Also: NTSB, Part 145, Cessna, Sling, Gipps, Gliders, AirVenture Cup, L-39 Down, Pesky TFRs, FAA Goofs (Again) and B-29s To Carolina!
Just about the time we thought we had this week pretty much done, we found out otherwise. Two major stories took place as we were putting the script to bed for Airborne 052512... namely the first flight of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner from the much discussed South Carolina production plant... as well as an amazing skydiving FIRST whereby an experienced Stuntman jumped form a helo at 2400' using a modified "Wingsuit" and LANDED on a specially prepared cardboard runway (used to cushion the impact) without opening a parachute -- pretty amazing. An NTSB study found that in 2011, 10 of 102 accidents involving experimental amateur-built (E-AB) aircraft built by their owner went down on their first flight. After a last-second glitch aborted the launch of the first commercial flight to the ISS on Saturday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in the early-morning hours Tuesday carrying a Dragon capsule with a load of supplies for the crew of the station. We have ALL this and SO MUCH MORE in this week's edition of AIRBORNE!
As always, PLEASE keep sending us your feedback and ideas... you have no idea how important that is to us as we evolve the Airborne mission. As we listen to your critiques, we're getting a far better idea as to how to tweak and fine-tune future Airborne programming to fit your needs. We think you're going to like what we have in mind for the future.
Airborne 05.25.12 is chock full of info about the week ending Friday, May 25th, 2012... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Host Ashley Hale, and supported by ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell, Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, and Aero-Journalists Tom Patton, Glen Moyer, and Will Alibrandi this episode covers:
SC 787 First Flight
Wingsuit Jumper Lands WITHOUT CHUTE
NTSB E-AB Accidents
SpaceX Launch
Part 145 NPRM
Cessna Education Program
Sling LSA
Gipps GA10
Glider Xponder Code
Airventure Cup Race
Flight Prep Vs. Jepp
Gillis Fatally Injured
'Barnstorming' Hates TFRs
Judge Delays AA Ruling & Other Union News
FAA Admits Errors In Rest Rules
Aviation Educator Hall Of Fame
CAF B-29 To Visit Carolina
AVW: Red Bull Skydive Team
Bell Helicopter Workers Hit Jackpot
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 next week for the next edition of "Airborne" here on Aero-TV. Thanks for watching. See you next week!
Airborne 06.11.13: Great Lakes Lives Again!, More FAA Worries, Eclipse Extended
Also: 4000th Bonanza!!!, Collings Insurance Woes, Hartzell Propels RV8TORS, More Elected Officials Protest FAA, CT Impugns Wrights
WACO Classic Aircraft Corporation has officially unveiled the first conforming new production Great Lakes 2T-1A-2 by WACO. Much like the currently produced WACO YMF-5D, the new production 2T-1A is culmination of a dream and the offspring of an unequaled team of talented engineers, craftspersons and pilots. With the public outcry growing larger over the FAA's sudden financial demands to staff EAA's AirVenture, sources within the FAA suggest the current efforts may be but the tip of the iceberg. ANN has learned that there are, reportedly, extensive discussions within the FAA, as well as outright intent to seek fees for a great number of events and activities that the FAA now deems to be outside of "normal operations." The FAA has approved the extension of the service life of the Eclipse 500 & 550 aircraft to 20,000 hours / 20,000 cycles with unlimited calendar life. This provides the typical Eclipse Jet owner with over 50 years of safe operation. All this... and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!
Also: Mind-Flying A Quadcopter, Cool City PMA, Solar Impulse, Sandbar Mitchell, UAV Nearly Clobbers Airbus
Just about the time that you thought the FAA couldn't get any more difficult to understand... or justify... comes news that the Feds are ratcheting up the pressure on EAA to pay nearly $500K in additional fees to staff the annual Fly-In in Oshkosh, WI. What started as a negotiation has now turned into an outright demand. After forty years of supplying kits for amateur-built aircraft, Van’s Aircraft, Inc. stepped into a new world on May 31 when they delivered the very first certified, fly-away, ready-to-go Van’s airplane. Looking for military jet styling and performance with all the luxuries of civilian life? You may need look no further than the Saker S-1. The emerging luxury jet aircraft manufacturer Saker Aircraft Corporation has opened its order book for what it says is the aviation industry’s most advanced personal jet. Mind you; they haven’t researched, certified or produced a single airframe yet... but they do have high hopes. All this... and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!
