Wildfires, Beetles Endanger Oldest Growth in the Country, Requiring Attentive Care
The US National Park Service isn't very accepting of drone operations throughout its purview, but once in a while even they see some use in the little tools, particularly where they can be used to assess the health of old growth forests without the hubbub of a crewed aircraft. Doodle Labs highlighted its work in networking a recent effort to scan, document, and assess the health of 'General Sherman', the world's largest living tree. A crew brought out a Firefly Astro Prime and one of the Labs' mesh networks to provide a C2 uplink as the drone checked the tree for beetle damage.
First Non-Conforming Aircraft Coming Along Nicely Down in Brazil
Eve Air Mobility showed off the process of building its first full-size eVTOL prototype, getting a little attention boost while giving out some visual proof of their advancement. “From the beginning, we’ve made strategic choices in the design and configuration of our eVTOL to be able to accomplish a variety of urban mobility missions in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible, with a high safety level and reduced impact in the communities where it will be operated. Higher dispatch reliability equals more flights per day, an important factor for our customers and their business model.” said Luiz Valentini, chief technology officer at Eve Air Mobili
Prospect of an Autonomous Hercules Fast-Tracks Funding in Hopes of Quick Breakthrough
Merlin, hot off a few test flights aboard some KC-135s, has gotten a $105 million production contract to automate the C-130J. The contract was granted under an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract by the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) to lay the groundwork for a "production-ready reduced aircrew capability" using their favorite fixed-wing aircraft, the C-130J Super Hercules. Merlin notes that its previous partnership with the Air Force from 2022 included multiple phases in a similar vein, even including design integration for the C-130J, testing, flight testing, full takeoff & landing demos, maturation of autonomy skills,
The Air Race Classic will launch from Southern Illinois Airport (KMDH) in Carbondale/Murphysboro on Tuesday July 18 and terminate 2,610 statute miles later on Saturday July 21 at the Northern Colorado Regional Airport (KFNL) in Loveland, Colorado. The annual competition of planning, strategy, skill, and teamwork goes back 95 years to the 1929 Women’s Air Derby. The effort to recover the remains of Richard Bong's old P-38 Lightning have already fostered some changes between Pacific Wrecks, the team searching for it, and its resting place of Papua
Expanded Services Address Customer Service Shortcomings Down Under
A 2020 purchase of Premiair Aviation Maintenance is now bearing fruit, with Textron Aviation announcing a name change to embody its primary Australian presence. After 4 years of digestion, the firm has finished integrating the Premiair brand into their company, and will now emblazon their Australian assets as Textron Aviation Australia Pty Limited. Now, Premiair's facilities in Perth, Gold Coast, and Melbourne will be prominent nodes in Textron Aviation's comprehensive global service network.
Florida Air Museum Has New Attractions for Children Looking to Learn
Sheltair Aviation and the Aerospace Center for Excellence continued their ever-expanding portfolio of activities with the opening of the Jerry Holland Destination: Aviation Playground, offering a fun, engaging play environment for kids in Lakeland, Florida. The playground was opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by ACE president and CEO Gene Conrad, with remarks from Lisa Holland, President and CEO of Sheltair and daughter of Jerry Holland.
Also: USN Jet Returns, MD530F Special Missions, PAL Aerospace, FedEx Picket
Students of Atlantis Aviation Flight school are apparently either out the total sum of their prepaid flight training, or waiting on probate to get on with their careers, after the owners of the school died in an aircraft accident last March. Several students caught the attention of local news, sharing their plight with reporters in the hopes of continuing on with their training. Atlantis Aviation is, or was, a flight school offering students the usual zero-to-hero flight training experience in addition to the standard Part 61 experience. Nolinor Aviation has acquired a sec
Massive Aviation News Event Started 2024 Off With a Plethora of Exciting Info
Last year, we introduced the SnF Innovation Preview in which 25 companies introduced over 30 new planes, products, engines, accessories, and more… in other words… a LOT of news. Rotax previewed the powerful 916iS, CubCrafters showcased the Carbon Cub UL, Bose introduced the A30, Aerox revealed the Boomula… and so much more. This year, we went beyond that... way beyond all that, with a larger selection of news announcements that covered ALL aspects of sport, general and commercial aviation... all at the start of the
Suk Min Choi, known to his million-plus YouTube subscribers as Alex Choi, has been arrested and faces federal charges for “causing the placement of an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft.” The charges result from Choi’s allegedly being the mastermind behind a scheme to create a video showing a Lamborghini speeding and doing donuts on a dry lake bed as passengers in a low-flying helicopter shoot fireworks aimed at the car. A well-filmed clip began circulating over the weekend, showing a Harbour Air seaplane as it began its takeo
Passengers who disrupt airline flights can be a danger to flight crew members as well as other passengers and may also jeopardize flight safety. The FAA is very concerned about these types of incidents and several years ago began making passengers who exhibit bad behavior pay for their lack of self-discipline. Incidents of airline passengers disrupting flights have been a chronic problem for several decades but the resumption of travel volume in the months following the pandemic restrictions saw a nearly 6-fold increase with 5,973 incidents in 2021.
