A Visit To Battle Creek Turns Up Some Surprises

The Aero-News advance crew is now in Oshkosh... and thanking the good Lord that two Oshkosh winters did no discernible damage to our headquarters building located next tot he the EAA Press Building. The trip was a tough one... a fairly over-loaded van, and LOTS of rain enroute made for tough slogging and oft-repeated wishes for an airplane with real cargo capacity. Still... we made it... but it was one of the last stops on the journey that made the whole trip quite an adventure. ANN had received an invite from Waco Aircraft to visit their new HQ in Battle Creek, MI, where they have made serious upgrades and improvements to what had always been a cool little airplane company.

Also: AEA Avionics Prize, Boeing 2Q/21, Sporty’s Pilot Training Platform, RCAF Foundation

JetPack Aviation has completed flight testing with the first prototype – P1 – of its Speeder jet powered, VTOL mobility platform. Trials concluded successfully in May. Flight testing began in December 2020, with two-axis tethers securing the platform, progressing through a single-axis tether and culminating in the aircraft flying with just a safety tether connection. The program achieved a series of test points aimed at proving the engine gimbal and articulated exhaust nozzle systems, as well as the flight controller. The first production Flight

No Longer Just Associated With Large Aircraft, Beringer Scales Down Important Tech For GA

We were kinda blown away by some of the cool stuff we saw at Lakeland this year... and then we got to Beringer Aero and saw something we haven’t seen before... for GA. Beringer Aero’s new SensAIR system connects to a mobile app on your smartphone that reads pressure and temperature sensors on your BERINGER rim. The SensAIR system communicates data to the wireless app with a single code per wheel so there is no mistaking which tire is sending the info.

Diamond Lil Will Also Participate In The CAF Wings Over Dallas WWII Airshow

In June, the B-29/B-24 Squadron leader Archie Taylor announced that the CAF’s B-24 Diamond Lil "was ready to roll and ride." Crediting the dedicated maintenance team and several donors and sponsors that supported the very rare and oldest flying Liberator while she underwent an extensive project keeping her from touring for about a year and a half. Contracted to be built for France in 1940 and later redirected to Great Britain as AM927, this Liberator was the 25th (Serial number 18) built out of a total of 18,482 B-24s.

OK... Let's See If Boeing Can Get It Right This Time

NASA's Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch at 2:53 p.m. EDT Friday, July 30, OFT-2 is the second uncrewed flight for Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program -- necessitated by a number of mis-steps and failures on the original test flight. Starliner will launch on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. About 31 minutes after launch, Starliner will reach its preliminary orbit. It is scheduled to dock to the space station at 3:06 p.m. Saturday, July 31.

This Year Marks The 19th Annual Edition Of The AEA Pilot's Guide

One of the Oshkosh's best freebies will return to Wittman Field next week! Published annually by the Aircraft Electronics Association, the 2021-22 edition of the AEA Pilot's Guide will be unveiled with free distribution at the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture Oshkosh in Wisconsin, July 26 through Aug. 1. AEA staff members will distribute thousands of complimentary copies to pilots and aircraft owners at the AEA's AirVenture booth, No. 2035/2036 in Hangar B at Wittman Regional Airport.

Course 'Now Set' for Restart of Airline Operations

Capt. Pierre Lessard, chair of the Master Executive Council (MEC) for the Air Transat pilots, released the following statement acknowledging the ratification of their latest letter of understanding (LOU) with the Company. “We are happy our pilot membership has voted overwhelmingly in favor of this new agreement with the Company. LOU 29, approved by 87 percent of those who voted, means over 470 pilots are finally able to get back to work after 16 months of being grounded.

Saracini Enhanced Aviation Act of 2021 Is Named In Honor Of 9/11 Victim Capt. Victor Saracini

The Allied Pilots Association (APA), representing the 15,000 pilots of American Airlines, has urged lawmakers to include the Saracini Enhanced Aviation Act of 2021 (H.R. 911) in the infrastructure legislation Congress is now considering. “The White House and Congress affirmed commercial aviation’s status as critical infrastructure through the much-needed federal support our industry received during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Capt. Eric Ferguson, President of the Allied Pilots Association. “We will always be grateful for that support..."

The Airplane Entered A Right Descending 270° Turn From About 2,100 Ft MSL

On June 1, 2021, about 1720 eastern daylight time, a Beech A23, N8780M, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Pinnacle, North Carolina. The student pilot was fatally injured and the flight instructor sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. A review of preliminary Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data revealed that the flight departed runway 22 at Smith Reynolds Airport (INT), Winston Salem, North Carolina about 1641. The airplane made a right turn and tracked northwest, then east, performing a series of turns, climbs, and descents, consiste

Aero Linx: The Seaplane Pilots Association The Seaplane Pilots Association is the only organization in the world solely focused on representing the interests of seaplane pilots, owners and operators. SPA is dedicated to promoting safe seaplane operations, and to protecting the sharing of our nation’s waterways with other user groups. SPA staff, field directors and members work across the nation to ensure fair access for seaplanes through positive environmental stewardship and proactive cooperative relationships. We work with pilots, the public, and local, state and federal regulatory agencies and governing bodies to provide insight and facts about safe and responsible seaplane operations so tha

Computer Navigation Fix (CNF) A Computer Navigation Fix is a point defined by a latitude/longitude coordinate and is required to support Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) operations. A five-letter identifier denoting a CNF can be found next to an “x” on en route charts and on some approach charts. Eventually, all CNFs will be labeled and begin with the letters “CF” followed by three consonants (e.g., ‘CFWBG’). CNFs are not recognized by ATC, are not contained in ATC fix or automation databases, and are not used for ATC purposes. Pilots should not use CNFs for point-to-point navigation (e.g., proceed direct), filing a flight plan, or in aircraft/ATC comm

“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, global travel restrictions, and an extended negotiation between the government and our employer to secure much-needed assistance, this latest development is a positive sign for our members, and all Canadians, that a return to normalcy is closer than it has been since the beginning of the pandemic." Source: Capt. Pierre Lessard, chair of the Master Executive Council (MEC) for the Air Transat pilots, in part of a statement acknowledging the ratification of their latest letter of understanding (LOU) with the Company.