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June 01, 2024

Merlin Begins Flight Studies in KC-135

While a Robo-Tanker Pilot is a Long Way Off, Everything Starts Somewhere

A lesser-known project from Merlin began doing some data collection flights with a KC-135 Stratotanker from MacDill AFB, gathering info about crew workload, tasking, and use cases for their future Merlin Pilot suite. They went on a pair of flights back to back, assessing tasks that pilots perform in the course of a normal tanker flight. The firm is reportedly assessing just where autonomy could actually make the most effective difference in improving safety, cost, and efficiency.

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Aero Center Atlanta Approved for SmartSky Installs

ATG Network Provider Adds to the Family

Air-to-Ground internet provider SmartSky has added Aero Center Atlanta to their network of dealers and installers, adding 7 FBO locales to the roster. The addition means that Aero Centers can provide Part 145 maintenance services along with flu-service management, charter, and FBO services. Their Atlanta location is by far the most plush in the family, described as a crown jewel amongst a slate of smaller facilities throughout the US. They're already in the swing of things, installing SmartSky's Flagship and LITE systems to cover everything from smaller aircraft to large-cabin bizjets.

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StandardAero's UK Base Completes 500th PW300 Service

UK Base Hones Skills in Overhauling Bizjet Classic

StandardAero announced that its Gosport, UK facility has taken in its 500th Pratt & Whitney Canada PW300 for scheduled maintenance. It's a small milestone but somewhat notable to get word out there that the 'newcomers', who started working on the type in 2009, have gotten the routine down pat. Gosport was added as a Pratt & Whitney Designated Overhaul Facility back then, and that slice of the pie has fed StandardAero's British operations quite well in the years since. 

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FedEx Pilots Hold Picket in Memphis

Upcoming "One FedEx" Program Ruffles Feathers at Cargo Carrier

FedEx pilots and the Air Line Pilots Association haven't been too keen on FedEx' new "One FedEx" scheme, to the point they're willing to set up an informational picket at their Memphis base. Roughly, the change is a consolidation of operating companies, which will herald a 10% dividend increase on the way to "$4 billion in benefits from transformation." It will bring FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Services, and other FedEx operating companies into a single Federal Express Corporation. 

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Bell Snags DARPA Contract for Preliminary Design Work on SPRINT X-Plane

Another Pie in the Sky "Game Changer" Program Sticks Around a While Longer

Bell has been given funding under Phase 1B of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Speed and Runway Independent Technologies (SPRINT) X-Plane program. Bell will move on from Phase 1A, where it completed a conceptual design review, and will now move on to "preliminary design efforts" for the SPRINT X-Plane. SPRINT aims to "design, build, and fly an X-Plane" aimed at a "transformational combination of aircraft speed and runway independence for the next generation of air mobility platforms". While much of the time these nifty pie-in-the-sky projects come to little more than some fun press releases and an aborted project at the end of their funding, ther

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Gray Eagle Engine Passes Muster with 2,500-Hour Torture Test

Army's New UAS Powerplant Looks Promising, with Increased TBO, Generation, and Power

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, in many ways America's flagship combat UAV manufacturer, has finished up durability testing on a new 200-hp engine. The firm calls it the "Heavy Fuel Engine (HFE) 2.0", designed to provide 2,500 hours between overhauls and chug along for long flights with nary a complaint. The final durability test put their test unit through a ringer of 1,250 full-power takeoffs and climbs, along with 200 hours of cruise with a fallback generator setup to simulate a worst-case loading condition. At the end of it all, General Atomics gave it the nod, setting it up for the Army's upcoming Multi-Domain Ops UAS. Now, it only needs one more 150-ho

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Airborne 05.22.24: NS-25 Chute Failure, #HonorTheWASP, SkyCourier 'Combi'

Also: VAI v Anti-Heli Actions, Electric Aircraft Symposium, 2024 FAA Drone/AAM Symposium, Gravitymaster

Blue Origin's seventh passenger flight ended with a smidgeon of drama when one of its 3 parachutes failed to fully deploy, forcing it to rely on its remaining 2 units. That's not the worst system failure in the world, since the triple-chute system sports redundancy as a baseline, but it's always a little discomfiting to rely on a backup whenever parachutes are involved. Women in Aviation International (WAI) members and friends will honor the valiant service of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) by visiting their graves and leaving an appropriate

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NTSB Prelim: Taylorcraft BC12-D

Witnesses In The Area Reported Low Clouds, Fog, And Reduced Visibility Along The Accident Airplane’s Anticipated Flight Route

On May 17, 2024, about 1145 Alaska daylight time, a wheel-equipped Taylorcraft BC12-D airplane, N95744, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Nondalton, Alaska. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight. The uncertificated pilot, and his passenger, reportedly departed from the Port Alsworth Airport (PTA), Port Alsworth, Alaska, about 1130 and were traveling to the Nondalton Airport (5NN) Nondalton. The community of Nondalton is located on the western shoreline of Six Mile Lake. About 2000, the

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Classic Aero-TV: 'I Feel I Can Fly' - PLW Modelworks's Birdly FlightSim Demo

From 2016 (YouTube Version): A Truly Unique Flying Experience…

Most of us have dreamed of being able to fly like a bird. And while that’s not an option for most of us, unless you’re interested in a wingsuit, one company has devised a way to at least get close. At I/ITSEC 2016 in Orlando, Florida, Tony Isaacs, VP of Development for PLW Model Works, told ANN CEO and Editor in Chief Jim Campbell that they have married high-resolution virtual reality with a fully-immersive simulation to allow you to “fly” over

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ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (06.01.24)

Aero Linx: International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine (IAASM)

The Academy was founded in 1955, with the object of searching for and promoting new knowledge in Aviation and Space Medicine and contributing to international co-operation and exchange of information among those devoted to education and research in this field. Members of the Academy (referred to as ‘Academicians’) are selected for their merit, based on their outstanding contribution to Aviation and Space Medicine, regardless of nationality, race, creed, ideology, political belief or any other characteristic. Membership is limited to 275 with representation from leaders in the specialty from all the regions of the

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ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (06.xx.24)

Aero Linx: Gliding Australia The sport of gliding is an exhilarating, spectacular yet serene flying experience. Gliders take to the air like birds with wings outstretched, soaring on rising air currents, immersed in three dimensional space and flying silently with an eagle’s view of the world. Gliding Australia is the national sporting body for gliding in Australia from pre-solo through to international competitions.

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ANN's Daily Aero-Term (06.01.24): Hold For Release

Hold For Release Used by ATC to delay an aircraft for traffic management reasons; i.e., weather, traffic volume, etc. Hold for release instructions (including departure delay information) are used to inform a pilot or a controller (either directly or through an authorized relay) that an IFR departure clearance is not valid until a release time or additional instructions have been received. 

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Aero-News: Quote of the Day (06.01.24)

“As FedEx begins its journey to restructure under the ‘One FedEx’ strategy, our pilots remind management that there’s still unfinished business to address in the near term. Our negotiations began well ahead of this realignment strategy, and we strongly believe management must resolve outstanding labor disputes to ensure the company’s continued success. Our outdated contract does not reflect the strategic direction of the company nor the standard for commercial airline pilots." Source: Jose Nieves, chair of the FedEx ALPA Master Executive Council, as  Read More




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