New Sensors, New Comms, Updated IFF, and Some New Ordnance Round Out the Upgrade List
NH Industries and the NATO Helicopter Management Agency (NAHEMA) have signed a contract to begin development of an NH90 Block 1 upgrade for the pan-European combat helicopter. NAMEA began the upgrade as a part of the expected NH90 roadmap, expecting to add some extra capabilities for both the Tactical Transport Helicopter (TTH) variant, in use by land-based forces, and its navalized sister, the NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH). The first phase of the program will run about €600 million in all, and will include an upgrade to the NH90's comms suite.
Also: Starliner Launches, Boeing Loses Suit, AirVenture Gains Lancaster, AgEagle Sale
Starship’s 4th Flight test was an engineering and visual success... providing a visual feast along much of the 66 minute journey. Starship successfully lifted off at 7:50 a.m. CT from Starbase in Texas, and completed a full-duration ascent burn. The booster’s flight ended with a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. A handful of congressional Republican vets took a leap from a vintage C-47 Skytrain in Florida, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the beach landings on D-Day. A team of House Republicans was set to jump o
Also: Virgin Galactic, TBMOPA’s European Convention, B-29 Doc and B-25 Berlin Express, Fairchild XNQ-1
An astronaut who was part of what was then mankind's greatest adventure... the first flight to orbit the moon and return back, has died in an accident while flying a T-34. Bill Anders, is credited with the famous Earthrise photo of the Earth coming up over the moon (taken aboard Apollo 8), and was confirmed to be the only occupant of the aircraft. Anders was 90 years old and his loss was confirmed by his son, Greg. Piper has received Flight into Known Icing (FIKI) certification from the FAA for its M700 FURY. The FIKI system comes standard
Easy Online Forms Available For Sport Plane Manufacturers And Suppliers To Be Listed In The Upcoming eSPRG
Work on the SportPlane Resource Guide is going well… Albeit a little bit behind schedule, because as we got into this process, things became a bit more complicated simply because we learned we could do an even better job at certain aspects of this project than we thought from the beginning. They say that the enemy of true quality is the phrase "good enough" and we want to be far more than “good enough.”
FMI: www.sportplane.com,
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With The eSPRG Only Weeks Away From Its Start Date, A-AF Will Help To Support Sport Flyers, Worldwide
With the all-new and all-digital SportPlane Resource Guide getting ready for publication early next year, the Aero-News Network is pleased to announce yet another addition to the Airborne video news programming roster… Airborne-Affordable Flyers. Dedicated to keeping people up-to-date on the most affordable aspects of sport and general aviation, Airborne-Affordable Flyers is one of our most exciting offerings yet. A-AF will delve into more than just the current LSA community, but look at all aspects of aviation to examine and ev
Able To Briefly Restart The Engine For Several Seconds After Several Attempts, But It Lost Power (A)gain
Analysis: Shortly after takeoff during a personal flight, the pilot of the experimental amateur-built airplane reported that the engine lost all power suddenly. He was able to briefly restart the engine for several seconds after several attempts, but it lost power gain. He maneuvered for a forced landing to nearby field and the airplane’s wings and fuselage were substantially damaged during the subsequent landing. Postaccident examination of the engine’s ignition system revealed the power supply electrical wire from the distributor to the ignition module was separated at the connection at the distributor. Furth
From 2019 (YouTube Version): American Barnstormers Tour Storms Through AirVenture
From July 5-29, 2018, the 2018 American Barnstormers Tour undertook a 5-city, 5-state tour through MO, IA, SD, MN and WI. The 2018 American Barnstormers Tour exclusively featured 10 vintage Travel Air open-cockpit biplanes. Five of the biplanes will function as static displays at each venue, with owners and restorers available to answer crowd questions. Five of the biplanes offered ride experiences to tour attendees. The goal of the tour was to extend fellowship, to bridge a gap between the modern-day and aviation history, to allow folks immersive flight experie
BIG Upgrades In The Works --- ANN Is Seeking EXCEPTIONAL New Staffers
The last few years have been about as challenging a time as we can recall... but we survive (yeah, we're kinda surprised, too) and look forward to 2023 and what we see as a very rewarding (and yes, still challenging) new generation of activities at ANN. After some truly weird times during the pandemic, ANN continues to expand slowly, but surely, and we have some truly intriguing upgrades coming up over the next few months. In other words, we're about to grow again -- REALLY/TRULY -- and in some novel directions. The much-appreciated expansion of
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And That's But One Of Over A Dozen Major Developments Planned For The Next Year Or So
Aero-News Network is now available on Roku and Amazon FireTV! That’s right folks. You can now get your daily dose of aviation news… right on the ol' giggle box! This is an EPIC development for our network, one of many to come, and we’re thrilled to offer you this new way to watch our news programming. Whether you’re a traditional website reader, podcast listener, or YouTube subscriber, we’re dedicated to giving you quality, honest, aviation news that you can trust and broadening our reach and audience aggressively in the coming years, so that we may both Grow and Inform the aviatio
Brand New! Avoid The Need For A Comeback... Get Your Marketing Right, Right Now!
