A most interesting Russian Mil Mi-2 Hoplite stood out on the ramp at AirVenture ‘23, and ANN’s helo consultant Rex Alexander was on the case. To give him the rundown, Tom “Mach” Schnell gave him a heads-up on the aircraft’s mission.
Schnell is the Director of the Operator Performance Laboratory at the University of Iowa. His work there focuses on bringing enhanced vision systems into the cockpit, to give aviators the ability to see through any kind of IMC or nighttime conditions. LIDAR has come into play, too, allowing operators to easily perform instantaneous rangefinding and obstacle detection from afar.
All that info can be combined into a single feed to the operator, and displayed in the panel or on the helmet. Schnell loves his Hoplite, using it as a testbed for his work with the University and the FAA Technical Center. Schnell’s work as a professor gives lookie-loos an impressive amount of insight into his work - just a visit to the Operator Performance Laboratory shows a full 3D view of his hangar and its contents, with price sheets listed for those curious about the cost of operating an Mi-2 today. In the course of his studies and operations, Schnell finds it runs about $850 an hour for the vintage Soviet helicopter.
Aero-TV is a production of the Internationally syndicated Aero-News Network. Seen worldwide by hundreds of thousands of aviators and aviation adherents, ANN's Aero-TV has produced well over 5000 aviation and feature programs, including over 2500 episodes of our daily aviation news program, AIRBORNE UNLIMITED, currently hosted by Holland Lee. Now in its third decade of operation, parent company Aero-News Network, has the most aggressive and intensive editorial profile of any aviation news organization and has published well over a half-million news and feature stories since its inception -- having pioneered the online 24/7 aviation new-media model that so many have emulated.
While Flying North Along The Beach At About 300 Ft Above Ground Level, The Pilot Reported That The Engine RPM Dropped To About Idle On September 28, 2025, at 1126 eastern daylight >[...]
Aero Linx: European Association of Aviation Training and Educational Organisations (EATEO) Welcome to the “ European Association of Aviation Training and Education Organizati>[...]
On-Course Indication An indication on an instrument, which provides the pilot a visual means of determining that the aircraft is located on the centerline of a given navigational t>[...]
“It also gives us the hard data we need to shape requirements, reduce risk, and ensure the CCA program delivers combat capability on a pace and scale that keeps us ahead of t>[...]
Airborne-NextGen 11.04.25: Anduril YFQ-44A, Merlin SOI 2, UAV Rulemaking Stalled
See All