Also: Experimental Category Aircraft, Ryanair Fires Netherlands Crews, Aging USAF Planes, Dream Chaser
Are you ready for Jetpack Racing? It could be the hot new sport in 2019, according to JetPack Aviation CEO David Mayman. After 12 months testing two of its jetpacks in side by side flights, JetPack Aviation has announced the launch of its racing league. And it is inviting the world to join in. The company has spent the past 12 months test flying to determine whether its jetpacks can be flown safely in close proximity to each other. Just after Christmas, it released a video of two of its company pilots flying in formation. Leonardo has successfully completed the initial flight test of the TH-119 IFR training helicopter. The TH-119 is Leonardo’s bid to replace the U.S. Navy’s aging fleet of TH-57 Sea Ranger training helicopters. The aircraft remains on track to achieve full FAA IFR certification in early 2019, making it the only single-engine IFR-certified helicopter in production in decades. The TH-119 was flown by Leonardo pilot Patrick McKernan at the company’s Philadelphia plant where all variants of AW119s are built. SpaceX hopes to conduct a preliminary test flight of its Starship concept spacecraft in April, but it will not be the sleek passenger-carrying machine that is depicted in the company's marketing and media materials. According to SpaceX founder Elon Musk and company COO Gwynne Shotwell, the first flights will be short-distance suborbital launches similar to the company's "Grasshopper' test program that led to the Falcon 9 rocket. Musk said that the test article will be as wide as the final planned Starship, but not as tall. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!
Airborne 01.04.19 is chock full of info in this Daily News Episode, Friday, January 4th 2019... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Hosts Skylar Vanel, Laura Hutson, Brianne Cross, and Christopher Odom, and is supported by ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell, Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, and Aero-Journalist Tom Patton, this episode covers:
Company Says Jetpack Racing Is Coming Soon
TH-119 Helicopter Performs First Flight
SpaceX Says 'Starship' Test Flights Could Begin In April
Experimental Category Aircraft Accident Totals Continue Falling Trend
Ryanair Fires All Netherlands Pilots And Cabin Crew
USAF Airplanes Are Aging, Becoming More Difficult To Repair
Dream Chaser Spacecraft Passes Key NASA Milestone
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 for the next edition of "Airborne Unlimited" here on Aero-TV. Thanks for watching. See you, again, tomorrow!
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