Futuristic Seaplane Reportedly Faces Bureaucratic Ambivalence, Difficulty

The Privateer Amphibian, a clean-sheet design made to improve amphibious aircraft for enhanced safety on and off the water, has seen delays in its flight testing program owing to a number of bureaucratic requirements and agency decisions that have led to an exasperated crew and increasing costs of compliance for the fledgling company. The Amphibian came into being by entrepreneur and inventor John Meekins' quest to purchase a modern seaplane for his waterfront property. After test flying several aircraft, he found each to have some measure of compromise in safety or performance unsuited to the modern era.

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The FAA has issued 2 new airworthiness directives regarding the impending (and temporarily postponed) rollout of 5G networks. An addition to the approved AFMs for transport and commuter category aircraft will be amended with updated radio altimeter flight restrictions, for select locations to be named by NOTAMs for the area. The agency also invites aeronautical, avionics, and telecommunications companies to help identify exactly which areas are most likely to develop signal interference or altimeter errors. Civil Air Patrol members throughout the United States and

Designed As A Navigation Tool With A Lot Of Effort On Usability In The Cockpit

During a brief pause at the DeLand Sport Aviation Showcase, iFlyGPS President Walter Boyd goes over some of the latest and greatest of his company’s electronic flight bag app with Aero News Editor-in-Chief, Jim Campbell. His company has a decidedly stark focus on general aviators, a refreshing change of pace in a market that’s increasingly focused on courting larger carriers.

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The FAA has launched its "12 Days of Drones" campaign to educate the public about the best practices inherent to the hobby. While drones have settled into a somewhat common and well understood hobbyist aircraft or videography assistant, public understanding and familiarity with UAV regulations remains lower than desired.The agency is sharing a specific topic or bundle of knowledge for each of 12 days through December 17th, building a short and effective knowledge base for incoming drone pilots. Skyborne Airline Academy celebrated the achievement of 2 recent ATPL UK graduates j

Begins Crowdfunding Escape Pod for Bond Villains, Skyscraper Occupants

ZEVA Aero has announced the start of its investment campaign for its unusual eVTOL concept, which, in a field composed entirely of varied combinations of sleekly tapered curves, bulbous cabins, and outboard rotors, still manages to stand apart from the crowd. Zeva’s work instead appears reminiscent of a large, carbon fiber sunfish flanked by a series of propellers. A "personal flying machine that transitions from hover mode to forward flight mode", the Zeva is, if nothing else, a refreshing change of pace. 

AFWERX Selects Developers for Hi-Speed VTOL Drone Project

AFWERX, the Air Force research laboratory's innovation arm, has selected the companies to move forward with its HSVTOL Concept Challenge. Since April 2021, the program has sought to deliver design ideas for high-speed VTOL aircraft capable of agile performance in multiple roles, from Infil/Exfiltration of Special Forces Personnel, aeromedical evacuation, and tactical mobility. The concept would be a new UAV system outside the current roster that could offer a quantitative leap in SOCOM capabilities. 

International Flights on Chopping Block From Dreamliner Delays

Boeing's production woes with its upcoming 787 Dreamliner have caused another unforeseen issue for customers, as American Airlines announces their cut backs on international flights in the summer of 2022. The largest carrier in the United States expected to have some of the next generation, top of the line airliners nearly a year ago, with their fleet in place to accept the new aircraft the second they were available. Of course, like so many lessons learned in our new, cost-cutting just-in-time economy, when things go wrong, the knock-on effects travel far and wide. The sacrificial lambs are Hong Kong; Edinburgh, and Shannon of Ireland. Those locations are currently cut altogether, and

U.S. Army's Next-Gen Workhorse Continues Development

Honeywell has reached a milestone with the U.S. Army's upcoming Chinook helicopter engine replacement. Their are the first engine to test as part of the CDooperative Research and Development Agreement for the platform, testing their T55-714C engine for integrative ease and reliability in the next Chinook iteration. Their cooperation has allowed Army authorities to evaluate the capabilities of the newest rendition of the proven T55 engine. Testing was begun at Honeywell's Phoenix, Arizona test facilities to benchmark the changes to the design in preparation for installation on the flight test aircraft. Testing has revealed promising data on Maximum Continuous Power, with future, higher power leve

