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October 19, 2021

Airborne 10.18.21: MAX Pilot Indicted, Delta v Vax, Virgin Delays-Again

Also: Canada Limits 5G, Sonaca 200 Selected, Alaskan Aviation Safety, Bell Autonomous Pod Transport

A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Texas returned an indictment charging a former Chief Technical Pilot for The Boeing Company with deceiving the FAA’s Aircraft Evaluation Group (AEG) in connection with their evaluation of the Boeing 737 MAX, as well as scheming to defraud Boeing’s U.S.-based airline customers to obtain tens of millions of dollars for Boeing. Mark A. Forkner, 49, former Chief Technical Pilot for Boeing, has been charged with two counts of fraud involving aircraft parts in interstate commerce and four counts of wire fraud. Delta Airlines Boss, Ed Bastian, has spoken about their lack of mandatory employee coronavirus vaccination. With other

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Bounty For Bonanza Ruddervator Skins Reaches New Heights

Half a Million Dollars Up for Grabs

The American Bonanza Society Air Safety Foundation (ABS/ASF) has increased its prize for the development and certification of parts vital to vintage V-Tail Bonanzas. The infamous ruddervator, now increasingly difficult to service and maintain, is a source of stress for operators keeping otherwise good birds running. The prize is good for $500,000 to the first enterprise that certifies and markets kits to replace the combination rudder/elevator skins on V-tail bonanzas, with the ASF requesting ABS members to match the amount for a $1 million total.

Alaskan Aviation Still Untamed

The NTSB has announced the search for information leading to a collision near Sutton, Alaska, that substantially damaged an aircraft while in flight, Alaska chief Clint Johnson said. A Cessna 180J (file photo, below) received wing damage, while its accident counterpart kept flying. “We don’t think there was any damage to the other plane, but we don’t know that because it kept going. This is an accident, and we’re trying to figure out what took place. We’d like to get both sides of the story, so we are actively looking for that airplane,” said Johnson. Investigators have found few leads, so far, after combing through available radio communications in the area. Stumped, they are

Misinformation Threatens the Future of Sport And General Aviation--We're Going To Do Something About It

“At the moment of truth, there are either reasons or results.” -- Brigadier General Chuck Yeager Greetings everyone… It's been a while since we reached out to you, frankly, because we've had our nose to the grindstone, and have been doing everything we need to do, to pull ourselves out from behind the monster that has been the pandemic. On the lesser side of things, it did disrupt business for us as well as the many untold numbers of companies and entrepreneurs throughout aviation, but on the far more critical side it has harmed or even killed a gr

Grouches In Charge Say City Ordinance Bans Landings, Takeoffs

Jeffrey Walker, owner of an 80-acre plot seemingly outside the metro area, has been charged with 5 misdemeanor counts for violating Afton (MN) city restrictions. The charges mark the latest in a long-running, recurrent fight between municipal city rules, tattling neighbors, and a local aviator. As far back as 2005, neighbors seeing small, light aircraft landing and taking off from the airstrip have reported the activity to the sheriff's office, lodging 9 visits to the site through 2007. The city cited Walker for a city ordinance prohibiting all aircraft takeoffs and landings outside of emergencies. The airstrip on his land appears to be in development from 2004 satellite photos, an

Streaming, Voice Chats Soon Available For Private Jet Co. Customers

As the rollout date for their newest 5G, high-speed network nears, Gogo Business Aviation has announced Jet Edge International to be the first customer in service. Already operating the Avance L5 connectivity system across its fleet of managed aircraft, Jet Edge will soon be the first to upgrade 50 of them to Gogo 5G over a 24-month period. “Choosing Gogo was an easy decision because of their proven track record of meeting their commitments and delivering the best inflight connectivity in the industry,” said Bill Papariella, CEO of Jet Edge.

Nat’l Av Hall of Fame Names 2021 ‘Teacher of the Year’

The Crossfield Award Began in 1986

The National Aviation Hall of Fame has announced that Caroline Little, a Space Foundation Teacher Liaison, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Fellow, NASA Wearable Equipment to Avert Radiation Mentor, and long time educator is the 2021 recipient of NAHF’s A. Scott Crossfield Educator of the Year. The Crossfield award began in 1986 by NAHF Enshrinee Scott Crossfield as a juried annual competition to recognize exemplary use of aerospace in their classroom. Crossfield’s career touched on aerospace testing, research, and pressurized suit design that later led to the space program’s work.

From 2017: Airplane Upgraded With 912iS Engine And More

Van's Aircraft has made several upgrades to its popular RV 12 model, starting forward of the firewall and continuing through much of the airplane. The most obvious of the changes is the installation of the Rotax 912iS engine. The new engine produces more torque which improves the climb rate and cruise. But Rian Johnson, Chief Engineer for Van's Aircraft, told ANN editor Tom Patton that the company has been listening to its customers for the past eight years, and put together a list of upgrades to make a better airplane. Among those, are improved stress limits and landing gear, which will be welcom

Swiss Aircraft Proved Popular at Just Concluded NBAA 2021

During the 2021 NBAA-BACE, Pilatus reported strong interest and order activity on its PC-24 Super Versatile Jet and their newest iteration of their PC-12 turboprop. While other sections of the aviation industry have rebounded slower than others, due to a combination of lowered passenger demand, higher regulation in border transit, supply chain disruptions, and economic sluggishness, Pilatus feels quite healthy. Pilatus Aircraft Ltd CEO Markus Bucher said, “Two years ago, we were unveiling the newly certified PC-12 NGX to an enthusiastic audience at this same location. Who could have predicted the events of the past 24 months? We are happy to be back here in the largest market for

Also: NBAA Leadership, ACJTwoTwenty, Alto Aviation, Phenom Sim

ION Aircraft, LLC, has found a buyer in Geode Capital Management, of La Jolla, California. Ion is the designer of the 120, a twin boom LSA, sporting a pusher layout, tandem seating and a glass panel. Throughout the development process, Ion pared down their intended offerings to the 100, the kit aircraft, and the 120, the factory-built aircraft meeting light sport requirements. The company’s small size made the transition from research, development, and design to production too hard to make without outside help. Geode Capital completed the purchase in September 2021. It would seem that

Accident Flight Was The First Flight After Completing An Annual Inspection Of The Airplane

On September 22, 2021, about 1926 Alaska daylight time, a Piper PA-14 airplane, N4276H, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Chickaloon, Alaska. Of the two occupants onboard, the first pilot sustained minor injuries, and the second pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the first pilot, the accident flight was the first flight after completing an annual inspection of the airplane. The first pilot, who was flying the airplane at the time of the accident, did not possess a current Federal Aviation Administration medical certificate, and the s

Aero Linx: FAI Awards FAI medals and diplomas aim at giving public recognition to those who have made outstanding contributions to aeronautics and astronautics, especially in the field of sporting aviation. They are awarded each year at the Opening Ceremony of the annual FAI General Conference. Many of the recipients honoured have had their names closely associated with the history and developments of aeronautics and astronautics.

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (10.19.21): On-Course Indication

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 track, or an indication on a radar scope that an aircraft is on a given track.

“We don’t think there was any damage to the other plane, but we don’t know that because it kept going. This is an accident, and we’re trying to figure out what took place. We’d like to get both sides of the story, so we are actively looking for that airplane...” Source: Alaska NTSB staffer, Clint Johnson, chatting about the search for information leading after a mid-air collision near Sutton, Alaska, that substantially damaged an aircraft while in flight. A Cessna 180J received wing damage, while its accident counterpart kept flying and has yet to be found.