Also: AEA 1Q/22 Report, An-225 Mriya, Rhoades Aviation Busted, Sporty's Skyhawk Model

Dassault flight-test crews are making ready to embark on a grueling, global proving campaign to ensure the company’s Falcon 6X, ultra wide-body, business aircraft meets its ambitious performance and reliability goals. The one-month, forty-stop, 150-hour campaign is set to begin in June, and is scheduled to comprise a number of long and short haul legs across Europe, and between North and South America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Flights of 10-12 hours will alternate with quick, short hops. The largest aircraft in the world, recently destroyed, may be retu

Also: AEA Training Excellence Awards, Frontier Airlines & UND, Falcon 6x FFS, JSX Taps Skyborne

Surprisingly; Sonaca Aircraft announced that it will cease production of its S200 aircraft. Sonaca CEO Yves DeLatte describes the measure as a “necessary decision… ” engendered by the COVID-19 pandemic’s adverse impact on general aviation and, in particular, pilot training. Sonaca Aircraft, a subsidiary of the Belgian Aerospace conglomerate Sonaca Group, has committed to offer employment to all employees formerly engaged in the production of the S200. The FAA has published its interim final rule regarding the modernization of Avi

California Science Center Breaks Ground on Major Expansion

The California Science Center broke ground Wednesday on a new addition that will serve as a new, permanent home for the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Dubbed the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, the 200,000-square-foot addition is named for the late Samuel Oschin, an entrepreneur and philanthropist whose private foundation underwrites a number of medical, astronomical, artistic, and educational projects throughout greater Los Angeles. 

Storied Russian Marques Consolidate Under UAC

Twentieth-Century and Cold War icons Sukhoi and MiG have merged with the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC). Formed in 2006 to consolidate numerous Russian aerospace manufacturers that struggled to retain relevancy after the collapse of the Soviet Union, UAC presently counts Ilyushin, Irkut, Mikoyan, Sukhoi, Tupolev, and Yakovlev among its subsidiaries. UAC is itself a subsidiary of Rostec, Russian, a state-owned corporation that owns over 700 enterprises, including nearly the entirety of Mother Russia’s military-industrial complex. 

Scientists and Engineers Prepare for New Views of the Cosmos

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will release its first, full-color images and spectroscopic data on 12 July 2022. The orbital telescope, designed primarily to conduct infrared astronomy, is the most powerful ever launched into space, and promises to dramatically broaden humankind’s understanding of the cosmos. The last six-months have seen the telescope’s mirrors aligned and its instruments calibrated to the space environment. This careful process—in conjunction with numerous, emergent technologies and extensive mission planning—has led up to the July debut, which promises to showcase the extent of the telescope’s capabilities. 

Things to Do in Denver …

United Airlines has announced plans to expand its flight training center to facilitate the carrier’s plans to hire 10,000 more pilots by 2030. The expansion will see a new, four-story building and 12 new, full-motion flight simulators added to the airline’s 23-acre campus in Denver’s Central Park neighborhood. Currently, the campus features seven buildings comprising 550,000 square feet of space, 39 full-motion simulators, and 15 fixed training devices.

Also: AEA Training Excellence Awards, Frontier Airlines & UND, Falcon 6x FFS, JSX Taps Skyborne

Surprisingly; Sonaca Aircraft announced that it will cease production of its S200 aircraft. Sonaca CEO Yves DeLatte describes the measure as a “necessary decision… ” engendered by the COVID-19 pandemic’s adverse impact on general aviation and, in particular, pilot training. Sonaca Aircraft, a subsidiary of the Belgian Aerospace conglomerate Sonaca Group, has committed to offer employment to all employees formerly engaged in the production of the S200. The FAA has published its interim final rule regarding the modernization of Avi

$55-Million Appleton Expansion to Bring Over Two-Hundred New Jobs

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. has announced it is investing more than $55-million in its Appleton, WI, facility. The move is the latest in a series of expansions that have seen the Savannah, GA company erect new facilities in Fort Worth, TX and Mesa, AZ while supplementing its customer support call center in Farnborough, England. The business-jet powerhouse also announced plans to hire more than 200 engineers, mechanics, avionics technicians, and highly skilled trade and craftspeople to populate the growing, Appleton operation.

Flying Hours Key to Readiness …

Across all categories—excepting reconnaissance—the Active-duty Air Force flew fewer hours in fiscal 2021 than it did the previous year. Flying hours are key to readiness, and are a good overall barometer of other readiness factors such as pilot and spare parts availability, speed of throughput at depots, and operations budgets. Flying hours are also affected by combat operations. Inadequate flying hours reduce pilot proficiency and correlate with increased accident rates.  

Deal Marks Shift in German Military Preparedness 

The German Government today announced that Boeing’s CH-47F Chinook has been selected for the German Bundeswehr (armed forces). Germany will buy sixty Chinooks to replace its aging fleet of CH-53 [Sikorsky Sea Stallions], thereby committing to an oft-postponed decision against the backdrop of war in Ukraine.  In a speech to the Bundestag lower house of parliament, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht stated, "With this model we are strengthening our ability to cooperate in Europe." Lambrecht was cagy, however, about what the helicopters would cost.  

From OSH21 YouTube Version): Michael Tomazin Gives An Overview Of The Aircraft

ANN and Michael Tomazin, the North American Distributor for Skyleader Aircraft reflect on the days past at Oshkosh. “We’ve had an outstanding turnout, a lot of excitement around our new 600 model, and we’ve just really been pleased with all the folks that have come by and all the new leads. We have got a lot of the demo rides to give after the show so we are looking forward to that, and showing customers the product that we offer,” Tomazin says.

Pilot Made A Low Pass Over The Airport In An Effort To Evaluate The Wind Conditions

On April 03, 2022, at 1310 Pacific daylight time, a Sonerai IIL, N333BM, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Jean, Nevada. The pilot sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. The pilot stated that he departed from Kingman, Arizona with the intention of landing at his home airport in North Las Vegas, Nevada. Prior to the flight, he added 3.8 gallons of fuel, but did not know the total amount of fuel on board at the time of departure.

Aero Linx: The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) is the medical certification, research, education, and occupational health wing of the FAA's Office of Aerospace Medicine. The goal of our activities is to enhance aviation safety. The Institute's people - researchers, physicians, and other medical specialists, engineers, educators, pilots, technicians, and communicators - all merged as a team in 1961 at our centralized Oklahoma City facility.

Outer Fix An adapted fix along the converted route of flight, prior to the meter fix, for which crossing times are calculated and displayed in the metering position list.

“Gulfstream continues to make significant investments across the company to address both current demand and future growth in our completions and Customer Support operations … The investment in our Appleton facility is a key part of our overall strategy to provide our customers with industry leading completions and support worldwide.” Source: Gulfstream President Mark Burns, adding some background to the decision to invest more than $55-million in its Appleton, WI, facility. The move is the latest in a series of expansions that have seen the Savannah, GA company erect new facilities in Fort Worth, TX and Mesa, AZ while supplementing its customer support call center in Farnborough, England.