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January 04, 2016

Airborne 01.04.16: SportPlane Safety, AF UAS Enlisted Pilots, WASP Controversy

Also: Alaska Suicide, CubeSats, Taxiway Landing, FAs v Swimsuits, CAP National Cadet Competition, Southwest Airlines, Master CFI

The experimental Aircraft Association has reported the safety level of homebuilt aircraft continues to improve, as fatal accident totals have dropped significantly over a 12-month period covering much of 2015. This is based on an analysis performed by the EAA. The totals, which include fatal accidents during the 2015 federal fiscal year, which is October 2014 through September 2015, showed that fatal accidents in amateur-built aircraft registered in the FAA’s experimental

Also: Alaska Suicide, CubeSats, Taxiway Landing, FAs v Swimsuits, CAP National Cadet Competition, Southwest Airlines, Master CFI

The Experimental Aircraft Association has reported the safety level of homebuilt aircraft continues to improve, as fatal accident totals have dropped significantly over a 12-month period covering much of 2015. This is based on an analysis performed by the EAA. The totals, which include fatal accidents during the 2015 federal fiscal year, which is October 2014 through September 2015, showed that fatal accidents in amateur-built aircraft registered in the FAA’s experimental category fell 20 percent from the previous 12-month period. Facing a shorting of unmanned aerial system operators, the U.S. Air Force is shifting its po

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USAF Opens UAS Operator Slots To Enlisted Personnel

Non-Officers Will Be Accepted Into Training Program To Fly RQ-4 Global Hawks

Facing a shorting of UAS operators, the U.S. Air Force is shifting its policy of only allowing officers to become unmanned system pilots.

Former Secretary Of The Army Changed Criteria In 2015

From 2002 until sometime last year, Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) had been eligible for interment in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. But in 2015, then-Secretary of the Army John McHugh ruled that the WASPs were not eligible.

Places Follow-On Order For 2 Aircraft

A firm purchase agreement has been signed between Bombardier Commercial Aircraft and Addis Ababa-based Ethiopian Airlines Enterprise (Ethiopian Airlines) for two additional Q400 turboprop airliners that will bring Ethiopian Airlines’ Q400 aircraft fleet to a total of 19 aircraft, the largest total fleet in Africa.

NOAA Contracts With Alaska Aerial Media To Help Monitor Beluga Whales

NOAA has enlisted the help of an aerial media company to assist in gathering information about endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales that might strand themselves in shallow water this season.

Paramount Business Jets Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Establishes New Scholarship Opportunity For Students Pursuing An Aviation Career

Worldwide aircraft charter provider Paramount Business Jets (PBJ) recently marked 10 years of operation by establishing a new scholarship opportunity for college students considering careers in aviation and aerospace.

All It Takes Is A Computer, An Internet Connection, And A Reservation

Visitors from around the world can now take interactive personally-guided tours of the San Diego Air & Space Museum from the comfort of their own homes through the BEAM Virtual Tour Program, which enables both school groups and people who are physically unable to visit the Museum to take tours through the use of a computer and Internet connection.

Phase 3 Funding Awarded For Unmanned VTOL Aircraft Designed For Small Ships

Small-deck ships such as destroyers and frigates could greatly increase their effectiveness if they had their own unmanned air systems (UASs) to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and other capabilities at long range around the clock. Current state-of-the-art UASs, however, lack the ability to take off and land from confined spaces in rough seas and achieve efficient long-duration flight. Tern, a joint program between DARPA and the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research (ONR), seeks to provide these and other previously unattainable capabilities.

Company Will Deliver 78 Aircraft Through 2020

The U.S. government will take delivery of 78 C-130J Super Hercules aircraft under the terms of a multi-year contract with Lockheed Martin announced on Dec. 30, 2015.

But Some Private Helo Operators Are Opposed To The Plan

The College Board of the University of Mississippi Medical Center have approved plans to add two helicopters to its fleet, doubling the number of aircraft at its disposal. But not everyone in the region thinks it's such a good idea.

Several Pilots Complete Training And Qualify For Commercial Operations

Several seasoned pilots flying for the Sanborn Map Company, Inc. (Sanborn) have completed extensive unmanned aircraft system (UAS) training and now are qualified to perform commercial flights with the firm's UAS. The FAA granted Sanborn a Section 333 Exemption to commercially operate a UAS last year.

