Rotrax 915iS, Massive Fowler Flaps, and Leading Edge Slats Make This A STOL Beast

During Jim Campbell’s recent escape to the MidWest LSA Expo, he managed to con SportAirUSA’s Bill Canino into a quick eval flight to get a feel for the Zlin Savage Norden STOL bird. While not the time or the place for a full-fledged flight test, the 35 minute flight turned out to be an exceptional event. Obviously; the beast is meant to be a STOL contender, up against the Carbon Cubs and Legends that have gone before. 

Kenyan Cargo Operator Astral Aviation to Cooperate on Autonomous C208 Usage in Sub-Saharan

Reliable Robotics and Kenya-based cargo operator Astral Aviation have announced their collaboration in using autonomous cargo aircraft throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Reliable Robotics has been hard at work seeking certification of its automated Cessna Caravan 208, making headway as they obtain approval for fully-autopiloted flights with a safety pilot at the helm. As they advance towards general certification, Reliable has begun laying the groundwork for international expansion into locales that could most benefit from their systems.

RescEU Fleet May Grow Sooner Than Expected After Blazing Summer Stretches EU Firefighting Capacity

The EU might be on track to establish its own dedicated firefighting fleet after a rough summer put fire readiness into harsh focus. European Union member states agreed to the plan after a series of wildfires exceeded their overall firefighting ability and quickly led to thousands of evacuations and billions in damage. Southern Euro countries are an expected hotspot, but 2022 saw the addition of uncontrollable blazes much further North, with Germany and the Czech Republic suffering under high temperatures and quickly advancing fire lines. The European Commission and EU ministers agreed to explore advanced purchase of firefighting equipped helico

New DIGAR Suite Improves Reception, Jamming Immunity for USAF Eagles

BAE's Digital GPS Anti-jam Receiver (DIGAR) has been selected to improve the F-15E with a more robust, resilient positioning system to better endure "challenging signal environments". The company announced a $13 million contract with the US Air Force that will see them provide their GPS tech for the F-15E fleet. BAE Systems' DIGAR is a GPS reciever that combines a few cutting-edge technologies like high-performance signal processing, modern antenna design and electronics, and the like.

From 2018 (YouTube Version): American Barnstormers Tour Storms Through AirVenture

From July 5-29, 2018, the 2018 American Barnstormers Tour undertook a 5-city, 5-state tour through MO, IA, SD, MN and WI. The 2018 American Barnstormers Tour exclusively featured 10 vintage Travel Air open cockpit biplanes. Five of the biplanes will function as static displays at each venue, with owners and restorers available to answer crowd questions. Five of the biplanes offered ride experiences to tour attendees.

Australian Logistics Issues Highlighted by Parked Dreamliners

Australian carrier Jetstar grounded several of its Boeing 787s after a handful of technical issues, from regular operational woes like bird strike damage, lighting strike, and FOD related issues left the aircraft awaiting replacement parts from the USA. "Unfortunately, our Boeing 787 fleet has been impacted by a number of issues, including a lightning strike, a bird strike, damage from an item on the runway and delays sourcing a specific spare part for one of our aircraft due to global supply chain challenges. The part has to be road freighted across the US," he said, placing a portion of the blame on the flagging supply chain as ripples of 2020 continue to be felt around the globe.

This Was The First Flight Since He Purchased The Airplane

On August 2, 2022, about 1030 eastern daylight time, a Smith Aerostar 600, N9784Q, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near South Haven Area Regional Airport (LWA), South Haven, Michigan. The air transport pilot and commercial pilot were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to a friend of the pilot, he spoke to the commercial pilot/owner on the morning of the accident. He said the commercial pilot purchased the airplane about five years ago and had been working on it since then.

AD 2022-18-01 Revises The Applicability By Adding Airplanes

The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2017-10-24, which applied to certain Airbus SAS Model A330-200 series airplanes, Model A330-200 Freighter series airplanes, and Model A330-300 series airplanes; AD 2018-23-14, which applied to certain Airbus SAS Model A330-200 series airplanes, Model A330-200 Freighter series airplanes, and Model A330-300 series airplanes; and AD 2021-05-12, which applied to certain Airbus SAS Model A330-200 Freighter series airplanes.

AD 2022-18-03 Prompted By Typographical Errors Found In Certain Document Numbers Specified In The Preamble...

The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2022-05-13, which applied to certain Honda Aircraft Company LLC (Honda) Model HA-420 airplanes. AD 2022-05-13 required incorporating temporary revisions into the airplane flight manual (AFM) and the quick reference handbook (QRH) that modify procedures for windshield heat operation until the affected windshield assemblies are replaced. This AD was prompted by typographical errors found in certain document numbers specified in the preamble and in certain paragraphs of the regulatory information in AD 2022-05-13. This AD retains all actions required by AD 2022-05-13 and corrects the incorre

Aero Linx: The Vietnam Helicopter Flight Crew Network (VHFCN) The Vietnam Helicopter Flight Crew Network (VHFCN) is a non profit veterans organization dedicated to the fulfillment of the following purposes: To provide a forum for recreational communications amongst a fraternity of aircrew members who served in Vietnam during the period 1961-75. Topics cover the entire spectrum from Vietnam to reunions and everything in between.

Landing Area Any locality either on land, water, or structures, including airports/heliports and intermediate landing fields, which is used, or intended to be used, for the landing and takeoff of aircraft whether or not facilities are provided for the shelter, servicing, or for receiving or discharging passengers or cargo.

"Powered by a Rotax 915iS, the bird offers spiffy performance due to nearly 150HP under the cowl, but the real news comes from the aerodynamic refinements lavished on the ZSN. Electrically operated leading edge slats and a massive set of fowler flaps are accompanied by beefy ailerons that are not treated like a poor step-child -- offering lots of response with a surprisingly low workload." Source: A few of the comments rendered by ANN Boss, Jim Campbell--who provides some of the most expert flight evals in the aero-verse--devoid of BS and amateur guesswork, while evaluating the new Zlin Savage Norden STOL flying machine. He seems to have liked it a great deal and we look forward to a full flight test in the future.