Some time ago, the Aero-News Network, responding to numerous requests, established a marketing and communications sister company by the name of AEROPRENEUER... and it's been doing amazing work under these difficult circumstances -- and getting results! We're getting rave reviews from our clients, and working hard to earn the trust of a number of new marketing partners along the way. ANN's Amber Cedroni has come up with a few tips to help aero-businesses stay alive in these tough times, and
Emphasis On Growing The Future of Aviation Through Concentration on 'AFFORDABLE FLYERS'
It's been a number of years since the Latest Edition of Jim Campbell's HUGE SportPlane Resource Guide first saw the light of day. That massive 1100 page book last featured over 800 exciting sport aircraft from all over the SportPlane universe... at a time when the SportPlane industry was still a healthy, thriving enterprise (those were the days...). While there has been some consideration, off and on, toward updating the nearly 5 pound book, the near implosion of the SportPlane and kit industry over the last decade has made such a pursuit an unwieldy one... until now.
It’s been a while since we have reminded everyone about all the ways we offer your daily dose of aviation news on-the-go...so here is a full list of ways you can subscribe to our channels and get notifications when there are new episodes or breaking news!
1) Subscribe To Our Newsletter
When surveyed, almost half of our audience shared with us that they rely on our daily newsletter to get their aviation news for the day and stay up-to-date in their field or craft. Are you subscribed yet? If not, use the link below to receive our daily Propwash emails that always feature a feed of our latest stories and breaking news.
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Aero Linx: FAI International Skydiving Commission (ISC)
The objectives of the ISC Technical and Safety Committee are:
To co-ordinate FAI Member countries’ activities to further the development of the technical and safety aspects of parachuting throughout the world.
To promote international standards and medical requirements for sport parachuting.
To assemble, analyse and disseminate such information and statistics on parachuting activities in the FAI Member’s countries as can contribute to the improvement of equipment, training methods and to parachuting safety.
To provide a forum for the exchange of inf
Ferry Flight
A flight for the purpose of:
Returning an aircraft to base.
Delivering an aircraft from one location to another.
Moving an aircraft to and from a maintenance base. Ferry flights, under certain conditions, may be conducted under terms of a special flight permit.
Engaging The Aviation World's Pivotal Organizations, Interests And Viewpoints
The Airborne Partnership Initiative, we call it the API, is a plan developed by ANN CEO and Editor-In-Chief, Jim Campbell, to build a synergistic, industry-wide, aviation/aerospace news program. Our aim is to grow this program to include a significant portion, if not a majority, of the aviation world’s pivotal organizations, interests, and viewpoints.
“The contract award marks a milestone in the collaboration between USSOCOM and Merlin, accelerating our ability to bring high levels of autonomy to a variety of fixed wing platforms to support the warfighter. In addition, the magnitude of the contract is an important proof point that USSOCOM continues to bring innovative capabilities out of testing and into production track programs. The forward-thinking approach to autonomy that USSOCOM has shown throughout the process of vetting Merlin for award is essential to a scalable industry and safe future. We look forward to expanding our partnership with this team as we continue to deliver operationally relevant capabilities.”
Source: Matt George, co-founder and CEO, Merlin, followin
Enables Faster Response Time, Enhances Situational Awareness and Safety
uAvionix, based in Bigfork, Montana, announced that the FAA has approved the Oswego City Police Department’s Drone as First Responder (DFR) program for operations Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) without Visual Observers (VOs). The uAvionix Casia G ground-based Detect-and-Avoid (DAA) system was instrumental in gaining the approval. Casia G is an advanced ground-based DAA surveillance system that provides crucial airspace awareness to enhance situational awareness for drones operating beyond line of sight with no visual observers as well as any piloted aircraft within proximity of the drones.
Explorer, environmentalist, and veteran circumnavigator, Bertrand Piccard, announced that he is set to pilot the liquid hydrogen-powered aircraft Climate Impulse on a non-stop globe-circling flight in 2028. The flight will track along the equator and take about nine days to complete. Along the way, Piccard will speak with the public, schools, and governments while seeking to inspire and educate audiences about using the earth’s resources as efficiently and sustainably as possible.
Scary... Audio Inadvertently Routed to NASA Livestream
Wednesday, at approximately 5:28 CDT, audio was heard on the NASA livestream feed from an internal ground-based simulation channel that a crewmember on the International Space Station (ISS) was enduring symptoms of decompression sickness (DCS). The audio was misrouted to the NASA channel instead of its likely intended audience in the ground control center. On X (formerly Twitter) the ISS feed posted at 6:05 pm CDT that there was in fact no actual emergency happening on the station. Nonetheless, with millions of people following the channel probably at all times of the day and night this caused an immediate and immense outpouring of questions, anxiety, and concern that a re
Advisory Circular Aims to Reduce the Amount of Paperwork Needed for eVTOL Certification
The FAA is looking for public commentary on a draft Advisory Circular regarding the type, production, and airworthiness certification of powered-lift. The FAA says recent applications for the type certification of powered-lift have proposed passenger seating configurations of six or fewer, weighing 12,500 pounds or less, and utilizing battery-powered electric propulsion. For such projects, the FAA published the proposed airworthiness criteria for public consideration and comment, and has drawn on that body of work to draft an advisory circular called “Type Certification—Powered-lift.”
