Wildfires, Beetles Endanger Oldest Growth in the Country, Requiring Attentive Care

The US National Park Service isn't very accepting of drone operations throughout its purview, but once in a while even they see some use in the little tools, particularly where they can be used to assess the health of old growth forests without the hubbub of a crewed aircraft. Doodle Labs highlighted its work in networking a recent effort to scan, document, and assess the health of 'General Sherman', the world's largest living tree. A crew brought out a Firefly Astro Prime and one of the Labs' mesh networks to provide a C2 uplink as the drone checked the tree for beetle damage. 

Also: Starliner Launches, Boeing Loses Suit, AirVenture Gains Lancaster, AgEagle Sale

Starship’s 4th Flight test was an engineering and visual success... providing a visual feast along much of the 66 minute journey. Starship successfully lifted off at 7:50 a.m. CT from Starbase in Texas, and completed a full-duration ascent burn. The booster’s flight ended with a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. 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 was set to

Florida Air Museum Has New Attractions for Children Looking to Learn

Sheltair Aviation and the Aerospace Center for Excellence continued their ever-expanding portfolio of activities with the opening of the Jerry Holland Destination: Aviation Playground, offering a fun, engaging play environment for kids in Lakeland, Florida. The playground was opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by ACE president and CEO Gene Conrad, with remarks from Lisa Holland, President and CEO of Sheltair and daughter of Jerry Holland.

Prospect of an Autonomous Hercules Fast-Tracks Funding in Hopes of Quick Breakthrough

Merlin, hot off a few test flights aboard some KC-135s, has gotten a $105 million production contract to automate the C-130J. The contract was granted under an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract by the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) to lay the groundwork for a "production-ready reduced aircrew capability" using their favorite fixed-wing aircraft, the C-130J Super Hercules. Merlin notes that its previous partnership with the Air Force from 2022 included multiple phases in a similar vein, even including design integration for the C-130J, testing, flight testing, full takeoff & landing demos, maturation of autonomy skills,

First Non-Conforming Aircraft Coming Along Nicely Down in Brazil

Eve Air Mobility showed off the process of building its first full-size eVTOL prototype, getting a little attention boost while giving out some visual proof of their advancement. “From the beginning, we’ve made strategic choices in the design and configuration of our eVTOL to be able to accomplish a variety of urban mobility missions in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible, with a high safety level and reduced impact in the communities where it will be operated. Higher dispatch reliability equals more flights per day, an important factor for our customers and their business model.” said Luiz Valentini, chief technology officer at Eve Air Mobili

Expanded Services Address Customer Service Shortcomings Down Under

A 2020 purchase of Premiair Aviation Maintenance is now bearing fruit, with Textron Aviation announcing a name change to embody its primary Australian presence. After 4 years of digestion, the firm has finished integrating the Premiair brand into their company, and will now emblazon their Australian assets as Textron Aviation Australia Pty Limited. Now, Premiair's facilities in Perth, Gold Coast, and Melbourne will be prominent nodes in Textron Aviation's comprehensive global service network. 

New Sensors, New Comms, Updated IFF, and Some New Ordnance Round Out the Upgrade List

NH Industries and the NATO Helicopter Management Agency (NAHEMA) have signed a contract to begin development of an NH90 Block 1 upgrade for the pan-European combat helicopter. NAMEA began the upgrade as a part of the expected NH90 roadmap, expecting to add some extra capabilities for both the Tactical Transport Helicopter (TTH) variant, in use by land-based forces, and its navalized sister, the NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH). The first phase of the program will run about €600 million in all, and will include an upgrade to the NH90's comms suite.

Summer Travel Season Means More Incidents

Passengers who disrupt airline flights can be a danger to flight crew members as well as other passengers and may also jeopardize flight safety. The FAA is very concerned about these types of incidents and several years ago began making passengers who exhibit bad behavior pay for their lack of self-discipline. Incidents of airline passengers disrupting flights have been a chronic problem for several decades but the resumption of travel volume in the months following the pandemic restrictions saw a nearly 6-fold increase with 5,973 incidents in 2021.

Also: Starliner Launches, Boeing Loses Suit, AirVenture Gains Lancaster, AgEagle Sale

Starship’s 4th Flight test was an engineering and visual success... providing a visual feast along much of the 66 minute journey. Starship successfully lifted off at 7:50 a.m. CT from Starbase in Texas, and completed a full-duration ascent burn. The booster’s flight ended with a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. 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 was set to jump o

Klyde Wants NOTHING To Do With The Red Shirt...

FMI: www.klydemorris.com

Able To Briefly Restart The Engine For Several Seconds After Several Attempts, But It Lost Power (A)gain

Analysis: Shortly after takeoff during a personal flight, the pilot of the experimental amateur-built airplane reported that the engine lost all power suddenly. He was able to briefly restart the engine for several seconds after several attempts, but it lost power gain. He maneuvered for a forced landing to nearby field and the airplane’s wings and fuselage were substantially damaged during the subsequent landing. Postaccident examination of the engine’s ignition system revealed the power supply electrical wire from the distributor to the ignition module was separated at the connection at the distributor. Furth

From 2019 (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. The goal of the tour was to extend fellowship, to bridge a gap between the modern-day and aviation history, to allow folks immersive flight experie

Aero Linx: FAI International Skydiving Commission (ISC)

The objectives of the ISC Technical and Safety Committee are: To co-ordinate FAI Member countries’ activities to further the development of the technical and safety aspects of parachuting throughout the world. To promote international standards and medical requirements for sport parachuting. To assemble, analyse and disseminate such information and statistics on parachuting activities in the FAI Member’s countries as can contribute to the improvement of equipment, training methods and to parachuting safety. To provide a forum for the exchange of inf

Ferry Flight A flight for the purpose of: Returning an aircraft to base. Delivering an aircraft from one location to another. Moving an aircraft to and from a maintenance base. Ferry flights, under certain conditions, may be conducted under terms of a special flight permit. 

“The contract award marks a milestone in the collaboration between USSOCOM and Merlin, accelerating our ability to bring high levels of autonomy to a variety of fixed wing platforms to support the warfighter. In addition, the magnitude of the contract is an important proof point that USSOCOM continues to bring innovative capabilities out of testing and into production track programs. The forward-thinking approach to autonomy that USSOCOM has shown throughout the process of vetting Merlin for award is essential to a scalable industry and safe future. We look forward to expanding our partnership with this team as we continue to deliver operationally relevant capabilities.” Source: Matt George, co-founder and CEO, Merlin, followin