Also: MCAS Cherry Point Air Show, Dauntless Air, Astro Doug Hurley Retires, Epic E1000 GX

ANN had received an invite from Waco Aircraft to visit their new HQ in Battle Creek, MI, where they have made serious upgrades and improvements to what had always been a cool little airplane company.

New facilities, upgraded capabilities and a very slick new FBO (with enough ramp space for a few Boeings) are but the tip of the iceberg as we toured the production facilities for the Waco YMF-5 classic radial engined biplane and the more conventionally powered Great Lakes 2T-1A-2  -- a favorite  for aerobatic trainers. One major addition to the mix is an intriguing project, called the Waco Kitchen... a very upscale airport restaurant, overlooking the humongous ramp and with visual access to much of the production facility. Blue Origin has confirmed that Oliver DAY-MIN Daemen will be the first paying customer to fly on board New Shepard, marking the beginning of commercial operations for the program. He will join Jeff Bezos, Mark Bezos, and Wally Funk aboard the first human flight on July 20. At 18-years-old and 82-years-young, Oliver Daemen and Wally Funk represent the youngest and oldest astronauts to travel to space. The Stratos 716X, an experimental, kit-built version of the upcoming FAR Part 23/EASA CS 23 certified Stratos 716, will be making its first public appearance at EAA AirVenture 2021. The 1,500 nautical mile range 716 gets its name from its 0.7 Mach/402 knot cruise speed, single turbofan engine and six-seat cabin. It will cruise at 41,000 ft. The Stratos experimental 716X is a steppingstone to the Stratos certified 716. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!

Airborne 07.19.21 is chock full of info in this Daily News Episode, Monday, July 19th, 2021... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Host Kimberly Kay. Kimberly is supported by ANN Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, as well as ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell. This episode covers:

WACO Has Its Eyes On The Future of GA 
First Paying Customer on New Shepard Will Be the Youngest to Fly to Space
Stratos 716 Prototype Ready To Make AirVenture Debut
MCAS Cherry Point Air Show To Feature Blue Angels
Dauntless Air Enters 2021 Wildfire Season with Expanded Fleet of 15 Fire Bosses
Demo 1 Spacecraft Commander, Doug Hurley, Retires
Epic Aircraft Receives FAA OK For The E1000 GX

Get Comprehensive, Real-Time, 24/7 coverage of the latest aviation and aerospace stories anytime, at aero-news.net. And be sure to join us again tomorrow, for the next edition of "Airborne Unlimited" here on Aero-TV. Thanks for watching. See you, again, tomorrow!

© 2021, Aero-News Network, Inc., ALL Rights Reserved.

FMI: www.airbornetv.net, www.aero-news.net, www.aero-tv.net, www.youtube.com/aerotvnetwork, https://vimeo.com/aerotvnetwork, http://twitter.com/AeroNews