Jessica Cox’s Ercoupe Blasted By Private Jet’s About-Face on Ramp at JFK

A model-C Ercoupe, N26R, owned and operated by Jessica Cox of ‘RightFooted International’  and motivational documentary ‘RightFooted’, was almost destroyed in the brief minutes it sat on the ramp at the John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York. The source of the destructive force was a business jet performing a 360-degree turn in the vicinity of the Ercoupe. Ms. Cox had arrived at JFK earlier that day, having previously made arrangements to facilitate the logistics of arrival and parking in preparation for an outreach event, only to discover upon marshaling to parking and s

Also: Hydrogen Propulsion, Starship Review Postponed, Astronics CorePower, Aero-TV At AUVSI 2022

The FAA is inviting the drone community to be part of its 2022 Drone Safety Day campaign on Saturday, June 18. This year’s campaign will be a one-day national event, to encourage drone pilots and recreational flyers to “Fly RIGHT.” Since 2019, the FAA has hosted the annual campaign dedicated to drone safety and best practices. Safety is a shared responsibility that requires the community and the FAA to work together. Autel Robotics has announced the availability of software updates for its EVO series of drones, specifically the Nano and Li

VirtualFly Targets Enthusiasts & Flight Schools with Cessna & Diamond Simulators

VirtualFly North America is a flight simulation manufacturer and a resurgent development center that creates everything from a yoke and throttle quadrant for home simulation enthusiasts up to replicas of aircraft. Basic Aviation Training Devices (BATD) and Advanced Aviation Training Devices (AATD) certified simulators, Cessna (172) replicas, and Caravans. We now have Diamond DA40s with Middle Tennessee State University, and simulators at universities like Hawaii, Cyprus University (in Los Angeles, California) so they're getting there.

Canada 'Needs to Secure Immediate Return' of Wrongfully Imprisoned Canadians in the Dominican Republic

ALPA, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE); and Unifor have launched a public campaign calling on the government of Canada to secure the safe return of five Canadians who have been arbitrarily imprisoned in the Dominican Republic after reporting a crime they were not involved in. For more than 40 days, a Canadian aircrew—including two CUPE members, one ALPA member, and one Unifor member—have been arbitrarily detained, threatened, and prosecuted after discovering and reporting 200 kg of narcotics to the police.

US Technology Finally Catching Up...

A USAF B-52H Stratofortress successfully released an AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon, or ARRW, off the Southern California coast, May 14. Following separation from the aircraft, the ARRW’s booster ignited and burned for expected duration, achieving hypersonic speeds five times greater than the speed of sound. “This was a major accomplishment by the ARRW team, for the weapons enterprise, and our Air Force,” said Brig. Gen. Heath Collins, Air Force Program Executive Officer for Weapons.

Diamond DA62 And Air Bear Tactical Tour USA Summer 2022

This summer, Diamond and Air Bear Tactical Aircraft will be joining forces to tour the United States this summer, through to the end of August or Early September 2022. This tour will mark the inaugural flight of the Diamond DA62 MPP in the United States, and presents an opportunity to showcase its “special mission aircraft” capabilities, and hopefully capture the attention of the law enforcement division.

A B-25 Engine Overhaul Can Cost Upwards Of $65,000

Last week, the maintenance team of the Minnesota Wing unfortunately discovered critical engine damage on their assigned B-25 Miss Mitchell. The team took swift action to repair it. Over the weekend, they further discovered that the engine will not be able to be repaired by their maintenance team, but will require a full engine overhaul at an overhaul facility. Sending the engine out for repairs adds additional costs and time to the repair project.

Workforce Shortages Continue To Ripple Through Air Industry

The long-lamented pilot shortage, further exacerbated by the arrival of COVID-19 and the measures airlines took to reduce operating expenses by jettisoning personnel through early retirement and furloughs appears to be knocking hard at the other side of the cabin door. However, the ecosystem of (mostly smaller) manufacturer, maintenance, technical, and support staff are also feeling the pinch. 

USAF’s KC-46 Flies Full-Day Sortie: Sets New Record

The U.S. Air Force recently reported that one of its jet tankers, a KC-46, flew around the continental USA for just over 24 hours straight, more specifically, 24.2 hours and in the process, set a new record and revealed some insights on conducting long-haul missions. A crew of 11, which included 6 pilots, 3 fuel-boom operators, 1 physician assistant, 1 photographer, departed the McConnel Airforce Base in Kansas.

Also: Hydrogen Propulsion, Starship Review Postponed, Astronics CorePower, Aero-TV At AUVSI 2022

The FAA is inviting the drone community to be part of its 2022 Drone Safety Day campaign on Saturday, June 18. This year’s campaign will be a one-day national event, to encourage drone pilots and recreational flyers to “Fly RIGHT.” Since 2019, the FAA has hosted the annual campaign dedicated to drone safety and best practices. Safety is a shared responsibility that requires the community and the FAA to work together. Autel Robotics has announced the availability of software updates for its EVO series of drones, specifically the Nano and Li

Helicopter 'Began A Rapid, Near Vertical Descent'

On April 15, 2022, about 0837 mountain standard time, a Robinson R22 helicopter, N7516G, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Gila Bend, Arizona. The student pilot was fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 training flight. The flight initiated at the Chandler Municipal Airport (CHD), Chandler, Arizona at about 0757. The flight was intended to be a solo cross-country flight to the Gila Bend Municipal Airport (E63), Gila Bend.

Aero Linx: United States Powered Paragliding Association (USPPA) The mission of the USPPA Is to preserve, promote, and enhance the sport of powered paragliding. If your goal is to eventually fly a two-place powered paraglider, you must obtain a tandem rating through the USPPA. It is not legal to fly a paramotor in the U.S. with a passenger unless you operate under the FAA exemption like the one that was granted to the USPPA. Our ratings program offers the following ratings: PPG1, PPG2, PPG3, Instructor, Tandem Instructor, and Instructor Administrator. The USPPA is a 501(c)3 non-profit with a mission to preserve, promote, and enhance the sport of powered paragliding. 

Offshore/Control Airspace Area That portion of airspace between the U.S. 12 NM limit and the oceanic CTA/FIR boundary within which air traffic control is exercised. These areas are established to provide air traffic control services. Offshore/Control Airspace Areas may be  classified as either Class A airspace or Class E airspace.

“This was a major accomplishment by the ARRW team, for the weapons enterprise, and our Air Force. The team's tenacity, expertise, and commitment were key in overcoming the past year's challenges to get us to the recent success. We are ready to build on what we've learned and continue moving hypersonics forward.” Source: Brig. Gen. Heath Collins, Air Force Program Executive Officer for Weapons, commenting on the successful test of an AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon, or ARRW, off the Southern California coast, May 14.