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January 14, 2021

Airborne-Flight Training 01.14.20: FSANA 2021 Is On!, FAA v CFIs, AeroSport Expands

Also: GA UK Restrictions, Educational UAS Protections, Duncan Aviation Interns, CAE USAF KC-135 Training

The flight school business is one of the few that seems both intent and surprisingly successful surviving even during a pandemic. As such, the community is readying a critically important get-together to takes notes and learn from each other as well as a great line-up of speakers and instructors in just a few more weeks. Flight school operators, chief flight instructors, and persons considering opening a flight school should take special note of the upcoming International Flight School Operators Conference. Attendees will have over 25 multi-track sessions to choose from during mornings and afternoons March 4-5. Citing inadequate training of a pilot whose plane crash resulted

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Disappointed! COVID Concerns Ground DeLand 'Flyway to Highway' Event

Well... They Tried...

The ANN crew is crestfallen to receive official confirmation that COVID concerns have again halted a fine sport aviation event from celebrating all that is good about recreational aviation. And face it.... we NEEDED to get out and play a bit. The January 30th DeLand 'Flyway to Highway' event, under the direction of the folks who conduct the annual DeLand Sport Aviation Showcase, was designed to be an interim event to help the industry gather a bit before their main event next November, BUT, it is now officially OFF. The decision makers have watched the news, seen the infection rate keep up at a breathtaking pace, and the vaccination rate struggle along slowly, and decided now is not the time for such an event. We get it... bu

Mannequin Skywalker Returns!

Blue Origin’s next New Shepard flight is targeting a liftoff for Thursday morning, January 14, at 0945CT from Launch Site One in West Texas. Mission NS-14 is the 14th flight for the New Shepard program. For this mission, the crew capsule will be outfitted with upgrades for the astronaut experience as the program nears human space flight. The upgrades include improvements to environmental features such as acoustics and temperature regulation inside the capsule, crew display panels, and speakers with a microphone and push-to-talk button at each seat. The mission will also test a number of astronaut communication and safety alert systems. The capsule will be outfitted with six seats, including one occupied by Mannequin Skywalker.

Over 25 Multi-Track Sessions To Choose From

The flight school business is one of the few that seems both intent and surprisingly successful in surviving the excruciating effects of the pandemic. As such, the community is readying a critically important get-together to takes notes and learn from each other as well as a great line-up of speakers and instructors in just a few more weeks. Flight school operators, chief flight instructors, and persons considering opening a flight school should take special note of the upcoming International Flight School Operators Conference. The Flight School Association of North America (FSANA) annual event 2021 edition is being held at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Florida.

OK... You KNEW This Was Coming...

FAA Administrator Steve Dickson has signed an order directing a stricter legal enforcement policy against unruly airline passengers in the wake of recent, troubling incidents. The FAA has seen a disturbing increase in incidents where airline passengers have disrupted flights with threatening or violent behavior. These incidents have stemmed both from passengers’ refusals to wear masks and from recent violence at the US Capitol. “Flying is the safest mode of transportation and I signed this order to keep it that way,” Administrator Dickson said.

Will Feature The BushCat Light Sport Aircraft For Training Program

AeroSport has opened a hangar at the Mustang Point Aerodrome on the Deland, FL, airport campus, shared with Rachel's Jewelry. AeroSport plans to offer Light Sport Maintenance and are in the process of opening a Flight School that will feature the BushCat Light Sport aircraft for training. Initial training efforts will concentrate on LSA/Sport Pilot Training but will probably extend to Private Pilot training at some future time, as well. AeroSport also offers avionics sales, Light Sport maintenance, and is a dealer for both the affordable BushCat, BlackHawk Paramotors, and the Sling SportPlane series.

