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October 15, 2021

Airborne 10.15.21: ION Aircraft Sold, SnF Balloon Fest, Bombardier ‘Safety Standdown’

Also: NBAA Leadership, ACJTwoTwenty, Alto Aviation, Phenom Sim

ION Aircraft, LLC, has found a buyer in Geode Capital Management, of La Jolla, California. Ion is the designer of the 120, a twin boom LSA, sporting a pusher layout, tandem seating and a glass panel. Throughout the development process, Ion pared down their intended offerings to the 100, the kit aircraft, and the 120, the factory-built aircraft meeting light sport requirements. The company’s small size made the transition from research, development, and design to production too hard to make without outside help. Geode Capital completed the purchase in September 2021. It would seem that production is expected, as the Ion Aircraft website is back, with additional Geode branding. The Up Up

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ION Aircraft, LLC Acquired by Venture Capital Geode

Angel Investor Buys Forlorn LSA Manufacturer

ION Aircraft, LLC, has found a buyer in Geode Capital Management, of La Jolla, California. Details are sparse at this time, but Geode’s website indicates further investment in “Ion Aircraft and eVTOL” as well as aircraft manufacturing. Ion is the designer of the 120, a twin boom LSA, sporting a pusher layout, tandem seating and a glass panel. Throughout the development process, Ion pared down their intended offerings to the 100, the kit aircraft, and the 120, the factory-built aircraft meeting light sport requirements. The company’s small size made the transition from research, development, and design to production too hard to make without outside help.

Also: Airbus Zephyr, Russian Skydive Accident, Avance L3 for HondaJet, New ACE Exec Director

Tamarack Aerospace has announced it’s current demonstration and validation trials with their new King Air Tamarack Performance Smartwing, an active winglet load alleviation technology. In partnership with Dynamic Aviation, the complete modification process is under review by military and defense organizations looking to enhance capabilities for their fleet of King Air passive winglets. Testing on a 200 series aircraft began earlier this year, with 350 series testing to come. Cessna Citation, and now King Air users, can decrease fuel usage, increase payloa

Despite Her Lack of Arms, Jessica’s Foot-Flown Aero-Adventures Inspire All

Motivational speaker and Aviator Jessica Cox shares with us what it took to fly her 1946 Ercoupe nearly 4,000 miles to Airventure 2021. She also speaks about Project 2025, her upcoming custom, foot-flown Vans RV-10 she hopes will replace N26R. Once completed, she hopes it will provide a template for other pilots with similar needs. Jessica is the inspiration for the Rightfooted Foundation, an organization that brings the inspiration of aviation to children with disabilities.

Nonprofit Up Up and Away Florida Promotes ACE Education

The Up Up and Away Florida Hot Air Balloon Festival has set the date for next year's spring event. Festival goers will see balloon glows or take tethered rides, with multiple opportunities for early morning and late afternoon ascensions. In addition, a car show, live music, helicopter rides, a variety of vendors, and a selection of great food will give families plenty to do throughout the event. 2022 will be the 2nd annual festival, in what hopefully become a tradition for ballooning enthusiasts. “Returning to Lakeland made sense for us because of the success we had for our first event in February 2020. Like so many, we were unable to host our event this year but ar

Comlux Cabin Outfitter to Design Cabin Interior

Airbus Corporate Jets announced the sale of their newest, most advanced business jet, the ACJTwoTwenty, to an undisclosed buyer somewhere in the USA. Once produced, the plane will be delivered “in the green” to partner company Comlux, the exclusive cabin outfitter for the first 15 ACJTwoTwenty aircraft. Comlux prides itself on being what they call more than a simple completion center or operator, but a design studio as well. Their partnership with Airbus as the launching customer has allowed them free reign in creating a series of interior layouts and furnishings.

Bombardier ‘Safety Standdown’ Set For Nov. 2

25th Anniversary of Their Annual Safety Standdown

Bombardier celebrates the 25th anniversary of their annual Safety Standdown, a safety conference for aviators, owners, and operators with a focus on human factors in aviation. “For a quarter of a century, Bombardier has led the industry in providing aviation professionals with critical knowledge-based aviation training, and this year’s lineup certainly underscores the concepts expressed in our theme, ‘Learn, Apply, Share,’” said Andy Nureddin, the Bombardier exec taking point on the program.

Catching Up to Business Pilot Demand

Soon after inking a deal for 100 of their new Phenom 300 aircraft, Embraer has announced next year's launch of their Full-Flight Simulator for the type, allowing cheaper, more efficient training for operators and flight schools. Announced at NBAA 2021, Embraer-CAE Training Services will offer the sim during the second half of 2022, to be operated by ECTS, a joint venture between the two companies. The announcement comes in a time of increasing business aviation demand, with some operators looking to bolster the quantity of pilots in their ecosystem.

Professionals from Choice Hotels, Pfizer, Embraer, Foreflight Added to board,

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) today re-elected four individuals to the association’s Board of Directors during an annual meeting held during the 2021 Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE). Leadership changes include Monte Koch, of Choice Hotels, succeeding Elizabeth Dornak, of DuPont, as board chair. John Witzig, of Pfizer, will now serve as NBAA’s new vice chair/treasurer.

Activated The Electric Boost Pump Which Restored Power For A Brief Time, But Then The Engine Again Lost Power

On August 28, 2021, about 1934 central daylight time, a Cessna 320E airplane, N222L, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Windthorst, Texas. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, he had recently acquired the airplane and was on the flight back to his home airport. He departed the Cox Field Airport (PRX), near Paris, Texas and flew to the Sherman Municipal Airport (SWI), Sherman, Texas, a distance of about 57 nm, where he filled all 6 fuel tanks. After fueling the airplane, he departed SWI with an

Aero Linx: The Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) The Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) is responsible for monitoring civil aviation in Switzerland and aviation development. It is responsible for ensuring that civil aviation in Switzerland has a high safety standard and one that it is in keeping with sustainable development. The FOCA aims to ensure the safe and best possible and environmentally friendly use of the infrastructure, which includes airspace with air traffic control and aerodromes. The Office also supervises aviation companies to which it issues an operating licence based on a technical, operational and financial evaluation.

Obstacle Departure Procedure (ODP) A preplanned instrument flight rule (IFR) departure procedure printed for pilot use in textual or graphic form to provide obstruction clearance via the least onerous route from the terminal area to the appropriate en route structure. ODPs are recommended for obstruction clearance and may be flown without ATC clearance unless an alternate departure procedure (SID or radar vector) has been specifically assigned by ATC.

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (10.15.21)

“As more people become aware of us, and of our commitment to the community, we believe this volunteer-based hot air balloon festival is quickly becoming a major event held annually at the Lakeland Linder International Airport.” Source: Up Up and Away Florida Hot Air Balloon Festival Executive Director, Ron Clukey, discussing next year's spring event. 2022 will be the 2nd annual festival, in what hopefully become a tradition for ballooning enthusiasts.