Middle East and South Africa VFR Charts Added to A La Carte Offerings
ForeFlight announced a modest update to their flagship EFB product, with ForeFlight 16.5 adding one moderately useful feature and a pair of pretty niche ones. Top of mind for the update is an alert for wake turbulence events, a slick little system that draws data from FLARM and ADS-B systems to calculate the prospective wake turbulence caused by traffic ahead of the user. When flying at or above 500 feet AGL, ForeFlight continuously calculates wake effects from nearby aircraft using their position, altitude, speed, weight category, and winds aloft information, then compares these with its current flight path. If the course is set to intersect with the expected pocket of turbulen
Also: Virgin Galactic, TBMOPA’s European Convention, B-29 Doc and B-25 Berlin Express, Fairchild XNQ-1
An astronaut who was part of what was then mankind's greatest adventure... the first flight to orbit the moon and return back, has died in an accident while flying a T-34. Bill Anders, is credited with the famous Earthrise photo of the Earth coming up over the moon (taken aboard Apollo 8), and was confirmed to be the only occupant of the aircraft. Anders was 90 years old and his loss was confirmed by his son, Greg. Piper has received Flight into Known Icing (FIKI) certification from the FAA for its M700 FURY. The FIKI system comes standard on all
The Air Race Classic will launch from Southern Illinois Airport (KMDH) in Carbondale/Murphysboro on Tuesday July 18 and terminate 2,610 statute miles later on Saturday July 21 at the Northern Colorado Regional Airport (KFNL) in Loveland, Colorado. The annual competition of planning, strategy, skill, and teamwork goes back 95 years to the 1929 Women’s Air Derby. The effort to recover the remains of Richard Bong's old P-38 Lightning have already fostered some changes between Pacific Wrecks, the team searching for it, and its resting place of Papua New Gui
Archer Aviation’s second full-scale eVTOL aircraft Midnight successfully completed its transition flight on June 8. In the eVTOL industry, transition flight is a well-known benchmark that is difficult to achieve. It occurs when the aircraft takes off vertically like a helicopter (hover), transitions into wing-borne forward flight as the engines tilt forward and flies like an airplane. As it approaches its destination it decelerates, the engines tilt upward and the craft lands like a helicopter. The process is similar to that seen with the US military’s tiltrotor V-22 Osprey operation.
Also: Starliner Launches, Boeing Loses Suit, AirVenture Gains Lancaster, AgEagle Sale
Starship’s 4th Flight test was an engineering and visual success... providing a visual feast along much of the 66 minute journey. Starship successfully lifted off at 7:50 a.m. CT from Starbase in Texas, and completed a full-duration ascent burn. The booster’s flight ended with a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. A handful of congressional Republican vets took a leap from a vintage C-47 Skytrain in Florida, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the beach landings on D-Day. A team of House Republicans was set to
Also: AgEagle Sale, Osage Nation's Skyway36 Droneport, TriFan 600, DJI v Mt. Everest
Archer has been given some very good news as of late, now having been granted their operator certificate from the FAA. Even better for them, they've been given the Part 135 cert too, empowering their plans for air taxi operations in the future once the Midnight aircraft is ready to go. Once in full swing, Archer will offer short-hop rides aboard their 4-passenger eVTOL aircraft. Harbour Air, an all-seaplane operator in Vancouver, announced that they would be offering a conversion program using some of their single-engine turboprops and magniX's Magni650 electric systems.