AAS Continues Testing On P-8A Poseidon

Designed To Determine The Airplane's Ability To Operate Safely And Efficiently

The Navy continues integration and testing of the first Advanced Airborne Sensor (AAS), designated the APS-154, aboard the P-8A Poseidon. Testing will confirm the ability of the P-8A and AAS to operate safely and efficiently.

Three Companies Tapped By U.K. MoD For Work Through 2022

A £369 million (approx $546 million) contract to support the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) fleet of C-130 Hercules transport aircraft has been awarded to three companies by the Ministry of Defense (MoD).

One Pilot's Simple Viewpoint About The Decline Of Aviation, The Role He and His Airport Plays

A Guest Editorial by Rich Davidson, Aviation Activist, Owner/Operator Lee Bottom Flying Field Is Aviation Worth Saving? This question has taken ten years of my life. The calendar read “2005” when I first realized something special would be required to save my airport, Lee Bottom Flying Field. What I came up with was grand. Instead of the focus, it would be the foundation of something greater – a refuge for aviation itself. Minutes later, another thought crossed my mind, “Is aviation worth saving?” By “saving,” what I really wondered was, “Should I give my life, time, money, and remaining days to save somet

Solar Impulse 2, Pilot's Bill Of Rights 2, And The Mooney M10 Are Among The Year's Big Stories

There was a major advance for pilots on the medical certificate front as the Pilot's Bill of Rights 2 passed the full U.S. Senate. Mooney flew its new fixed-gear airplane for the first time, and Solar Impulse 2 got stuck in Hawaii after a record-setting crossing of the Pacific ocean. Here are some of the top stories from General Aviation from the past year.

New Airliners Take Flight, Are Certified During The Year

The airline industry saw first flights of multiple new airplanes, and the certification of the latest single-aisle offering from Airbus ... the A320neo. Bombardier also got Transport Canada's approval for its new single-aisle airplane, and orders for new airplanes continued to be strong. Meanwhile, the fate of Malaysia Airlines MH370 remains a mystery. Here are some of the top stories from the commercial airline industry from 2015.

Company Has Reportedly Ordered 16 Of The Aircraft

FedEx Corp. has reportedly agreed to purchase 16 Boeing 777 freighters as part of a fleet modernization program. At list prices, the airplanes would cost the shipping company about $5 billion.

NTSB Cites Carburetor Ice In August Accident

Pilot Says He Had Not Anticipated Ice During Accident Sequence

Our primary flight instructors have drilled into us that carburetor ice can occur even in the hottest months, but the pilot of a Cessna 172 flying along Florida's Riviera Beach last August apparently forgot that lesson.

Building Your Own Airplane And Then Learning To Fly It Can Be Done, But There Are Roadblocks

Building your own airplane and then learning how to fly in it has been done, but there are a lot of considerations. The concept seems simple enough but there are hurdles in your path. However, no regulation actually prevents it.

Nearly 3,500 Regional And Business Jet Engines Have Been Manufactured At The Indiana Plant

Rolls-Royce AE civil engines have powered Embraer ERJ series of regional jets, Embraer Legacy 600 and 650 corporate jets, Saab 2000, and Cessna Citation X series of corporate jets over the past 20 years. To date, nearly 3,500 AE civil engines have been manufactured in Indianapolis. These Rolls-Royce AE civil engine products recently surpassed 60 million flight hours of operation, commemorating one of the most successful programs in the company’s history.

Klyde Bemoans The Existence of 'SpaceX Zealot Syndrome'

FMI: www.klydemorris.com

New Helicopter Will Enhance Aerial Surveillance And Crime-Fighting Capabilities

The Fresno, CA Sheriff’s Office has placed an order with MD Helicopters for a new MD 530F. The purchase was approved unanimously just before Christmas by the Fresno County Board of Supervisors.

“This amazing milestone, 60 million hours of civil flight, is a reflection of our employees’ innovation and commitment to our customers." Source: Barb Stratton, Senior Vice President, Regional Programs, Rolls-Royce.

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (01.04.16): Pilot Weather Report

A report of meteorological phenomena encountered by aircraft in flight.

GA Flight Data Management (FDM)

Flight data management may soon be in the reach of many more GA aircraft with new Internet-based services coming ... well ... online for lack of a better term.