CDC Expands Negative COVID-19 Test Requirement

All Air Passengers Entering the United States Must Comply

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expanding the requirement for a negative COVID-19 test to all air passengers entering the United States. Testing before and after travel is a critical layer to slow the introduction and spread of COVID-19. This strategy is consistent with the current phase of the pandemic and more efficiently protects the health of Americans. Variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus continue to emerge in countries around the world, and there is evidence of increased transmissibility of some of these variants. With the US already in surge status, the testing requirement for air passengers will help slow the spread of the virus as we work to vaccinate the American pub

Astronauts Relax After Sending Off US Cargo Ships

One U.S. crew ship and three Russian spaceships remain parked at the International Space Station after the departure of two U.S. space freighters this month. Most of the Expedition 64 crew is relaxing while a pair of cosmonauts focus on Russian maintenance and science. Five astronauts, four from NASA and one from JAXA, are taking it easy aboard the orbiting lab. The quintet kicked off the New Year loading a pair of U.S. cargo ships to wrap up their cargo missions less than a week apart. This followed a busy December full of space research to benefit humans living on and off the Earth.

From 2019: Company Partners With Multiple Aircraft Manufacturers For OEM Avionics

Avilution is re-thinking the way avionics panels are presented using an innovative software-driven system to display information that is configurable by the pilot. Company founder and CEO Mark Spencer told Aero-TV at AirVenture 2019 that Avilution approaches avionics as a software problem rather than as a hardware problem, which gives them a lot of flexibility and allows them to bring products to market more quickly than a more traditional approach. Avilution came to the notice of many in the industry a few years ago with their unconv

Also: NTSB Says CFIs Need More Scrutiny, USAF Thunderbirds, Bell 505, Amazon Buys Boeings

Shortly after the resignation of DoT Secretary Elaine Chao, FAA chief of staff Angela Stubblefield disclosed that, “This evening the Secretary and the Administrator received resignation letters from all our non-career staff members here at FAA. These resignations will be effective Monday evening. Our colleagues’ decisions, given the gravity of the scary capitols events, are understandable. Like all of us, they are outraged by the brazen and violent attack on one of the sacred institutions of American de

No Evidence Of The Vacuum Pump Ever Being Overhauled Or Replaced

Analysis: While proceeding eastbound at night along the shoreline of an island, the airplane began a rapid spiral descent, and impacted the ground. Despite an extensive search by multiple entities, the airplane remained missing for approximately 4 years; however, when the wreckage was located, there was sufficient evidence to show that the vacuum pump, which powered the attitude indicator and the directional gyro, had failed. Examination of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records revealed that the airplane had accrued in excess of 1,224.8 total hours of operation, but no evidence of the vacuum pump ever being overhauled or replaced was discovered. The pilot did not possess an i

Aero Linx: The Combat Air Museum The Combat Air Museum has served as an educational institution and tourism destination for forty three years. It is one of a handful of major aviation museums in the United States located on an active air field. Visitors to our Museum are regularly treated to flying activities of Air Force fighter aircraft and Army helicopter operations. With the longest runway in the State of Kansas, large refueling tanker aircraft of the Kansas Air National Guard and army troop transports often fill the skies around the Museum. The Museum's "Young Aviators" classes and Girls In Aviation Day offer students and Girl Scouts a unique opportunity to be immersed in the midst of a museum c

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (01.14.21): Permanent Echo

Permanent Echo Radar signals reflected from fixed objects on the earth’s surface; e.g., buildings, towers, terrain. Permanent echoes are distinguished from “ground clutter” by being definable locations rather than large areas. Under certain conditions they may be used to check radar alignment.

“Testing does not eliminate all risk, but when combined with a period of staying at home and everyday precautions like wearing masks and social distancing, it can make travel safer, healthier, and more responsible by reducing spread on planes, in airports, and at destinations.” Source: CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, MD, commenting on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expansion of a requirement for a negative COVID-19 test to all air passengers entering the United States. Testing before and after travel is a critical layer to slow the introduction and spread of COVID-19. This strategy is consistent with the current phase of the pandemic and more efficiently protects the health of Americans.