As Aviation Economy Rebounds, Personnel Are Back in Demand, With a Diverse Twist

Jetblue announced its new hiring pipeline, JetBlue Gateways. The initiative is designed to meet the growing need for aviation professionals from aviators to AMT's, that come from backgrounds other than the common straight, white male that has formed the base of the aviation industry. The program focuses on offering "a range of pathways  into the industry, while also opening the door to more candidates from underrepresented communities, including women and people of color." The Gateways program offers 7 separate education and training paths that lead to employment as a JetBlue pilot or maintenance technician. It has traditionally outperformed similar programs from

5G Network Airworthiness Directive Mandates Transport Aircraft Manual Revision

The news of the month came when the FAA release airworthiness directives 01169-T and 01170-R, requiring all transport category aircraft to revise their airplane flight manual to prohibit operations in the presence of possible 5G interference. The move comes in response to the possibility of interference with landing instrumentation as a result of newly introduced 5G cellular networks. Their close proximity in the radio bands could lead to incorrect radio/radar altimeter equipment during the landing approach, a dangerous condition that could result in changing aircraft handling due to the instrument's deep integration in automated landing systems.

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The FAA has issued 2 new airworthiness directives regarding the impending (and temporarily postponed) rollout of 5G networks. An addition to the approved AFMs for transport and commuter category aircraft will be amended with updated radio altimeter flight restrictions, for select locations to be named by NOTAMs for the area. The agency also invites aeronautical, avionics, and telecommunications companies to help identify exactly which areas are most likely to develop signal interference or altimeter errors. Civil Air Patrol members throughout the United States an

AD 2021-26-02 Prompted By The Omission Of A Life Limit In The Airworthiness Limitations Section

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (Gulfstream) Model GV and GV-SP airplanes. This AD was prompted by the omission of a life limit in the airworthiness limitations section (ALS) of the maintenance manual for a certain main landing gear (MLG) trunnion pin. This AD requires revising the ALS of your existing instructions for continued airworthiness (ICA) or inspection program for the airplane to establish a life limit of 20,000 flight cycles for the affected MLG trunnion pin. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products. This AD is effective January 14, 2022.

Aero Linx: International Aviation Services Organization (IASO) International Aviation Services Organization (IASO) is a non-profit organization, aviation services Industry Leader and forum for consultation on industry issues for all aviation services companies worldwide. The organization registered in Sweden and Montreal, Canada with its HQ in Geneva - Switzerland . There are two sub-organizations that fall under the umbrella of IASO – IFSO (International Fuel Services Organization) and IHAO (International Handling Aviation Organization). The main objective of IASO is to organize, educate, and improve the aviation services industry through collaboration, using best business practices and speaki

Coupled Approach An instrument approach performed by the aircraft autopilot, and/or visually depicted on the flight director, which is receiving position information and/or steering commands from onboard navigational equipment. In general, coupled non-precision approaches must be flown manually (autopilot disengaged) at altitudes lower than 50 feet AGL below the minimum descent altitude, and coupled precision approaches must be flown manually (autopilot disengaged) below 50 feet AGL unless authorized to conduct autoland operations. Coupled instrument approaches are commonly flown to the allowable IFR weather minima established by the operator or PIC, or flown VFR for training and safety.

“Successful candidates will not only be skilled in their craft but also reflect JetBlue’s culture, and through the Gateways programs, we can invest in our future crewmembers from day one. Women and people of color have typically been under-represented within the pilot and maintenance technician professions. JetBlue is breaking down the barriers to find candidates from all background who exhibit the skill and aptitude to take on these high-quality and high paying airline jobs." Source: JetBlue Head of safety, security, and fleet ops Warren Christie, commenting on their new hiring pipeline, JetBlue Gateways.