First Flight Brings Autonomous Forward Sensing Aircraft Closer to Fruition

The successful first flight of a General Atomics XQ-67A aircraft has taken place, less than a year and a half since being publicly announced. It's solid headway for the program, though those not in the know can be forgiven for seeing the XQ-67A as a fighter or strike aircraft in the making. Instead, the unit is designed as part of the Air Force Research Lab's Low-Cost Attritable Aircraft Platform Sharing program, particularly the "Off-Board Sensing Station" project. The design is intended to spearhead its way into contested and dangerous environments, then hoover up information for crewed aircraft safely away from the frontlines.

SpaceX’s Rocket Highlights Cost-Effective Concept

The 22nd reuse of its Falcon 9 booster sets a new record and represents a significant advancement in making rocket launches routine and cost-effective. This specific first-stage booster was first launched in November 2020 and has been stalwart in achieving SpaceX’s multiple and reliable flights and landings. It has been utilized for a variety of missions including Starlink and GPS satellite deployments as well as resupply and crew rotation missions to the International Space Station.

Aircraft Experienced Exit Door Blowout Months After Original Purchase

Boeing and Alaska Airlines executed a formal buy-back transaction which will return the 737 Max involved in an explosive decompression in January 2024. The airline had taken delivery of the brand new plane three months prior in October 2023, and the incident led to a global grounding of all 737 Max aircraft. The mid-cabin door plug blew out shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, and forced the pilots to divert back to the same airport. Terms of the buy-back agreement were not revealed but in April, the airline said Boeing had agreed to pay it an initial compensation of $160 million.

Cockpit Enhancement for Experimental Aircraft

McKinney, Texas, -based Adventure Pilot recently announced the release of a new feature for its flagship product. The iFly EFB app will now be able to manage an autopilot system wirelessly via Bluetooth. The feature is currently available for Android devices and is designed exclusively for experimental aircraft. An iOS version is scheduled for release at a later date. The innovative feature gives pilots more control and flexibility during flight by connecting their iFly EFB app to the autopilot without the need for a cable. A Bluetooth to serial adapter is required and can be purchased separately. The adapter must be compatible with both the mobile device and autopilot, and enables direct com

Tim Tucker, Doug Steward Recognized for Instructional Work Throughout the Industry

The National Association of Flight Instructors added the latest bunch to its Hall of Fame, inducting Doug Stewart and Tim Tucker for their work in 'improving safety through instructional excellence.' NAFI's 2024 inductees will be honored for their 'significant contributions to instructor professionalism and improvement of pilot technique to further reduce the accident rate in general aviation' at the group's member breakfast during AirVenture later this month. Riding along with the induction announcement, NAFI highlighted the efforts of Stewart and Tucker in their quest to improve the quality of pilot education.

New Engine Finally Reaches Army Hands for Some Good Ol’ T&E

A pair of GE Aerospace's new T901-GE-900 engines have made their way into U.S. Army hands for testing, putting the next-generation powerplant to the test to gauge whether it works for overhaul and future aircraft. The units will be put to the test under the Improved Turbine Engine Program for the UH-60 Black Hawk, the bread and butter of Army air mobility. The T901 was the beating heart of Sikorsky's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) prototype, which helped to provide test data for future overhauls of the UH-60 and AH-64 Apache series.

UPDATE: Strike Ended Late Sunday Evening, June 30, and This Article Describes Earlier Developments

After putting a hold last week on its strike planned for June 22, the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) suddenly decided to proceed with the action on the evening of Friday, June 28, the start of the long, busy Canada Day weekend. The strike caught both WestJet and its passengers off guard, forcing the airline to cancel 150 flights scheduled for Saturday, June 29. The airline announced the cancellations at 2 am ET Saturday morning. The AMFA issued a second strike notice on June 27, causing the cancellation of about 25 flights affecting 3,300 passengers.

From 2017 (YouTube Version): Fun and Fantasy through Drone Technology…

Drones come in all shapes and sizes, and we’re finding out that their design purpose is almost limitless. In this video we find a series of small drones that are based on the Star Wars movie series. While at the Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas in January 2017, ANN CEO and Editor-In-Chief, Jim Campbell, talked with Jack Bishop, who is the Head Development Pilot for Propel RC. While these drones are obviously aimed at the market of fun and fantasy, the technology involved in their design and controllability is stunning. During the discussion Bishop goes into det

The Controller Asked The Pilot If They Were Still Inbound, With No Response

On June 10, 2024, about 1311 Eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N1039X, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Clinton, Michigan. The flight instructor was fatally injured, and the student pilot sustained serious injury. The airplane was operated by Solo Aviation Inc. as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. According to the operator, the purpose of the flight was for the instructor and student pilot to conduct initial flight training maneuvers, and it was their first time flying together. Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) data indicated that the airplane departed from Ann Arbor

Aero Linx: Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum Welcome to the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, a place for aspiring innovators, builders, explorers and anyone in between to immerse themselves in the discovery of flight and space exploration. As we ascend into our 25th year, we’re on a mission to provide innovative and interactive experiences inspired by the past to imagine the limitless possibilities for the future. From larger-than-life exhibits and aircraft collections to exciting, hands-on STEM camp experiences, join us on a journey into the sky and beyond.

Airspace Hierarchy Within the airspace classes, there is a hierarchy and, in the event of an overlap of airspace: Class A preempts Class B, Class B preempts Class C, Class C preempts Class D, Class D preempts Class E, and Class E preempts Class G.

“The CCA program redefines the future of aviation and will shape the USAF acquisition model to deliver affordable combat mass to the warfighter at the speed of relevancy...” 

Source: Mike Atwood, Vice President of Advanced Programs for GA-ASI, discussing the successful first flight of a General Atomics XQ-67A aircraft has taken place, less than a year and a half since being publicly announced.