Also: Daher Owner Convention, SAF Prices Likely to Remain High, NTSB Hiring, OR CAP Aid
A couple of years ago, new ownership bought the Rotorway helicopter kit operation and rebranded it as Rotor X. Over the course of many months, we received numerous complaints about Rotor X, with reports of dozens of customers who claim to have bought helicopter kits or sub kits not gotten what they paid for. Some have paid in full, with amounts exceeding well in excess of $100,000, and received little or nothing (so far) in return. AOPA has issued a statement that notes, "We are deeply saddened to report that Richard McSpadden, AOPA Senior Vice President, died in an aircraft accident outside Lake Placid, New York, on Sunday afternoon. The Car
The Pilot Then Attempted To Enter The Right Side Of The Aircraft And Inadvertently Sat On The Throttle Control
On September 20, 2023, about 0900 mountain daylight time, a Powrachute LLC Airwolf 912ULS powered parachute, N820PP, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Erie, Colorado. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The aircraft was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The aircraft was positioned at the Parkland Airport (7CO0), Erie, Colorado, for the local area flight. According to witnesses, the pilot fueled the aircraft and started the engine.
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The Emperor’s New Toy
Joby Aviation, Inc., the Toyota-backed designer and builder of electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, has delivered its first production eVTOL to Edwards Air Force Base approximately six months ahead of the expected 2024 delivery date. The USAF, by way of on-base operations of subject aircraft conducted in cooperation with Joby, will endeavor to demonstrate the machine’s applicability to a range of logistics missions, including cargo and passenger transportation. Additionally, NASA, in partnership with the USAF, will utilize Joby aircraft to conduct research germane to the utilization of such machines within the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS).
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A 249-Gram Drone with Heavyweight Features
Shenzhen DJI Sciences and Technologies Ltd.—more widely known as Da Jiang Innovations, or simply DJI—is a Chinese state-backed designer and manufacturer of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). DJI drones are widely used in the music, television, and film industries. In 2021 DJI models accounted for approximately 76-percent of consumer drone sales. The DJI drone catalog has been supplemented, most recently, by the company’s introduction of the DJI Mini 4 Pro, a drone DJI asserts has been “ … crafted to be the ultimate companion for adventure enthusiasts.”
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The Airplane Came To Rest Inverted. Trees In The Immediate Vicinity Were Up To About 100 Ft Tall.
On September 10, 2023 about 1200 eastern daylight time, an experimental Sonex airplane, N569SX, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Dowagiac, Michigan. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot departed Dowagiac Municipal Airport (C91), Dowagiac, Michigan, about 1100, for a local area flight. An alert notice (ALNOT) was issued at 2021 when the pilot had not returned. The accident site was located on September 14th in a heavily wooded area about 4 miles northnortheast of C91.
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From 2018 (YouTube Version): Wright 'B' Flyer Organization Is Preserving Aviation History
Wright "B" Flyer Inc. is an all-volunteer, membership-based, not-for-profit corporation located on the Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport near Dayton, Ohio. They fly one Model B look-alike during the summer months, curate a hangar that doubles as a museum. The flying airplane, No. 001, is available for fly-overs and static displays at public and private events. Honorary Aviator Members, who pay the $100 membership fee, are eligible for a free orientation flight at the facility in Dayton.
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Of Court Cases and Mayoral Races
In February 2022, Ogden, Utah city officials proposed a five-year program by which to pay for the demolition of aging aircraft hangars on the Ogden-Hinckley Airport (OGD). The measure was part of a larger plan to, ostensibly, make the airport more attractive to commercial airlines and air-travelers, thereby improving the Ogden’s financial status. The city’s program was challenged, however, by hangar lessees, who brought a federal lawsuit alleging improvements made to the hangars by leaseholders stood to be unconstitutionally appropriated by the city in the absence of compensation or equivalent recourse.
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