More than 2,000 Hours Logged with Prototype, GE Catalyst Engine
The Beechcraft Denali continues moving forward towards certification, having received its FAA Type Inspection Authorization early this year. Textron advertised that their single-engine turboprop competitor has logged more than 2,000 flight test hours across 830+ flights, on track for 2025. Beechcraft's take on the niche will offer buyers something the rest of the field lacks: the brand-new GE Aerospace Catalyst engine, a newfangled turboprop that sits outside the paradigm of Pratt & Whitney's PT6 series.
Duo Aims to Raise Money for Children's Relief Charity
Aerodyne, a new gyroplane manufacturer, will be commemorating its entry into the market with an attempt at setting some records as it runs a lap around the United Kingdom. Founder, executive chairman, and pilot Rangaraja Iyengar will make a full lap around the whole lot with his 8-year-old daughter assisting, aiming to complete a 3-day, 5,000-mile journey. If successful, the daddy-daughter duo will be able to snag records in a couple firsts, with a pair for each. Raja can earn a record as both the 1st UK circumnavigation by gyroplane and the fastest; with similar records given to his second-in-command as the youngest woman to do the same.
Letters Inbound to Stakeholders As Part of Reauthorization Push Intensifies
The National Business Aviation Association has summoned the troops to come together and push their congressional reps to approve the FAA's reauthorization legislation. The FAA currently operates under an extension granted, which only allows it to function through May 10th, so the industry is cutting it close. The NBAA has a letter calling for the reauthorization's passage, and those supporting the measure are invited to sign on with their own names to give the letter a little extra 'oomph'.
Also: 1800th E-Jet, Uncle Sam Sues For Landing Gear, Embraer Ag Plane, Textron Parts
A friend of the family reported that Lt. Col. (Ret.) Richard Glenn Rutan flew west on Friday, May 3, 2024 at 7:08 PM PDT. The last time Dick Rutan flew towards the western horizon was on December 14, 1986 when he and copilot Jeana Yeager set the last great aviation record by flying around the world, nonstop and unrefueled, in nine days, three minutes and 44 seconds in an aircraft called 'Voyager.' designed by Burt Rutan. As we understand it, a 'stalking horse bidder' is the initial bid on a bankrupt company's assets from an interested buyer -- chosen by the bankru
No More Crop Dusters On Payroll Now That the Agras is On the Mission
DJI announced the new Agras T25 and T50 for sale, providing support for smaller and larger growers with application, fertilization, and similar sprays. DJI says that its agricultural drones have already treated more than 980 million acres in more than 100 countries and regions, not too small a record for a lineup that only showed up on scene in 2023. The T25 is the smaller, more affordable model, while the T50 gets to be the flagship of the Agras lineup.
Electric Aircraft Shaping Up to Be Hot Commodity for Military Logistics
Pyka has leveraged its expertise in building electronic uncrewed cargo aircraft to offer the RUMRUNNER, a defense-oriented variant of their Pelican Cargo. in order to offer something workable to military clientele, Pyka tapped in SNC Partner for their "expertise in customizing solutions for the world's most complex challenges". The RUMRUNNER is the result, the "largest 100% electric cargo UAS for sustainment in contested operations."
Massive Aviation News Event Started 2024 Off With a Plethora of Exciting Info
Last year, we introduced the SnF Innovation Preview in which 25 companies introduced over 30 new planes, products, engines, accessories, and more… in other words… a LOT of news. Rotax previewed the powerful 916iS, CubCrafters showcased the Carbon Cub UL, Bose introduced the A30, Aerox revealed the Boomula… and so much more. This year, we went beyond that... way beyond all that, with a larger selection of news announcements that covered ALL aspects of sport, general and commercial aviation... all at the start of the
Also: WACO Kitchen Bails, French SportPlane Mfr to FL, Dynon-Advance Flight Systems, Innovation Preview
Bobby Bailey, a bit of a fixture in sport aviation circles for his work with the Bailey-Moyes Dragonfly (now in production with Pitman Air), has been lost in an aircraft test accident. Shortly after his appearance at SUN n FUN 2024, Bailey reportedly was asked to test fly a customer-built Dragonfly out of the Groveland airport in Florida... Recent investigations and a great deal of data has resulted in ANN’s SportPlane Resource Guide’s report card system having to deal with new and worrisome reports on a number of compan
After dealing with a big letdown after the unexpected decision by Skyreach to discontinue the manufacture of the Bushcat, the Knoll family (AeroSport) has come up with a heck of a second act... and it should be a strong one. Advanced Powerplant Solutions, LLC (APS), under the new ownership of Jeremy and Daniela Knoll has acquired Leading Edge Air Foils, LLC (LEAF). Better yet, effective immediately, APS will serve as the ROTAX independent Service Centre for the Central United States. The Popular Rotorcraft Association is reaching out for help in rebuil
Governor Aims to Highlight Impact of General Flight on State Economy
Governor Spencer Cox of Utah announced that the month of may would be known as General Aviation Month in the state, highlighting the "rich history, significant contributions, and promising future of general aviation in our state and across the nation." Governor Cox highlighted the particular impact of general aviation today, which sends out more than 200,000 aircraft on 26 million flight hours a year.
