80 Years On... A Skytrain Lumbers Overhead Again

A handful of congressional Republican vets took a leap from a vintage C-47 Skytrain in Florida, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the beach landings on D-Day. A team of House Republicans is set to jump out of a C-47 Skytrain in commemoration of D-Day's 80th Anniversary, joined by a delegation to Normandy, France. The team completed a practice jump last April, getting current and consistent ahead of the big day. At the time, it raised some eyebrows since their side of the aisle only had a single-vote majority, and they could scarcely afford to lose one of their own should the jump go awry. 

Deliveries Could be Key to Cleanup Around Base Camps

DJI has shown off some of its mountaineering prowess again, making the first delivery tests on Mount Everest for some serious bragging rights. The company joined hands with Nepalese drone specialist Airlift to complete their trials, making use of the infamously brutal climate in order to show off its FlyCart 30. The little drone is able to haul 33 lbs of payload at a time even at altitude near the mountain. The FlyCart was able to haul a trio of oxygen bottles and 1.5 kilos of other supplies from the Everest Base Camp at 5,300 feet, all the way up to Camp 1 at 6,000 feet. The trip marks a first for the industry, being the first time drones were able to brave the harsh environment to make a succe

Amid Acrimonious Contract Negotiations, NetJets Says Ads hit Too Hard

NetJets Aviation sprung a surprise lawsuit on their pilot union, the JetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots, alleging that the group's fairly public statements over the last year defamed the company. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that the Union has defamed the company in its statements regarding safety, maintenance, and pilot training concerts stretching back nearly a year in total.

At Last, Boeing's Competitor Strikes True in Race to the Top

The United Launch Alliance was proud to announce the successful liftoff of an Atlas V carrying Boeing's CST-100 Starliner out of Space Launch Complex-41 (SLC-41) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The new launch carries NASA Astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams, marking what the Alliance refers to as "the return of human spaceflight to Cape Canaveral" while continuing a storied Atlas legacy.

The Project Looks Promising Enough for Procurement Already, but the Order isn't Firm Yet

XTI Aerospace announced that Mesa Airlines has placed an investment-cum-order into their company with an order for 100 TriFan 600 aircraft, a design they call a "fixed-wing, vertical lift crossover airplane" (VLCA) now in development. Should all the stipulations be met, the order could hit a value of $1 billion in revenue for XTI Aerospace. Along with the order, Mesa Airlines has become an investor with warrants and a minority stake in common stock shares. It's more or less a first for the smaller air carrier, who's calling the shot before the crack of the bat: The VLCA should be a winner. Jonathan Ornstein, chairman and chief executive officer of Mesa Air Gro

Also: VA Scholarships, Certification Standards, 'Staff the Towers', Women in Aviation Advisory

In partnership with Revv Aviation and the Eastern Iowa Airport (CID), Coe College is opening a new flight school and aviation management program. Those interested in becoming a professional pilot can complete their certification while enrolled as students within Coe's new aviation management concentration. Just as they got themselves a new contract, things spiraled out of control as the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots claimed, "Managers use intimidation, aggressive interrogation tactics to silence the Union's voice." Scarcely a few weeks passed si

Funky SAF Alternative Gets Vote of Confidence from Swiss Manufacturer

Pilatus and Synhelion have announced a partnership aimed at scaling up the use of solar fuels in aviation. Pilatus will lead by example, using Synhelion's fuels in its own operations, and offer them to customers in similar fashion. To that end, Pilatus even became a shareholder in Synhelion, a brand spun off of ETH Zurich in 2016. Synhelion is tackling the fuel issue from a different direction, building an "industrial solar fuel production plant" in Germany as a pilot plant, with a commercial one planned for Spain in 2025. They're understandably cagey about the specifics, given the amount of money spent researching the process, but the basic system coalesces solar rays on a sing

From 2016 (YouTube Version): A VW Bug Engine Conversion Has Matured Into an Engine for the Airplane Homebuilder…

While at EAA AirVenture 2016, ANN News Editor, Tom Patton, visited with the folks at RevMaster and talked with Ralph Maloof, who is an aeronautical engineer and inventor. The first thing we find out in this interview is that the RevMaster engine is based on the Volkswagen Bug engine, but it is not simply a Volkswagen engine with slight modifications to make it fit in an airplane. Maloof says it has been modified to the

Large Heavy-Duty Deer Feed Bag Obstructed The Radiator Inlet And Restricted Its Designed Cooling Capability

Analysis: Before departing on the local area flight in the experimental powered parachute, the pilot installed a large heavy-duty deer feed bag that partially covered the radiator. He was concerned that the experimental engine would run “too cold” during the flight unless the radiator was partially covered.The powered parachute was flying about 400 ft above ground level when the pilot noticed that the engine overheat light illuminated. The pilot decided to continue flying. 

Aero Linx: Helicopter Association of Canada (HAC) Mandate: To promote a political and regulatory environment that will foster a prosperous Canadian Helicopter industry; To educate members, civil servants, and the general public about issues important to the industry; To promote the continued enhancement of flight safety; To develop expanded utilization of helicopter transport at all levels of Canadian life; and; To exchange maintenance practices and common issues among members;

Obstacle An existing object, object of natural growth, or terrain at a fixed geographical location or which may be expected at a fixed location within a prescribed area with reference to which vertical clearance is or must be provided during flight operation. 

"From the end of April, our team embarked on a groundbreaking endeavor to help make cleanup efforts on Everest safer and more efficient. We are thrilled to share that our DJI FlyCart 30 was up to the task. The ability to safely transport equipment, supplies, and waste by drone has the potential to revolutionize Everest mountaineering logistics, facilitate trash cleanup efforts, and improve safety for all involved." Source: Christina Zhang, Senior Corporate Strategy Director at DJI, in comments made as DJI conducted ops in the lofty neighborhood of Mt. Everest.