FAA Granted Special Flight Permission On Christmas Eve

Santa Claus, evidently a close friend of the Federal Aviation Administration, has released a portion of his yearly "naughty or nice" lists for industry stakeholders, revealing some high and low points of the safety scene in 2021. “I have the utmost gratitude and respect for everyone who makes it their job to keep air travel safe,” writes Santa. “For those people whose bad behavior puts air travel safety in jeopardy, remember: I’m watching!” Santa expects to bring bountiful presents to flight crew, traffic controllers, cabin crew, lineman, gate agents, airport personnel, astronauts, and masked travelers. 

Some 582UL Engines Built With Mismatched Crankcase Halves

Rotax released a mandatory service bulletin for its 582 UL engines, stating that a limited number were assembled with non-matching crankcase halves. For continued operation, inspection is needed to ensure the correct installation of the crankcase. Released in 1989, the 582 UL is a two stroke, 2-cylinder, liquid-cooled aircraft engine designed for ultralight aircraft. If the name rings unfamiliar, it should come as no surprise that production has ended in 2021, as announced by Rotax earlier this year. Much like other light vehicle powerplants, the engine has seen waning popularity in the face of cleaner-burning, less high-strung 4-stroke engines as technology improved.

Next-Gen Tempest Program Gains Assistance from JASDF F-X Development

The United Kingdom announced the inclusion of a new partner in their next generation Tempest fighter program, collaborating with Japan in the design, creation, and development of a joint engine demonstrator. The project will be kickstarted in 2022 with an initial £30 million for planning, digital design, and preparatory manufacturing development. Further investments from the UK provide £200 million to see the project through its initial demonstration power system, supporting hundreds of the employees at Rolls-Royce's Filton Facility in Bristol. Throughout the life of the program, more than £2 billion will see its way into the Future Combat Air System.<

Manufacturers Join the Chorus Warning of Negative Effects on Navigation

Boeing and Airbus have both announced their position on the impending rollout of 5G cell networks, maintaining that an upgrade could see interference in vital aircraft operations. The theoretical overlap between frequencies could see errors in using radar altimetry, a potentially fatal condition when flying in hard IFR. The company statements come on the eve of 5G activation in 46 initial markets across the United States. While their launch in mid-December was postponed by the larger telecomms companies, it was merely delayed by a month. Boeing Chief Executive Dave Calhoun and Airbus Americas CEO Jeffrey Knittel have joined the chorus of industry stakeholders worried abou

Also: Tecnam Expands, Boeing Refills, Man Breaches McCarran, ZeroAvia $$$

The late afternoon of December 13th took a turn for the exciting when a red ultralight (that looks like a  Mini-Max) airplane crashed in residential Bremen, Indiana. Responding Indiana State Trooper Scott Hipsher arrived on scene with the St. Joseph County Police Department to find the operator was, in classic DUI fashion, relatively unharmed from the incident. Joseph Krol, 61, failed a field sobriety test at the scene, and allegedly failed a drug test at the hospital. Krol was  arrested for Operating While Intoxicated-Endangerment and Operating While Intoxicated.

Helicopter Specialist Pre-Orders 20-50 Sustainable City Runabouts Aircraft

Bristow Group, a "vertical flight solutions" company, has pre-purchased a batch of the as-yet unmade Butterfly eVTOL aircraft from OverAir. Along with the deal, the two companies agreed to explore commercial aerial taxi service in emerging, densely populated markets. OverAir is yet another entrant into the burgeoning Urban Air Mobility market, boasting a 5-seat, intercity, quad rotor, efficient metro runabout. The company combines the forces of chief engineer Abe Karem with Korean defense contractor Hanwha Systems, combining his large body of aeronautical experience with the company's stout funding. The company has already found a series of investments,

From 2018: American Barnstormers Tour Storms Through AirVenture

From July 5-29, 2018, the 2018 American Barnstormers Tour undertook a 5-city, 5-state tour through MO, IA, SD, MN and WI. The 2018 American Barnstormers Tour exclusively featured 10 vintage Travel Air open cockpit biplanes. Five of the biplanes will function as static displays at each venue, with owners and restorers available to answer crowd questions. Five of the biplanes offered ride experiences to tour attendees. The goal of the tour was to extend fellowship, to bridge a gap between the modern day and aviation history, to allow folks immersive flight experiences in the biplanes, to dra

AD 2021-24-19 Requires Updating The ECU Software

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all DG Flugzeugbau GmbH Model DG-500MB and DG-1000M gliders with a Solo Kleinmotoren GmbH Solo Model 2625 02i engine installed. This AD was prompted by mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by the aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as an error in the engine control unit (ECU) software. This AD requires updating the ECU software. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products. This AD is effective January 27, 2022.

AD 2021-23-01 Requires Inspecting The ASI Markings...

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Stemme AG Model Stemme S 12 gliders. This AD was prompted by mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by the aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as an airspeed indicator (ASI) with speed markings inconsistent with the approved and published values. This AD requires inspecting the ASI markings and, depending on findings, either replacing the ASI or amending the existing aircraft flight manual (AFM) until the ASI is replaced. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products. This

Aero Linx: The British Gliding Association The British Gliding Association is the governing body for the sport of gliding in the UK. Our members are the 80 clubs that provide gliding facilities for their members – clubs that are spread throughout the UK from the north of Scotland to the SW tip of England and which range from small, member-run clubs through to some of the largest gliding clubs in the world. Through these clubs we represent and provide services to some 7000 UK glider pilots.

Maximum Authorized Altitude A published altitude representing the maximum usable altitude or flight level for an airspace structure or route segment. It is the highest altitude on a Federal airway, jet route, area navigation low or high route, or other direct route for which an MEA is designated in 14 CFR Part 95 at which adequate reception of navigation aid signals is assured.

“Santa has centuries of air travel experience and a powerful voice to bring our safety message to millions of people. And make no mistake—I trust Santa to know who’s been naughty or nice.” Source: Quoted from a tongue-in-cheek holiday letter from FAA Administrator Steve Dickson, discussing a "Naughty or Nice" list of issues of concern to the Administration.