Oddball Design Nears 100,000th Flight Hour, Certified in 13+ Countries

Honda Aircraft celebrated the continued success of its HondaJet with the 200th delivery of the type, right on the precipice of the design reaching 100,000 flight hours in service since its certification in December 2015. The HondaJet has seen a number of upgrades since then, notably a 2018 upgrade to become the HondaJet Elite. That change extended its range to 1,437 nautical miles, enhanced its styling, and revised its avionics to keep up with the times. The Elite S model, released earlier this year, revisited the flight deck with new features to reduce pilot workload, expand operational capability, and enhance safety. The Elite S has brought out the best of Honda's unique

Nearly 1,200 Delegates Come Together for Aviation Showmanship

Air shows occupy a special place in the aviation industry, sometimes an exercise in branding for suitably prestigious companies, an opportunity to wow some crowds with a display of skill, a celebration of patriotism, but nearly always a prime recruiting tool. Few career paths give such a high-profile, attention-grabbing show placed front and center for all ages, combining the coolest technology around with the excitement of a screaming, high-performance powerplant. The International Convention of Air Shows came together for their return in 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada, boasting an impressive 47% presence of all registered member delegates. 

Airport Evacuated Due to High Winds, Intense Storms

Areas of the United States have been hit with unusually fierce storm activity this week, with one brief window of intense winds seeing the evacuation of the Kansas City Air Traffic Control Tower for a short time on December 15. The controllers left out of an abundance of caution, and for a brief while turned the Kansas City International Airport into an uncontrolled airfield. The KCI airport notified locals through their online bulletin, advising those in the vicinity that "there will likely be diversions and delays." The initial notification preceded a return to ATC service by about 45 minutes, due to the brief bout of storm activity. The operations staff began a brief sweep of th

Emiratis Balk at Strings Attached to F-35 Sale

The United Arab Emirates may not end up with the F-35 Lightning II, following the long running negotiations to sell the platform to the middle eastern nation. American Secretary of State Antony Blinken insists the FMS program remains ready to sell the fighter, but the Gulf state has expressed unhappiness at the strings that would come attached to F-35 operation. Ahead of an in-person UAE delegation to the Pentagon, one reportedly low-level official penned a letter outlining their desire to suspend talks on the deal. 

Chris Horsten, Kanardia Avionics, Shares Innovative Product Line With ANN

Chris Horsten, the Canadian Dealer for Kanardia Avionics spent some time chatting with ANN about their innovative product line. “Kanardia has been around about fifteen years, they were more predominantly in Europe although a lot of their stuff was making it over here, to aircraft like Pipestrel, a lot of the gyro manufacturers, and gliders were heavy users, light sport aircraft is probably the best target market we have.” Horsten reveals. “If you are just a daytime VFR kind of guy, this is probably the good stuff for you.” Horsten sha

Wind Tunnel Testing Begun on Fixed-Wing Cargo Drone

Hydrogen propulsion experts, H3 Dynamics has begun a new phase in its hybrid electric systems, working from its locations in Austin, Texas and Toulouse, France. The company has started its initial wind tunnel testing on its prototype, small scale, hydrogen-powered aircraft. Their most recent work, in association with partnered companies and universities, pertains to the "deep physics behind aircraft integration of hydrogen-electric systems in the context of aeronautical regulations".

...Did Not Have Enough Altitude To Make It To The Runway And Initiated A Forced Landing To An Open Field

On November 22, 2021, about 1140 mountain standard time, an experimental amateur-built RV-10 airplane, N54CT, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near the Grassy Meadows/Sky Ranch Airport, Hurricane, Utah. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that prior to takeoff, he conducted an uneventful engine runup with the fuel selector set to the left fuel tank. Following completion of the engine runup, he switched to the right fuel tank and back taxied on runway 17 for takeoff. The pilot departed runway 17 with the in

AD 2021-25-02 ...Also Requires Application Of A Lower Torque Value...

The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2014-16-16, which applied to all Embraer S.A. Model ERJ 190-100 STD, -100 LR, -100 ECJ, -100 IGW, -200 STD, -200 LR, and -200 IGW airplanes; and AD 2018-19-28, which applied to certain Embraer S.A. Model ERJ 190-100 STD, -100 LR, -100 ECJ, -100 IGW, -200 STD, -200 LR, and -200 IGW airplanes. AD 2014-16-16 required, for certain airplanes, retorquing and replacing the pylon lower link fittings, and for all airplanes, repetitive retorquing of those fittings. AD 2018-19-28 required modification of the attaching parts of the pylon lower link fittings. This AD continues to require those actions, and also requires application of a low

Aero Linx: The College of Professional Pilots of Canada The College of Pilots is vitally important to the future of the Canadian aviation industry and to the lives of the pilots who work within it. It is the next logical step in the evolution of aviation; not just in Canada, but potentially, around the world. It is similar to what other professions have done and has the potential of changing the culture of aviation. The establishment of the College will serve to unify pilots across all segments. It is a unification of the pilot group as a whole in order to act as one; to guide our profession and lives through integrity, safety and the principles and doctrines that make pilots the professionals that t

Minimum Descent Altitude (MDA) The lowest altitude, expressed in feet above mean sea level, to which descent is authorized on final approach or during circle-to-land maneuvering in execution of a standard instrument approach procedure where no electronic glideslope is provided.

“Since 2017, the HondaJet has been the most delivered aircraft in its class, and we continue to see high demand for the aircraft, thanks to its unmatched performance, comfort, efficiency and innovative design. The delivery of the 200th HondaJet is a reflection of its superior capabilities and reliability, as well as the extraordinary customer support of our team members.  We will remain committed to our customers by ensuring that the HondaJet Elite S continues to set a new standard in business aviation.” Source: Honda Aircraft Company President and CEO Michimasa Fujino, celebrating the debut of the 200th Hondajet and the attendant vindication of Honda's take on aircraft, an attitude that blends the ease and user-frien