Revised Runway Revitalizes Airport with Smooth Pavement, Extra Capacity
Renovations to Pueblo Memorial Airport’s (KPUB) runway 8R/26L have been completed after a closure of 21 days, granting locals and transients 10,500 feet of runway. The local Pueblo, Colorado FBO, Freeman Jet Center, is happy to announce that things are up and running there, with amenities sufficient to accommodate aircraft up to a C5 in size. To celebrate the change and entice visitors to try out the new tarmac, Freeman Jet Center is giving double AVTRIP Points through the end of July, which. The renovation project, which began earlier this year and closed the runway for 21 days, includes 10,500 square feet of brand-new runway surface, ready to accommodate aircraft up to
The DragonFly was one of the most intriguing little planes on the line at this year's Sun 'n Fun 2024, so Jim Campbell of ANN made sure to stop by and check it out. Randy Dorsey of Pitman Air took a moment to talk it up and go over the funky little bird. Ever seen a light sport pull double duty as a crop duster? That's the DragonFly's claim to fame, part of its Australian DNA. The DragonFly is meant to be affordable, compact, and fun, but still able to pull its weight around the farm for those who want more than just a "sunny day convertible" of a plane. Dorsey thinks the DragonFly brand is just getting started, since it
Also: USN Jet Returns, MD530F Special Missions, PAL Aerospace, FedEx Picket
Students of Atlantis Aviation Flight school are apparently either out the total sum of their prepaid flight training, or waiting on probate to get on with their careers, after the owners of the school died in an aircraft accident last March. Several students caught the attention of local news, sharing their plight with reporters in the hopes of continuing on with their training. Atlantis Aviation is, or was, a flight school offering students the usual zero-to-hero flight training experience in addition to the standard Part 61 experience. Nolinor Aviation has acquired a second Ces
Suk Min Choi, known to his million-plus YouTube subscribers as Alex Choi, has been arrested and faces federal charges for “causing the placement of an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft.” The charges result from Choi’s allegedly being the mastermind behind a scheme to create a video showing a Lamborghini speeding and doing donuts on a dry lake bed as passengers in a low-flying helicopter shoot fireworks aimed at the car. A well-filmed clip began circulating over the weekend, showing a Harbour Air seaplane as it began its takeoff roll
Also: uAvionix AV-Link, Does Simming Make Better Pilots?, World Games, AMA National Fun Fly
Czech sportplane manufacturer Direct Fly has finished delivering its 200th ALTO NG, the latest iteration of their 600-kg sportplane. The Alto was previously offered as the Alto 912 TG model, sporting some light tweaks and changes for improved stiffness and durability. The Rotax folks have published a Service Bulletin after issues were noted that may affect all R915i and R916i series engines. Rotax operators have reported occasional, isolated, cases a momentary slipping of the overload clutch -- which may lead to a slight exceedance of the maximum rpm limit, follow
Also: uAvionix AV-Link, Does Simming Make Better Pilots?, World Games, AMA National Fun Fly
Czech sportplane manufacturer Direct Fly has finished delivering its 200th ALTO NG, the latest iteration of their 600-kg sportplane. The Alto was previously offered as the Alto 912 TG model, sporting some light tweaks and changes for improved stiffness and durability. The Rotax folks have published a Service Bulletin after issues were noted that may affect all R915i and R916i series engines. Rotax operators have reported occasional, isolated, cases a momentary slipping of the overload clutch -- which may lead to a slight exceedance of the maximum rpm limit,
Wreckage... Was Spread Over A Distance Of 0.8 Miles... Consistent With An In-Flight Break-Up
Analysis: The non-instrument-rated pilot was in cruise flight when he advised the air traffic controller that he was looking at his cockpit weather radar display and requested a deviation between what he described as a gap between radar echoes. The airplane subsequently transitioned through echoes consistent with areas of light, moderate, heavy, and then extreme precipitation before track data depicted a steep, descending right turn that continued until contact with the airplane was lost in the vicinity of the accident site.
Aero Linx: Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association
At CHAA our mission is to Acquire, Preserve, Restore, Maintain, Display and Demonstrate the Harvard and other training aircraft associated with the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)
A facility established to provide air traffic control service to aircraft operating on IFR flight plans within controlled airspace and principally during the en route phase of flight. When equipment capabilities and controller workload permit, certain advisory/assistance services may be provided to VFR aircraft.
Choose How YOU Want To View Your Aero News: Headlines And Teasers
We're all pretty excited about the new website design here at ANN, but we HAVE heard from some of you that you liked the way that content was displayed on the old site. We hear you, and before you chuck your bitgrinder out a 5th story window, you should know that there are several ways that you can view your Aero-Content.
“We are excited to unveil our improved runway and once again welcome guests to KPUB with smooth access and first-class amenities, demonstrating our continuous dedication to safety, service and customer satisfaction. Our team looks forward to greeting an influx in traffic with the top-notch aviation services our customers have come to expect at Freeman Jet Center, all at competitive rates.”
Source: Todd Engel, general manager of Freeman Jet Center, commenting as renovations to Pueblo Memorial Airport’s (KPUB) runway 8R/26L have been completed after a closure of 21 days, granting locals and transients 10,500 feet of runway.
The Air Race Classic will launch from Southern Illinois Airport (KMDH) in Carbondale/Murphysboro on Tuesday July 18 and terminate 2,610 statute miles later on Saturday July 21 at the Northern Colorado Regional Airport (KFNL) in Loveland, Colorado. The annual competition of planning, strategy, skill, and teamwork goes back 95 years to the 1929 Women’s Air Derby. The effort to recover the remains of Richard Bong's old P-38 Lightning have already fostered some changes between Pacific Wrecks, the team searching for it, and its resting place of Papua New Guinea. Bong earned himself the Medal of Honor while flying 'Marge', his P-38, but t
Continuing the Tradition of Pioneering Women in Aviation
The Air Race Classic will launch from Southern Illinois Airport (KMDH) in Carbondale/Murphysboro on Tuesday July 18 and terminate 2,610 statute miles later on Saturday July 21 at the Northern Colorado Regional Airport (KFNL) in Loveland, Colorado. The annual competition of planning, strategy, skill, and teamwork goes back 95 years to the 1929 Women’s Air Derby when twenty pilots raced from Clover Field in Santa Monica, California, to Cleveland, Ohio, where the National Air Races were held.