Aero-TV: Upgrading and Innovating – Developing The Rotax 912iS
A Thoroughly Modern Engine For The Next Generation SportPlane
Aviation has been dealing with a number of problems over the last few decades... one of which is the utter lack of progress and innovation we've seen in way too many segments of the aviation business. SO... when a truly new and innovative powerplant hits the market, that's HUGE news... as is the process by which that engine got into this new generation of sport aircraft.
Airborne 06.04.13: R66 Canada Cert, EAA Transition Costs, More Eclipse Progress
Also: Skip Stewart Wins, TIGHAR Still Looking For Amelia, Mount Everest BASE Jump, Trig Aerobatic Team, 50th 747-8
The R66 light turbine helicopter is now certified in Canada. The approval came last Week (May 31st). Canadian certification reached a standstill until the FAA's ELOS (Equivalent Level of Safety) finding that effectively removed an exemption in the R66's original type certificate. With the recent public publication of EAA's 2011-2012 IRS Form 990s, details are emerging that show that their first major leadership transition in recent years (in 2011), was a costly one. All told, for the period ending February 29th, 2012, EAA expended some $2,250,395 for the top eight management positions specified in their IRS documentation. Eclipse Aerospace has received a Type Certificate validation from the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) for the Eclipse Twin-Engine Jet, and the first Eclipse Jet has been exported to South Africa. All this... and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!
Airborne 05.31.13: Breitling Boosts Reno, Chinese Spy On DoD Projects, Pipistrel's Academy
Also: EBACE Closes Strong, A4A Says Fees Too High... REALLY?, Near-MIss at KDCA, AOPA Smoke and Mirrors, ICAO Stays Put...
The National Championship Air Races has confirmed that longtime sponsor, Breitling, has significantly increased its sponsorship over the next three years and will also be bringing the world famous Jetman to Reno this fall for a rare North American performance. A confidential Pentagon report shows that Chinese cyberspies have collected data on more than two dozen U.S. weapons systems, including the F-35, the V-22 Osprey, and the Black Hawk helicopter. Online university degree programs have been all the rage for several years now, so why not an online Learn-to-Fly Academy? Apparently Pipistrel thinks the idea is a good one as they've just announced the "Pipistrel Academy" Flight School Program. All this... and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!
Airborne 05.28.13: Senate Intro's SARA, Layoffs At Cessna, Angel Flight Down
Also: F35 Test Flight, Hilton Head Airport Obstructions, Renegade Light Sport Patriotism, Sporty's Fly-In
The Small Aircraft Revitalization Act of 2013 has been introduced in the Senate. This is the Senate companion to H.R. 1848, introduced by U.S. Representative Mike Pompeo (R-KS) and a bipartisan group of U.S. House members earlier this month. An unspecified number of workers have been laid off at Cessna, according to a company statement. The move came last Thursday, a month after the planemaker asked for voluntary retirements from both salaried and hourly workers. A PA-34 twin engined Seneca reportedly broke apart in flight before impacting the ground last Friday in a wooded area near Ephratah, NY claiming the lives of the pilot and two passengers. Tragically, the flight from Bedford, MA to Rome, NY was being operated as an Angel flight. All this... and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!
