John “Lites” Leenhouts To Become Ambassador For Org

Enthusiasts throughout aviation may have noted the change over the last decade in the longtime summer getaway SUN n' FUN. Each year, it's seen improvements all around to the point of becoming one of the top contenders for the best aerospace expo around. Instrumental to its transformation and expansion has been CEO John "Lites" Leenhouts, President and CEO of Sun n' Fun. While under his leadership, the organization saw growth and security, building a foundation that could thrive even in the locked-down 2020 economy. His 11-year tenure as CEO will come to an end after Sun n' Fun 2022, with Lites retiring from his presidential role and transitioning to an ambassadorial one to promote the

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Embraer announced its new family of sustainable concept aircraft as it seeks to prepare for industry, world, and company goals of decreasing carbon emissions.The move will help set the stage for Embraer’s target of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The first, ready by 2030, is the Energia Hybrid E9-HE, a 9-seater aircraft with hybrid electric propulsion, rear-mounted engines, and a 90% CO2 emissions reduction. The second, ready by 2035, is its battery powered sibling, the Energia Electric E9-FE. The 9-seat FE will emit zero CO2 emissions and be

The 5th Generation Checkmate Revealed

Russian state manufacturer Rostec has unveiled its new unmanned fighter, currently called the Checkmate, at the Dubai Airshow. The introduction was made in a short trailer featuring a gravelly narrator promising technology to "turn the board over", and scenes of cinematic CGI shots of the fighter taking off and cruising. The Sukhoi Checkmate has been billed as a 5th generation light tactical aircraft, the first of its kind in Russia, though commentators argue its size pushes it closer to the medium role, being only marginally smaller than the full size Su-57 Felon. With all the makings of a single engine, low visibility, low cost aircraft, the unmanned aircraft could be the start of a new branch in the Sukhoi

VRT500 Helicopter Dealer Creates Foothold in Scandinavia

Aeroter has signed an exclusive 5-year distribution agreement with Savback Helicopters AB granting sales of its VRT500 single-engine helicopter. From its Swedish headquarters, Savback will manage the sales representation for Norway, Denmark, and Finland. The co-axial VRT500 is the largest of Singapore-based Aeroter's offerings, a light weight, 5-seat helicopter offered in 8 different configurations. From air taxi, EMS, public safety, cargo, corporate, business, or passenger use, Savback sees a ripe market in Europe. Aeroter hopes this will be a foothold into the region, with CEO Alexander Okhonko announcing their aim of securing "a 10% share of the global rotorcraft market for single tu

Wolverine Gets a Win With the Royal Thai Air Force

Thailand has become the first foreign customer for the Beechcraft AT-6 light-attack aircraft, saving face for the aircraft in its continuing duel with Embraer's competing Super Tucano. An affordable, lightweight, and reliable aircraft, the AT-6TH will work as a multirole workhorse for the Royal Thai Air Force. The deal for 8 of the aircraft, with ground support equipment, spare parts, training, and other accessories. The purchase will replace their increasingly antiquated L-39 Albatros aircraft in service, offering improved capability, performance, and force integration at an affordable hourly cost. 

Volaris, JetSmart, Frontier, and Wizz to Receive New Aircraft

As the dust settles from the 2021 Dubai Airshow, the biggest winners take stock of their gains as they count the orders and ready the production lines. Airbus came away with an impressive sale of 255 additional A321neo Aircraft to a joint Indigo Partners agreement. The firm order will send aircraft to: Wizz Air of Hungary, America's Frontier, Volaris of Mexico, and JetSMART of Chile and Argentina. The order is an addition to Indigo Partners' extensive collection of A320 family aircraft, bringing their total to 1,145. The order will be mixed between A321neos and A321XLR's, and includes the provision to upconvert 38 A320neos to A321neo standards from outstanding orders. 