Official Trade-In Program Helps Reuse Serviceable Parts with Manufacturer Expertise
Hartzell has continued to expand its product offerings for current operators, this time announcing a purchasing program for serviceable cores and serialized parts. The program is open to fleet operators, MROs, and aircraft owners themselves. The change is aimed at reducing overhaul lead times, while giving buyers options to acquire parts that hit the sweet spot between usable and affordable. Now, Hartzell will accept a customer propeller for any general aviation make or model, and accordingly reduce the purchase price of a new or used piece.
The Ukraine Defense Intelligence Agency (GUR) announced on Sunday that it had destroyed one of Russia’s most advanced Su-57 fighter jets in a drone attack on the Akhtubinsk airfield about 589 km (365 mi) inside Russia. The agency displayed before and after satellite images of the field that it says show the aircraft damaged after the strike. The popular pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Fighterbomber claimed that shrapnel from a multiple drone strike on Saturday damaged the jet.
Saulos Klaus Chilima, Vice President of Malawi, along with all nine others aboard were killed when the military aircraft transporting them went down in the dense Chikangawa forest in northern Malawi in southeast Africa. Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera made the announcement and said he was “deeply saddened and sorry” when he addressed the Malawian people on Tuesday. The plane disappeared from radar while flying in poor weather on a flight from the capital city of Lilongwe to Mzuzu, 250 miles to the north. Chilima had been scheduled to attend the funeral of former government minister Ralph Kasambara who had died four days earlier.
A new partnership will add some extra niceties for those under the National Business Aviation Association's umbrella, providing Clay Lacy Aviation's services under a special pilot program for members. Clay Lacy will create NBAA operating memberships for its managed aircraft clientele, granting access and eligibility to a "variety of key benefits" from both partnered groups. Once in, members can gain entrance to premier events, networking opportunities, professional development programs, webinars, discounts, information resources and volunteer opportunities through the NBAA’s various committees and professional groups.
Super Heavy Launch Operations Lining Up to Enhance
Florida residents will be able to weigh in on the issue of SpaceX Starship launches from Kennedy Space Center Complex 39A at Cape Canaveral before the operations are approved. The FAA is considering up to 44 Starship launches per year in its Florida backyard, and locals will have a chance to weigh in on the proposition. Changes to the operational tempo, reusability of the Super Heavy Booster, and new construction add some variation to previously laid 2019-era plans. As such, the FAA is looking for public input before they go further in the process, making sure they cover all their bases. Public comments will be accepted through June 24th, 2024.
'SiriusJet' Hopes to Provide Guilt-Free, Fast Personal Travel for 4
Sirius Aviation AG is unveiling their concept for the CEO Jet, a hydrogen-powered luxury business jet at the MOVE Expo in London. The SiriusJet is the "first hydrogen-powered regional VTOL aircraft," according to the manufacturer, with a range of 1,150 miles and 323-mph cruise. The jet was officially displayed for the first time on June 10th on the Expo's main stage, giving Sirius Aviation CEO Alex Popov some time to show it off to those in attendance. Sirius says it tapped BMW Group Designworks while designing the aircraft, "blending state-of-the-art technology with elegant design."
A Carbon Cub running a Rotax 916 has long been on the short list of "why don't they..." aircraft, and Cubcrafters made good on the concept this year. At Sun 'n Fun 2023, they announced they'd be going full speed at integrating the top-of-the-line turbocharged 160-horsepower engine, and they managed to bring out out a mere year later. It's not quite ready for production yet, though, since the excellent weight savings of the light little Rotax lets them refine and optimize the rest of the plane for maximum performance and payload.
Pilot’s Failure To Maintain Airplane Control While In The Airport Traffic Pattern
Analysis: The pilot reported that he had returned to the airport for landing after conducting a local personal flight. He was performing a lefthand traffic pattern and was turning from base leg to final approach when the airplane departed controlled flight and impacted a flat dirt field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that he did not remember any of the events after the airplane entered the airport traffic pattern except for radio calls that he made and that the airplane operated normally during the flight.
Aero Linx: Vertical Aviation Safety Team (VAST)
We are a public–private initiative to enhance worldwide flight operations safety in all segments of the vertical flight industry. Team members comprise international regional safety teams; safety authorities, including civil aviation authorities; and other industry stakeholders that work to improve global vertical flight safety.
Dead Reckoning
Dead reckoning, as applied to flying, is the navigation of an airplane solely by means of computations based on airspeed, course, heading, wind direction, and speed, groundspeed, and elapsed time.
