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NASA announced it has awarded Blue Origin a Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) task order with an option to deliver its VIPER exploration rover to the South Pole region of the Moon, where it will search for volatile resources such as ice and collect scientific data to support future exploration at the Moon and Mars. This award calls for Blue Origin to deliver the VIPER, or Volatile Investigating Polar Exploration Rover to the lunar surface in late 2027 as part of NASA’s Artemis campaign. DJI has brought the first-ever compact drone to feature a 1-inch sensor, its Mini 5 Pro, to the market… the European and Canadian market, that is. Government suspicion and tariff policies are preventing the drone maker from bringing its one-of-a-kind creation to the US, cutting one of the company’s biggest spenders from the launch. Uber Technologies and Fl

Also: British Airways Has Limits, Drone Pilot Sentenced, USAF Warrant Officers, Dallas ATC Outage

After more than a year being grounded for modifications, the Scaled Composites Model 437 “Vanguard” has returned to flight testing. The aircraft first flew in 2024, quickly taking a break from the skies as it prepared to serve as the airframe for Northrop Grumman’s Beacon autonomy test program. Sergei Sikorsky, whose father, Igor, founded Sikorsky Aircraft decades ago, passed on September 18 at 100 years old. He spent 41 years building his father’s legacy in the industry, taking Sikorsky’s groundbreaking developments and shaping them into some of the most renowned military helicopters in history. Yosemite National Park has been off limits to BASE jumpers for nearly 50 years. Now, a nonprofit called BASE Access is suing in federal court, arguing the ban is unconstitutional and that Yosemite should reopen to legal jumps. BAS

Also: Dream Chaser, Newark Airport, Drone Operator Sentenced, Airbus H225 Buy

US President Donald Trump recently vowed to declassify all files related to legendary aviator Amelia Earhart, who disappeared in 1937 during her attempt to circumnavigate the globe. This development was requested by Kimberlyn King-Hinds, Representative for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, in July. Avionics provider uAvionix recently debuted a major software update to its AV-30-C multi-function panel display, designed as a drop-in digital replacement for legacy instruments. By popular demand, the instrument will now feature wind speed and direction capabilities, enhanced angle of attack indications, aural altitude alerts, and many other safety and usability improvements. Aviation consultant Kit Darby recently published his pilot demand forecast for the ‘big four’ airlines in the US. The “conservative” analysis expects American, Delt

Also: Purdue In Space?, 4 SpecOps Lost In Helo Crash, Solid-Fuel Ramjet, Ultra-High Airspace Over FL

The US Army recently confirmed its plans to thin out its active duty aviation ranks, cutting 6,500 positions as it phases in unmanned systems. The changes are slated to begin in the coming months and continue through fiscal year 2027. Currently, about 30,000 soldiers serve in aviation roles ranging from pilots to support crews. By the time the cuts are finished, roughly one in five of those positions will be gone. Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy announced that the FAA met and exceeded its goal for hiring air traffic controllers for Fiscal Year 2025 by bringing on 2,026 new controllers. The goal was 2,000 controllers, and the number of new hires is 20 percent more than the previous administration hired from January to September 2024. The US Air Force is well on its way to flying its next-generation fighter, with the first of many F-47 jets

Also: NATO Jets Intercept, Check-In System Failure, Embraer E195-E2 Sale, Laser Felony

Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works revealed its new autonomous drone it calls “Vectis,” which it says is the right size and is adaptable enough to partner with both Air Force and Navy crewed combat aircraft. While the aircraft is not necessarily aimed at Increment 2 of the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, it will be flying within two years and it could fit into the Increment 1 criteria as well. Drone parachute manufacturer Aerial Vehicle Safety Solutions (AVSS) has voluntarily allowed the FAA to revoke its certification for operation-over-people with the Skydio X10 system. The permission was granted in August 2024, but after spending months on the market without a single sale, it appears the parachute-equipped drone has been abandoned altogether. uAvionix is calling on Pilots to support Portable EC under the FAA’s

Statement: Take Necessary Steps To Keep Feds Running

The National Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l, joins a host of aviation groups urging Congress to take the steps necessary to avert a government shutdown starting at midnight October 1.

While Conducting A Wheel Landing The Tailwheel Equipped Airplane, It Bounced Twice...

Analysis: The pilot reported that while conducting a wheel landing the tailwheel equipped airplane, it bounced twice, and he applied nose down elevator pressure to arrest the bounces. While doing so, he relaxed left aileron input, and the left wing began to rise, and the crosswind pushed the airplane to the right. The pilot stated that at this point the airplane was unrecoverable and the airplane ground looped. During the ground loop, the left main landing gear separated, and the left wing and fuselage struck the ground which resulted in substantial damage to both. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing on runway 21 with wind from 170° at 11 knots. 

From 2015 (YouTube Edition): Some Of the Prettiest Sights Of Oshkosh Were Also Very Affordable

At EAA AirVenture 2015, there are lots of airplanes to look at, but this one is a real eye catcher. It’s a small single-place airplane, it qualifies as an ultralight, and is so shiny you need dark glasses just to look at it in the sunlight. ANN’s News Editor, Tom Patton, had a sit-down and chat with, Steve Cole, who is the builder and owner of this Hummel UltraCruiser which took the Grand Champion Ultralight trophy this year at Oshkosh. It’s a plans-built airplane that Cole completed with unbelievable attention to detail. The all-aluminum airframe is shiny beyond belief and Cole tells us how he did it. It’s a process that works, but it’s probably not for everybody.

 

 

Gulfstream has announced the all-new, super-midsize Gulfstream G300 -- which will replace the Gulfstream G280 and feature Gulfstream Panoramic Oval Windows as well as an all-new Harmony Flight Deck. Gulfstream announced the G300 at its exclusive Discover the Difference customer event in Savannah. OK.... with a little over a month to go, it’s time to get serious! Thanks to the folks at Sun n Fun, we have a highly professional online ticketing apparatus at our disposal for next month’s Affordable Flying Expo. And we have other good news... use the code “AFE2025” and you can get $5 OFF the adult ticket price of $15 or even more for a three day pass. SpaceX has filed a preliminary Local Notice to Mariners (LNM) indicating that Starship’s 11th test flight could launch no earlier than October 13. As always, dat

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