Also: Intuitive Machines, Another UAV-Related NPRM, Drone Soccer Tourney, UltraViolet EXplorer Mission
Flight operations personnel from Pyka and AFWERX gathered on the tarmac at New Braunfels National Airport to witness the arrival of Pyka's Pelican Cargo, a large-scale autonomous electric cargo aircraft with a 400-pound payload capacity and 200-mile range, built for remote off-airport operations. The FAI has confirmed that Drone Racing is to be a feature at The World Games 2025 in Chengdu, China. Following the successful debut of the drone racing competition at the 2022 Games in Birmingham, USA, this novel air sport is set to captivate audiences once again at The World Games, which runs from 7 to 17 August 2025. A US Atty, Jacquelin
Failed Transition to SPAC IPO Leaves Would-Be Private Jet Firm Penniless
Set Jet, a private jet operator hoping to carve out a niche offering by-the-seat charter flights, has quietly folded up shop and closed down after running out of investor money. For the firm's almost 3,000-strong membership base, the news is bad all around, according to an apologetic but disappointing email. Set Jet's operations are completely closed, with no customer service lines taking calls and all employees retired with immediate effect. Those who had pre-paid for future flights or been billed for memberships? No refunds, but at least there won't be any future billing. In short, the firm simply couldn't continue spending money it no longer had, particularly after mi
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3-Hour A220 Flight Offers Constant Look at Stellar Phenomena
Delta Air Lines will be offering passengers a chance to view the upcoming solar eclipse from the air, using an Airbus A220-300 with "premium viewing, extra-large windows" to follow the path of the eclipse at its peak. Delta Flight DL 1218 will take off from Austin, Texas at 12:15 Central, and land in Detroit, Michigan at 16:20 Eastern, following a track that will provide them with the greatest exposure to the eclipse throughout the flight. That is subject, as always, to ATC routing, weather, and assorted variables.
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Van's Aircraft Sailing Through Reorganization with Aplomb
Van's Aircraft has extended the window to buy up kits, engines, and gear for those who'd put down payments in the past, extending the window through Thursday, February 22nd. Along with the announcement, Dick Van Grusnfen and Greg Hughes noted company progress along the way to filling all outstanding orders. Evidently, the price increases didn't dissuade the majority of aircraft builders, with 81% of orders being fulfilled under the new terms. Broken down further, they indicated that 93% of engine orders, 78% of kit orders, and at least 80% of prop orders have gotten the go-ahead from buyers.
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Airplane Departed From Runway 36, And Subsequently Began A Turn Back Toward The Runway
On January 31, 2024, about 1325 central standard time, a Piper PA-24-180, N5520P, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Weedon Field Airport (EUF), Eufaula, Alabama. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the airport manager, she saw the pilot on the day of the accident on the ramp and they spoke briefly. She subsequently observed the airplane taxiing for departure but did not observe it takeoff. On February 1, 2024, a pilot who was taxiing for departure reported that he observed a crashed airplane at the end of runway 36.
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Discrete Code
As used in the Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System (ATCRBS), any one of the 4096 selectable Mode 3/A aircraft transponder codes except those ending in zero zero; e.g., discrete codes: 0010, 1201, 2317, 7777; nondiscrete codes: 0100, 1200, 7700. Nondiscrete codes are normally reserved for radar facilities that are not equipped with discrete decoding capability and for other purposes such as emergencies (7700), VFR aircraft (1200), etc.
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