Even with the vast resources and incredibly far-reaching scope of the Aero-News Network, every now and then a story that should be reported on slips through our fingers. There's a lot of news out there, and sometimes we just don't get to all of it. Fortunately for us, we realized early on we couldn't be everywhere at once -- curse the laws of physics! -- so we came up with the idea of News-Spies. Just as the title suggests, a News-Spy is a reader who notices a news item -- be it in the newspaper, on television, or something they came across at their own airport, town hall, at the office water cooler or just by walking down the street -- basically, any item a reader may think is newsworthy, that pertains to the wo
“NBAA has a tremendous responsibility to the business aviation industry, and we are constantly collaborating with them. Our flight departments, professionals and aircraft owners gain from advocacy, professional development and an incredibly robust and authoritative resource hub. In the business of business aviation, NBAA plays a critical role in achieving our goals, and fostering a culture of learning and continuous improvement.”
Source: Joe Barber, Chief Commercial Officer for Clay Lacy Aviation, detailing a new partnership will add some extra niceties for those under the National Business Aviation Association's umbrella, providing Clay Lacy Aviation's services under a special pilot program for members.
Also: USN Jet Returns, MD530F Special Missions, PAL Aerospace, FedEx Picket
Students of Atlantis Aviation Flight school are apparently either out the total sum of their prepaid flight training, or waiting on probate to get on with their careers, after the owners of the school died in an aircraft accident last March. Several students caught the attention of local news, sharing their plight with reporters in the hopes of continuing on with their training. Atlantis Aviation is, or was, a flight school offering students the usual zero-to-hero flight training experience in addition to the standard Part 61 experience. Nolinor Aviation has acquired a second Cessna 172 for its Become a Pilot program. This Cessna 172 (C-172), rich in history
Vertical Aviation International successfully used its call to action to ensure the salvation of the West 30th Street Heliport in New York City. The issue resulted in more than 96,000 emails sent to the New York State Legislature, a mountain of support in pushing government stakeholders to reconsider their previous course of action. “The legislation now includes a task force with industry representation ensuring that we have a seat at the table and our voice will be heard as conversations about the future of the heliport continue in the months and years to come,” said Josh Rousseau, VAI’s Northeast US regional representative.
Small Minority of Reporters Accounts for Majority of Complaints
It's not news to those who've spent their time instructing, but sometimes a perfect confluence of obsession, zoning, and property ownership result in an obsessive, all-consuming need to tattle on the aircraft above. Airservices Australia logged a single resident's noise complaints in Perth more than 20,700 times throughout 2023, accounting for more than half of the entire country's noise reports in all. She wasn't the only reporter in the country with such an outsized effect, with the runner-up accounting for 4,071 complaints throughout the year. The data was gleaned from an Australian senate inquiry surrounding the effects of aircraft noise on city life.
Students of Atlantis Aviation Flight school are apparently either out the total sum of their prepaid flight training, or waiting on probate to get on with their careers, after the owners of the school died in a plane crash last March. The owners' lawyer, Samantha Fitzgerald, had no good news for the students, noting that they fall a lot further back in the queue of payments to be made. "It's an extremely tragic and unfortunate situation. Since the flight school owners are all dead, the estate has to go through the legal process, and creditors are paid in a certain order. In this case, there are bank loans that are secured creditors and unfortunately, they are in a priority position over the studen
More Stupid Aero-Trix: Lamborghini Doing Donuts In A Dry Lake Bed Was The Target
Suk Min Choi, known to his million-plus YouTube subscribers as Alex Choi, has been arrested and faces federal charges for “causing the placement of an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft.” The charges result from Choi’s allegedly being the mastermind behind a scheme to create a video showing a Lamborghini speeding and doing donuts on a dry lake bed as passengers in a low-flying helicopter shoot fireworks aimed at the car. The video is titled “Destroying a Lamborghini with Fireworks” and was captured in June 2023.
Poplar, Wisconsin and Madang, Papua New Guinea Become Sister Cities
The effort to recover the remains of Richard Bong's old P-38 Lightning have already fostered some changes between Pacific Wrecks, the team searching for it, and its resting place of Papua New Guinea. Bong earned himself the Medal of Honor while flying 'Marge', his P-38, but the aircraft was lost when it was loaned out to another pilot in his unit, never to be seen again. Now, with the industry hungry for warbirds to resurrect, Pacific Wrecks has undergone the exhaustive process of cross referencing records and searching the jungles for P-38 wreckage, and they've been fortunate enough to find it.