We Were Blown Away At How Well The Nosewheel Was Adapted To The X Cub Airframe

It should not be a secret to any one of you, that with thousands of hours of taildragger time, and only a few real scares in the process, does the thought of putting a nose wheel on a cub was anathema -- and potentially a deadly sin. That is... Until I flew the CubCrafters NX Cub. The CubCrafters folks are one of the most accomplished artisans in the Cub World, which is saying a lot,  because the art and craft of building, rebuilding, and perfecting the Cub for the 21st century has become an almost religious pursuit among many. CubCrafters, in understand

"GPS IIIF Satellites Will Add New Capabilities And Advanced Technology To The GPS Constellation..."

The U.S. Space Force exercised its second contract option valued at approximately $737 million for the procurement of three additional GPS III Follow On (GPS IIIF) space vehicles (SVs) from Lockheed Martin on October 22, 2021. This contract option is for GPS IIIF space vehicles 15, 16 and 17 (SV15-17). GPS IIIF satellites build off the design of Lockheed Martin's next generation GPS III satellites (SV 01-10), which reportedly provide three times greater accuracy, up to eight times improved anti-jamming capability and increased resiliency, in addition to modernization, compared to legacy GPS satellites in today's constellation. GPS III also adds a ne

The Controller Advised PKW887 To “Squawk VFR” And No Further Communications Were Received

On October 5, 2021, at 0544 eastern daylight time, a Dassault Fanjet Falcon airplane, N283SA, as destroyed when it was involved in an accident near the Thomson-McDuffie County Airport (HQU), Thomson, Georgia. The captain and first officer were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as Pak West Airlines Flight 887 dba Sierra West Airlines, as an on-demand cargo flight under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. According to operator records, the flight crew initiated the first flight of the night at 2132 mountain daylight time from their home base of El Paso International Airport (ELP), El Paso, Texas to Lubbock Prest

AD 2021-18-17 Adds A New Requirement To Update The Version Of The FCC OPS If Necessary

The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2012-21-08, which applied to certain The Boeing Company Model 737-600, -700, -700C, -800, and -900 series airplanes. AD 2012-21-08 required inspecting for part numbers of the operational program software (OPS) of the flight control computers (FCCs) and installing and testing an updated version of the FCC OPS. This AD was prompted by reports that during autopilot coupled instrument landing system (ILS) approaches, the airplane did not capture or track the glideslope correctly. This AD retains the requirement to inspect for part numbers of the OPS of the FCCs, and adds a new requirement to update the version of t

Aero Linx: Airlines For Europe Nearly every corner of Europe can nowadays be reached by a flight of less than four hours. The industry is an economic enabler, supporting investment, tourism, trade and job creation, including in remote and peripheral regions of Europe. Overall, aviation directly and indirectly supports an estimated 9.4 million jobs and contributes €624 billion (4%) to EU GDP. Recognizing the transformation of the airline industry and the considerable challenges it faces in Europe, the CEOs of Air France-KLM, easyJet, IAG, Lufthansa Group and Ryanair came together in 2015, uniting beyond traditionally perceived divides between legacy and low-cost carriers. In an unprecedented way,

Remote Communications Outlet (RCO) An unmanned communications facility remotely controlled by air traffic personnel. RCOs serve FSSs. Remote Transmitter/Receivers (RTR) serve terminal ATC facilities. An RCO or RTR may be UHF or VHF and will extend the communication range of the air traffic facility. There are several classes of RCOs and RTRs. The class is determined by the number of transmitters or receivers. Classes A through G are used primarily for air/ground purposes. RCO and RTR class O facilities are nonprotected outlets subject to undetected and prolonged outages. RCO (O’s) and RTR (O’s) were established for the express purpose of providing ground-to-ground communications between a

“Can-do spirit and total team effort on the part of Board, Staff, and Volunteers… it has truly been an honor to serve alongside them in our adventurous journey for this noble cause. Of all the wonderful accomplishments that I have been privileged to be a part of while here, the most rewarding experience has been observing average kids populating our ACE/SNF campus and over a very short period of time evolving into competent, capable, and focused young men and women who have become good citizens with bright futures.”  Source: Sun 'n Fun Boss, John 'Lites' Leenhouts, in remarks posted as he announced his upcoming retirement in mid-2022.