Departing From Reno
  • Redbird Skyport Shuts Down
  • uAvionix Receives FAA STC For tailBeacon ADS-B OUT Solution 
  • Boeing T-X Becomes T-7A Red Hawk
  • FAA Establishes TFRs Near Area 51 
  • Former NASCAR Driver Fatally Injured In Aircraft Accident 
  • The Great State Of Maine Air Show Announces Blue Angels Return In 2020

Get Comprehensive, Real-Time, 24/7 coverage of the latest aviation and aerospace stories anytime, at aero-news.net. And be sure to join us again tomorrow, for the next edition of "Airborne Unlimited" here on Aero-TV. Thanks for watching. See you, again, tomorrow!

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