Also: Skydio Chief, Uncle Sam Sues, Dash 7 magniX, OR UAS Accelerator
US Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall was given a turn around the patch in the 'X-62A Variable In-flight Simulation Test Aircraft, or VISTA, to illustrate just how far autonomous aircraft have come. The aircraft sounds much snazzier than it is in reality, being a 30-year old, 2-seat F-16D with a nifty paint job and an R2-D2 in one of the seats. The aircraft has long been in the US Air Force Test Pilot School, where it received modifications for multi-axis thrust vectoring and aerodynamics. AgEagle Aerial Systems will ship 40 of its eBee VISION systems, along with 9 more eB
Also: WACO Kitchen Bails, French SportPlane Mfr to FL, Dynon-Advance Flight Systems, Innovation Preview
Bobby Bailey, a bit of a fixture in sport aviation circles for his work with the Bailey-Moyes Dragonfly (now in production with Pitman Air), has been lost in an aircraft test accident. Shortly after his appearance at SUN n FUN 2024, Bailey reportedly was asked to test fly a customer-built Dragonfly out of the Groveland airport in Florida... Recent investigations and a great deal of data has resulted in ANN’s SportPlane Resource Guide’s report card system having to deal with new and worrisome reports on a number of companies. Evidence
Airbus Helicopters has signed a contract with the Ministry of Defence of Brunei for the acquisition of six H145M helicopters. The new aircraft will replace the country's older Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm BO-105s. The West German platform was pretty good for its day, offering the country a nimble twin-engine helo that could pull off missions outside strike roles alone. That's a nice value add for more cash-strapped nations, since they can't necessarily purchase and maintain an expansive fleet of single-purpose airframes.
Easy Online Forms Available For Sport Plane Manufacturers And Suppliers To Be Listed In The Upcoming eSPRG
Work on the SportPlane Resource Guide is going well… Albeit a little bit behind schedule, because as we got into this process, things became a bit more complicated simply because we learned we could do an even better job at certain aspects of this project than we thought from the beginning. They say that the enemy of true quality is the phrase "good enough" and we want to be far more than “good enough.”
FMI: www.sportplane.com,
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Also: NAAA Asks UAVs To Give Way, Viasat-uAvionix, Oshkosh Defense, Wright Intros WEAETC
Skydweller Aero successfully completed the first flight of its solar-powered aircraft, the Skydweller, earlier this month. This groundbreaking aircraft, which boasts a wingspan exceeding that of a Boeing 747, undertook its inaugural flight autonomously--without any human pilot onboard or in direct control--from Stennis International Airport in Bay St Louis, Mississippi. VoltAero has commenced certification testing for the innovative electric-hybrid powertrain of its Cassio 330 aircraft. This testing phase marks a crucial step in the development of the Cassio e
With The eSPRG Only Weeks Away From Its Start Date, A-AF Will Help To Support Sport Flyers, Worldwide
With the all-new and all-digital SportPlane Resource Guide getting ready for publication early next year, the Aero-News Network is pleased to announce yet another addition to the Airborne video news programming roster… Airborne-Affordable Flyers. Dedicated to keeping people up-to-date on the most affordable aspects of sport and general aviation, Airborne-Affordable Flyers is one of our most exciting offerings yet. A-AF will delve into more than just the current LSA community, but look at all aspects of aviation to examine and ev
From 2017 (YouTube Version): Dynon Announces Certified Avionics For GA At AirVenture…
Dynon Avionics unveiled a new line of certified avionics for part 23 airplanes at AirVenture this summer. Michael Schofield, Marketing Director for Dynon Avionics, told ANN CEO and Editor in Chief Jim Campbell at Oshkosh that the line is lead by the company's flagship EFIS system. Dynon began working on the certified line shortly after the first STC was granted in April, 2016. Schofield said the company realized that attitudes at the FAA wer
(FAA) Inspector Observed That Both Fuel Tanks Were Intact And That Only A Minimal Amount Of Fuel Remained In Each
Analysis: According to the pilot, approximately 8 miles from the destination airport, and while flying at 2,000 ft mean sea level, the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful. The pilot subsequently conducted a forced landing to a blueberry field impacting several sprinkler heads, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings.