Airborne 05.24.13: FAA To EAA: PAY UP!, PC-24 Unveiled, Cessna JT-A 1st Production Flight
Also: Solar Impulse, More Sequestration Nonsense, Honda Jet Engine Report, Aspen Backup Display, Paul Allen's V-2
Despite a clear mandate in opposition to user fees and similar funding mechanisms oft discussed by the FAA, the agency has decided to start enacting some user fees of its own. And... they've begun by making a pretty aggressive demand for EAA to pay them to staff AirVenture.. EAA Chairman Jack Pelton spoke at length with ANN about this and says the FAA has already presented them with a bill… Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. has unveiled its newest airplane ... the PC-24 ... which it says is the "world's first 'Super Versatile Jet'." This innovative, entirely new development by the Swiss aircraft manufacturer marks what Pilatus says is the creation of a new segment in the business aviation market: the PC-24 is the first business jet worldwide with the ability to use very short runways, paved or unpaved, and a cargo door as standard. Cessna conducted the first production flight of its Turbo Skylane 182 JT-A at the company's facility in Independence, KS on Tuesday. All this... and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!
You know you're having a bad day when a flight goes so bad that you feel you must resort to using a parachute to see you safely through the flight… and then the chute malfunctions. That's exactly what happened last Thursday to Cirrus Pilot Tim Valentine while enroute from Addison, TX to Kansas. Valentine spoke at length with ANN shortly after the incident saying he experienced an instrumentation failure at 7,000 feet and "in the soup" while trying to avoid the backside of a thunderstorm. With the loss of his HSI and autopilot and a suspect attitude indicator, he decided to hit the silk by deploying the CAPS… a system that had been repacked the year before in accordance with the lifetime limits established by Cirrus. On Thursday the team operating NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity received confirmation in a transmission from the red planet that the rover drove 263 feet, bringing Opportunity's total odometry since landing on Mars in January 2004 to 22.220 statute miles, a new NASA record. Air tour operator Florida Biplanes & Helicopters thinks it will be able to attract passengers going to and from cruises at Port Canaveral to take an aerial tour of the area. To do so FB&H founder Mark Grainger is seeking permission to operate from a helipad in a nearby commercial district, but some neighboring businesses, such as Florida Beer Co., say his R44 helo is too loud! All this... and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!
Airborne 05.17.13: X-47B Carrier Launch, New Base For CAF, Space Oddity... For Real!
Also: Wanna buy A Control Tower?, SAC 7-35 Airdata Computer, Exp 35 Astros Drop In, 777X Team Named, Remembering Frank Beagle, AF Academy Grads Will Get Their Flyover!
The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System demonstrator (UCAS-D) completed its first ever carrier-based catapult launch from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) off the coast of Virginia Tuesday. The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) has announced plans to establish the CAF National Airbase at a major metropolitan area and its intent to launch a nationwide search immediately. ISS Commander Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian to command the station has performed a rendition of David Bowie's "Space Oddity" while aboard the orbiting outpost. Released Monday, May 13, the video quickly went viral with several million hits in its first day online and was well past 12 million when last we checked. All this... and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!
Aero-TV: The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital -- Thirty Years of Saving Sight
Thirty Years of Saving Sight
The ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital is literally a hospital with wings that brings together dedicated eye care professionals and aviators to give the gift of sight to developing countries around the world. Onboard the refurbished DC-10 jet aircraft, local doctors, nurses and technicians work alongside ORBIS’s international medical team to exchange knowledge and improve skills.
Airborne 05.14.13: Towers Stay, EAA Makes Membership MTG Changes, Maverick Down
Also: Jabiru Wins In Court, Blues Extended, M2 Mates, Aldrin Wants To Go To Mars, 787 Picks Up Pace
ANN has learned that one of the ridiculous messes created by Washington's inability to prove that it has ANY abilities, namely in terms of governing, has come to an end as the FAA and DoT have caved in and relented on their tower closure fiasco. EAA has traditionally held its membership meeting on the final Saturday of AirVenture, but that will be changing this year and its a change that ANN feels very positive about. The meeting will be held mid-week this year, according to EAA Chairman Jack Pelton. Members will get together on Wednesday, July 31st at 8:30 AM. AirVenture is the organization’s annual convention. One of the developmental prototypes of the Maverick LSA/Flying Car went down this weekend after its parachute canopy suffered some mode of malfunction (as yet unexplained) and went down with minor injuries to pilot Ray Siebring and his passenger. All this... and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!