Oshkosh, to us, seems the perfect place to get started on watching aviation recover the past couple of years... and so ANN is putting EXTRA effort and resources into our coverage of Oshkosh 2024... just a little over 70 days hence. We are now undertaking the process to seek talented stringers to help us present Oshkosh and the sport and general aviation community to the world around us. If you ever thought about joining us, this is THE year to do it. IF YOU want to be a part of this unique adventure, speak up NOW, rather than later, because we're going to be looking for the best volunteer folks we can find and are planning t
Richard Kaczmarek brought out their fresh import of Zonsen aircraft engines to Sun 'n Fun 2024, showing off the potential of an affordable Rotax clone for the US market. Zonsen's Chinese origins may be polarizing to some, but Kaczmarek says the consumer wins in the end. More competition, more parts support, more engines, and lower prices are always good to hear for the average aircraft builder, and the Zonsen's warranty could help assuage any lingering doubts. It's new, of course, but for those willing to give it a try, it might prove itself worthy of attention in time. CKD Aero Already has a handful of options for builders, fro
Function-First EFB Enjoins iFly Software with Robust, but Average Hardware
Adventure Pilot has released their own hardware to match their iFly EFB software, unveiling a robust Android tablet well-paired to the rigors of cockpit operations. The tablet goes against the grain of most tablet releases in 2024, sporting a chunky, padded figure and a thickly framed 7-inch, 800-nit screen. The iFly EFB Aviation Tablet meant to perform as either a backup EFB computer or an on-panel device, particularly when paired with Adventure Pilot's dock. The Docking Station allows it to send NMEA data to the autopilot, fuel computer, or compatible EFIS, and connects directly to the Tablet by way of a 24-pin contact point.
From 2017 (YouTube Version): Avilution 'Unpanel' Represents A Major Change In VFR Avionics…
One of the most innovative things on display at AirVenture this summer was the Avilution Unpanel, which represents a major change in avionics for VFR airplanes. Mark Spencer, Founder of Avilution, told Aero-News editor Tom Patton that the company designed the Unpanel by approaching avionics as a software "problem", making it possible to bring a product to the market much faster. The Unpanel was developed in conjunction with Zenith Aircraft
(Witnesses) Reported The Helicopter Flew Past Their Location Westbound, Then Rapidly Descended Without Making Any Turns
On July 16, 2022, about 1920 mountain daylight time, a Bell UH-1H, N911SZ, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Chapelle, New Mexico. The pilot, two tactical flight observers, and the rescue specialist sustained fatal injuries. The helicopter was operated as a Title 41 United States Code public aircraft flight. After several firefighting missions were flown in support of the New Mexico Forestry Division, the helicopter was fueled at Las Vegas Municipal Airport (LVS), Las Vegas, New Mexico.
Have A Story That NEEDS To Be Featured On Aero-News? Here’s How To Submit A Story To Our Team
Some of the greatest new stories ANN has ever covered have been submitted by our viewers and readers! We are very proud of our viewers and readers, as they are some of the most active and influential individuals in the aviation industry. We rely on them to share their knowledge and updates with us, so we can keep the entire community up-to-date through our various programs and platforms. The ANN staff scours theweb for the latest info and intel... but we're just a few folks with only so many hours in the day... so YOUR eyes and ears may be REALLY helpful in making sure we don't miss a thing!
Aero Linx: Waco Museum
The WACO Historical Society, in addition to preserving aviation's past, is also dedicated and actively works to nurture aviation's future through its Learning Center programs. The goal of the Learning Center is to use aviation-related hands-on teaching projects to inspire and educate. We want to reach students, assist and train teachers, and inspire adults to support lifelong learning.
Adcock Range
National low-frequency radio navigation system (c.1930-c.1950) replaced by an omnirange (VOR) system. It consisted of four segmented quadrants broadcasting Morse Code "A" (dot-dash) and "N" (dash-dot) signals in opposing quadrants so that pilots could orient their position relative to a "beam" broadcasting a steady tone, and a Morse Code station identifier. Using a "build-and-fade" technique, a pilot could (ideally) pinpoint his location by the strength or weakness of a signal.
“The legislation now includes a task force with industry representation ensuring that we have a seat at the table and our voice will be heard as conversations about the future of the heliport continue in the months and years to come...”
Source: Josh Rousseau, VAI’s Northeast US regional representative, commenting as Vertical Aviation International claims that it successfully used its call to action to ensure the salvation of the West 30th Street Heliport in New York City.
Suk Min Choi, known to his million-plus YouTube subscribers as Alex Choi, has been arrested and faces federal charges for “causing the placement of an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft.” The charges result from Choi’s allegedly being the mastermind behind a scheme to create a video showing a Lamborghini speeding and doing donuts on a dry lake bed as passengers in a low-flying helicopter shoot fireworks aimed at the car. A well-filmed clip began circulating over the weekend, showing a Harbour Air seaplane as it began its takeoff roll and collided with a boat. The aircraft was operating under Harbour Air, a seapla
Parallel ILS Approaches
Approaches to parallel runways by IFR aircraft which, when established inbound toward the airport on the adjacent final approach courses, are radar-separated by at least 2 miles.
Hi Folks...
This is a special issue of the Propwash newsletter, dedicated only to its being a personal message from the ANN gang to you. I promise not to do this too often, but hope that I can impose on you for a few minutes in order to seek your continued support. We'd like to make one last pitch for book orders while they might affect the total print order. We have sent this book to the printer and are in pre-press prep right now (proofs expected today)... and the more we can add to the print tally, the more cost-effective our printing prices (per book) become.
As you
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