BIG Upgrades In The Works --- ANN Is Seeking EXCEPTIONAL New Staffers
The last few years have been about as challenging a time as we can recall... but we survive (yeah, we're kinda surprised, too) and look forward to 2023 and what we see as a very rewarding (and yes, still challenging) new generation of activities at ANN. After some truly weird times during the pandemic, ANN continues to expand slowly, but surely, and we have some truly intriguing upgrades coming up over the next few months. In other words, we're about to grow again -- REALLY/TRULY -- and in some novel directions. The much-appreciated expansion of
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And That's But One Of Over A Dozen Major Developments Planned For The Next Year Or So
Aero-News Network is now available on Roku and Amazon FireTV! That’s right folks. You can now get your daily dose of aviation news… right on the ol' giggle box! This is an EPIC development for our network, one of many to come, and we’re thrilled to offer you this new way to watch our news programming. Whether you’re a traditional website reader, podcast listener, or YouTube subscriber, we’re dedicated to giving you quality, honest, aviation news that you can trust and broadening our reach and audience aggressively in the coming years, so that we may both Grow and Inform the aviatio
Brand New! Avoid The Need For A Comeback... Get Your Marketing Right, Right Now!
Some time ago, the Aero-News Network, responding to numerous requests, established a marketing and communications sister company by the name of AEROPRENEUER... and it's been doing amazing work under these difficult circumstances -- and getting results! We're getting rave reviews from our clients, and working hard to earn the trust of a number of new marketing partners along the way. ANN's Amber Cedroni has come up with a few tips to help aero-businesses stay alive in these tough times, and
Emphasis On Growing The Future of Aviation Through Concentration on 'AFFORDABLE FLYERS'
It's been a number of years since the Latest Edition of Jim Campbell's HUGE SportPlane Resource Guide first saw the light of day. That massive 1100 page book last featured over 800 exciting sport aircraft from all over the SportPlane universe... at a time when the SportPlane industry was still a healthy, thriving enterprise (those were the days...). While there has been some consideration, off and on, toward updating the nearly 5 pound book, the near implosion of the SportPlane and kit industry over the last decade has made such a pursuit an unwieldy one... until now.
It’s been a while since we have reminded everyone about all the ways we offer your daily dose of aviation news on-the-go...so here is a full list of ways you can subscribe to our channels and get notifications when there are new episodes or breaking news!
1) Subscribe To Our Newsletter
When surveyed, almost half of our audience shared with us that they rely on our daily newsletter to get their aviation news for the day and stay up-to-date in their field or craft. Are you subscribed yet? If not, use the link below to receive our daily Propwash emails that always feature a feed of our latest stories and breaking news.
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Aero Linx: FAA Managers Association (FAAMA)
Recognized by the FAA, FAAMA is a professional association dedicated to the promotion of excellence in public service. The Association is a vehicle for managers and other non-bargaining unit employees to communicate their interests in the political arena. Acting as an original source of responsible, balanced, and fact based information to our employer, the White House, Congress, and other relevant venues, FAAMA pursues political solutions representing the interests of our membership.
Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS)
A ground based GNSS station which provides local differential corrections, integrity parameters and approach data via VHF data broadcast to GNSS users to meet real-time performance requirements for CAT I precision approaches. The aircraft applies the broadcast data to improve the accuracy and integrity of its GNSS signals and computes the deviations to the selected approach. A single ground station can serve multiple runway ends up to an approximate radius of 23 NM.
It's a question the ANN staff is asked too many times per week to count. The message usually goes something like this: "I really enjoyed the story Aero-News did on (fill in topic here.) I'd love to post it on my blog/newsletter/website... is that OK?"
“Pyka’s Pelican Cargo is unlike any other UAS solution on the market for contested logistics. We assessed a number of leading capabilities and concluded that the Pelican Cargo is significantly more capable than any other platform. It is the only all-electric, austere environment cargo aircraft with that kind of range, payload capacity, and cargo volume. While the clean energy aspect is important, creating a more diverse, distributed, and survivable supply chain is expected to be the primary driver in terms of interest from the DoD. The Zero-Fuel component minimizes the need to forward-stage bulk fuel, which significantly reduces the logistics tail normally associated with resupply operations. This presents opportunities to increase the survivability of our service me