Airborne 05.10.13: Small A/C Revitalization Act, AirVenture Cup, X-47B 'Arrested'
Also: Saving A B-25, Canada Not Happy With Qatar ICAO Grab, S-92 Rig Approach, FutureCub and the TomorrowHawk
In a move that would cut regulations on the general aviation industry and thereby improve safety, decrease costs, and free private-sector innovation, Congressman Mike Pompeo (R-KS), has introduced the Small Aircraft Revitalization Act. The EAA AirVenture Cup Race will feature a new starting point in 2013, This year’s course will start at Mount Vernon Airport (KMVN) in Illinois, include two turn points, and end at Waupaca Municipal Airport (PCZ) about 30 miles northwest of Oshkosh. Officials are also adding several new classes of aircraft to the race, including production-built aircraft, vintage airplanes, and warbirds. Each class has a first, second and third place awards. Maverick, Mother Goose and Iceman would all be proud! The first fly-in arrested landing of the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator has been successfully completed by the U.S. Navy and prime contractor Northrop Grumman. All this... and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!
Early this year, a new series of aviation VHF COM and NAV/COM radios, the GTR and GNC series, was announced by Garmin. As the replacement products for the popular SL 30 and SL 40 models, the GNC series NAV/COM radios include new features to reduce pilot workload, while also offering an affordable solution to meet the requirements of the 8.33 kHz channel spacing mandate recently enacted by the European Union under the Single European Sky (SES) initiative.
Airborne 06.18.13: Reno Race Shakeup, A350 XWB First Flight, Great Lakes Flies!
Also: Beechcraft Not Happy With GAO, More Damage to GA From FAA, Cessna 172 SAIB, An Inspirational Leap
The inability to reach agreement over a number of unsettled restrictions, involving the Reno Air racing Association and the FAA, forced the Unlimited Racing Division of the National Air Racing Group to call for a "safety stand down" from this year's Reno Air Races. Yet, within hours of that announcement, the Reno Air Racing Association unveiled the Unlimited Warbird Racing Class, a new, high-profile racing class organization at the 50th annual National Championship Air Races this September. Ashley, Airbus’ entry into the fuel-efficient composite-construction market took off at 10 am local time from Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in France on Friday, and flew for four hours and five minutes. An international flight test crew of six was on board for the inaugural flight. The brand new Great Lakes made its first flight, Sunday, June 9th under the pilotage of Gabriel Valim and the watchful eye of Waco Boss, Peter Bowers. The aircraft was reported to have flown exceedingly well, with specific appreciation for its having rigged out well right from the start. Basic performance and handling parameters were also reported to have been met or exceeded in the initial test flight. The aircraft will resume test flying this week and it expected to show up at this year's Oshkosh EAA Fly-In (so long as the FAA doesn't start charging pilots extra just to fly in...). All this... and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!
Also: Hadfield Retires, Dornier Do 17, Chinook Contract, Boeing Forecast, Wright Memorial
We can't say that this was unexpected but EAA has confirmed that it has entered, reluctantly, into a one time agreement with the FAA to pay them for services required to conduct the annual fly-in. EAA has revealed that, "Facing a spectrum of unpalatable options, EAA today finalized a one-time agreement with the FAA to cover nearly $450,000 in expenses related to air traffic control services at the 2013 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh fly-in, which begins on July 29." The Eurocopter X3 hybrid helicopter made history recently by attaining speed milestones of 255 knots in level flight and 263 knots during a descent. With these two successes, the X3 surpasses the unofficial speed record for a helicopter. TIGHAR, The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, is denying charges brought in a lawsuit that they have found Amelia Earhart's airplane but continue to raise funds under thereby false pretenses. All this... and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!
