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Airborne 09.20.19: FAA Admin To Fly MAX Sim, Chine Drone Ban, SpaceX

Also: Iridium And OneWeb To Collaborate, USCG Rescue, New NASAO Board Members, API Claims Fuel Save

FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson is planning to travel to Seattle to personally fly a 737 MAX sim prior to the airplane's recertification. Dickson said that he plans to make the trip this week in order to make an evaluation of software changes to the airplane's MCAS, which has been implicated in two accidents earlier this year leading to a worldwide grounding of the airliner. Dickson, a former airline pilot, will also meet with Boeing officials in Seattle. He said the FAA has no firm timeline for a retur

House Transportation Committee Passes 'Fair And Open Skies Act'

Would Prevent Foreign Air Carriers From 'Undermining' Labor Rights Or Standards

The House Transportation Committee has approved "The Fair and Open Skies Act", which is intended to "ensure that authorizations issued by the Secretary of Transportation to foreign air carriers do not undermine labor rights or standards."

Frisco, TX Builds Helipad For Uber Elevate

Hopes To Be One Of The First Locations For Testing The UAM Service

City officials in Frisco, TX say that a recently-completed heliport along the North Dallas Tollway will potentially be the first test site for Uber Elevate, an Urban Air Mobility plan being developed by the company.

NASA's Dragonfly Drone Will Fly Around Titan Looking For Origins, Signs Of Life

Mission Will Launch In 2026 And Arrive In 2034

NASA has announced that its next destination in the solar system is the unique, richly organic world Titan. Advancing the search for the building blocks of life, the nuclear-powered Dragonfly mission will fly multiple sorties to sample and examine sites around Saturn’s icy moon.

SNC Welcomes Janet Kavandi To Lead Space Programs

Former NASA Astronaut and Center Director Joins Space Innovator

Sierra Nevada Corporation has named former NASA astronaut and Glenn Research Center director Janet Kavandi as Senior vice president for the company’s Space Systems business area. After 25 years with NASA, Kavandi retired this month as director at Glenn, having led the center’s Moon to Mars work. She is joining SNC in a period of growth for the company’s space initiatives and two years before the first of six missions for SNC’s Dream Chaser spacecraft to service the International Space Station under contract with NASA.

Raytheon F-35 JPALS Can Be Set Up Anywhere In Less Than 90 Minutes

System Was Fully Operational In 70 Minutes In Field Tests

A Raytheon Company team recently conducted a rapid set up demonstration of a land-based expeditionary version of its Joint Precision Approach and Landing System to a group of global military officials at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD. JPALS is a GPS-based precision landing system that guides aircraft to precision landings in all weather and surface conditions.

UAV Navigation To Collaborate With Zanzottera

Will Allow For Control Of Engines Aboard Multiple Types Of Aircraft

UAV Navigation has announced a collaboration with Zanzottera, the Italian manufacturer of high performance engines for UAV platforms.

Textron Aviation's Citation Family Marks 50 Years Of Business Jet Innovation

Prototype Citation 500 First Flew In September 1969

Textron Aviation this month celebrates 50 years since the inaugural flight of the first Citation jet, the Cessna Citation 500. Today, the Citation family represents the most-popular line of business jets with more than 7,500 aircraft delivered worldwide amassing more than 35 million flight hours. These impressive machines are renowned for their ability to combine reliability, efficiency and comfort with advanced technology and class-leading performance.

Norway Aviators Complete Poseidon Training

U.S. Navy Patrol Squadron Helps With The Transition

Aircrew from the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) graduated from Patrol Squadron (VP) Thirty’s Category 2 school Sept. 11, becoming the first crew to transition from the P-3C Orion to the P-8A Poseidon.