EVA Creates New Chunk of Space Debris

The ISS crew’s latest spacewalk was marred with some embarrassment after one of the team’s untethered tool bags separated from the crew and lost into a decaying orbit below. The spacewalk was hoped to be a nice public relations opportunity, making use of an all-female crew for the November 1st EVA-89 repair mission. While astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara were exiting the ISS to begin their work, the bag of tools slipped out into the cold reaches of space.

Northrop Grumman’s Next-Gen Flying Wing Continues Development

Nearly a year after its original unveiling last December, the B-21 Raider was spied making its first flight test, exciting aviation enthusiasts with the long-running B-2 Spirit’s successor. Despite the futuristic and utilitarian design of flying wings, they remain a niche aircraft type, only really in service with the US Air Force in the B-2. As such, the excitement was unsurprising when Northrop Grumman showed off the slippery, flat form of the Raider to throngs of onlookers.

Skywagon Redux Gains 3 and 4-Blade Options

Bushliner's Cyclone 1850 can now be had with 3 and 4-blade MT propeller products, with and without reversing capabilities. The new kit should add yet another dash of capability to an already capable aircraft, itself a spiritual successor, homage, or even replica of the venerable Cessna 185. Bushliner is careful to say their plane is a "completely new aircraft closely resembling the legacy Skywagon 185" and leave it at that. But owners and operators see a nifty amount of overlap in parts that fit their new Cyclones. 

65th and 66th Martian Flights Made Back-to-Back

NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter made a pair of flights in preparation for a coming span where it will remain out of comms with home base. Flight number 65 on November 2nd saw the little helo take a 48-second jaunt for 23 feet, followed the next day by a 23 second flight of 2 feet. The flights, according to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, prepared the Mars Helicopter for the upcoming Mars Solar conjunction, when mission teams will put a moratorium on all remote commands for a 2-week period.”

Fast-Growing Flight School Adds Sim Cabin to DA20 Fleet

AYJET Flight School reinforced its relationship with Diamond Aircraft with the purchase of a DA42 FNPT II flight sim, making the purchase at the European Flight Training Event (EATS) in Cascais, Portugal. The new FSTD will supplement AYJET’s collection of Diamond Aircraft already in service. Currently, they operate 18 single engine DA20s and 5 DA42s. Another 8 DA20s are on their way, which will swell the fleet to 26 in all post-delivery.

Testing with 4th Fleet Kicks Off Naval Testing for ISR-T Aircraft

The march of history continues with trials for AeroVironment's uncrewed JUMP 20 system aboard the USS Burlington, testing out its ability to launch and recover from a moving ship. The test flights were able to showcase the JUMP 20's capabilities throughout the US Navy's Southern Command/4th Fleet Hybrid Campaign Event, providing some nifty media exposure and proof of concept for the company. The Burlington proved an adequate platform for the UAV, proving that the AeroVironment aircraft could autonomously launch and recover aboard vessels moving at a 20-knot clip.

As Capitol Hill Looks at Runway Safety, Everyone Joins the Game

The National Business Aviation Association announced a new, dedicated NBAA working group to prevent future incidents around airports and runways, building on momentum from recent testimonials to Senators. NBAA head Ed Bolen made use of his testimony to the Senate Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation to announce the change.

Klyde Can't Handle The Boeing Nightmare...

FMI: www.klydemorris.com

Local PDs Cotton to UAVs as Capabilities Improve

The nascent boom in small town law enforcement operations adopting drones as first responders continues, with Montgomery County Maryland as the newest addition to the club. After a unanimous approval vote, the MCPD will kickstart its “Drone As First Responder pilot program, which will acquire a pair of drones to pre-screen and scout out calls before human officers arrive on the scene. The drones offer a quick, cheap way to check for threats, to gauge the level of response needed, or even reassure callers that help is indeed on the way.

Witness Observed The Airplane As It Cleared A Group Of Trees By About 20 Ft While It Continued Its Left Turn

On October 20, 2023, about 1801 Pacific daylight time, a Beechcraft A36, N8248K, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Covelo, California. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to a witness, the airplane lifted off the runway surface near the departure end of runway 28 at Round Valley Airport (O09), Covelo, California. The airplane began a left turn towards the northwest in a nose high attitude before it disappeared from the witness’ view.

From NBAA 2019: Patriots Jet Team Offers Upset Recovery Training In A Sabreliner

We've all practiced unusual attitudes during primary flight training, and then may have never strayed beyond straight-and-level. But it's very important to know what to do when you suddenly find yourself upside down in any airplane, let alone a business jet. To that end, the Patriots Jet Team is now offering Upset Recovery training using both a North American Sabreliner and an Aero L-39, both of which have been used as military trainers. At NBAA-BACE 2019, Aero-News Editor-in-Chief Jim Campbell chatted with Randy

Aero Linx: The Australian Parachute Federation (APF) The Australian Parachute Federation (APF) is the peak body for the administration, regulation and representation of Australian Sport Parachuting. This is achieved by promoting skydiving and maintaining a high level of safety and by improving the standard of Sport Parachuting to encourage participation and excellence in performance. The APF is the organisation which controls skydiving and parachuting at most civilian operations in Australia. With the approval of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) it sets the standards of operation, conducts competitions, issues licenses, certifications and instructor ratings, co

Estimated (EST) When used in NOTAMs “EST” is a contraction that is used by the issuing authority only when the condition is expected to return to service prior to the expiration time. Using “EST” lets the user know that this NOTAM has the possibility of returning to service earlier than the expiration time. Any NOTAM which includes an “EST” will be auto-expired at the designated expiration time. 

“Flight testing is a critical step in the test campaign managed by the Air Force Test Center and 412th Test Wing’s B-21 Combined Test Force to provide survivable, long-range, penetrating strike capabilities to deter aggression and strategic attacks against the United States, allies, and partners.” Source: Air Force mouthpiece Ann Stefanek, in a statement that confirmed the start of the B-21 Raider’s flight testing.