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May 31, 2022

Airborne 05.31.22: Starliner Hiccups, Dassault 10X, Dynon Update

Also: Next-Gen SpaceX, Qatar Airways v Airbus, New USAF Bomber, Lakeland STEM Event

On 19 May 2020, the Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) uncrewed CST-100 launched aboard the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket, to the ISS. The CST-100 returned, landing at the White Sands Missile Range, in New Mexico. While the return landing was ‘textbook’ -- its trip to the ISS wasn’t entirely without issue. Apparently, on its way to the ISS, two of its main thrusters went offline per sensor data, but backups kicked into gear and it was on its merry way. And again, problems arose when the CST-100 got close to the ISS, two positioning thrusters that were to assist in docking with the spacecraft also had problems. Dassault reports

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Berlin Airlift Hero Honored

Candy Bomber Successor Takes Flight as USAF Celebrates 75 Years

The end of WWII saw the German capital, Berlin, become a divided city within a divided country. In 1948, when the Soviets attempted to cut off Western access to West Berlin—which was located deep inside Soviet-controlled East Germany—the newly-formed United States Air Force and the R.A.F. undertook a year-long initiative to airdrop food, fuel, and medical supplies to West Berliners.

Falcon 10X On Track for 2025 Certification Date

Dassault reports its Falcon 10X program is gaining momentum on its way to a proposed 2025 Q-4 certification date. The French aerospace giant states parts production for its future flagship business aircraft is underway, with final assembly set to begin in 2023. As detailed design work nears completion, assembly sites in Europe and North America—to include a brand-new Factory 4.0 smart manufacturing facility in Seclin (northern France)—are gearing up to make the ultra long-range, ultra wide-body Falcon 10X a reality.

Walmart Is Extending DroneUp Delivery Across 6 States In USA

Walmart is expanding its drone delivery service, with the help of DroneUp, across six states this year, to bring convenience to customers. Those pilot states include Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. They’ve been working on this solution over the past year, and customers’ orders weighing no more than 10 pounds can be delivered for a delivery fee of $3.99. It is expected that some 30-odd ‘sites’ will be in operation by the end of this year.

Phoenix East Aviation Turns 50, Celebrates Addition To United Aviate Program

Phoenix East Aviation (PEA), a flight training center based at Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB) in Florida, on its 50th birthday, has announced a partnership with United’s Aviate program to supply pilots to the commercial airline carrier. Mr. Kristoffer Johnson, CEO & President at PEA stated “we are proud to provide this excellent opportunity for the flight students and instructors attending PEA” and that by matching “the professional pilot training we provide… a clear career progression into the cockpit at United Airlines.”

Commaris Promises 3+ Hours With ‘Seeker’ VTOL UAV

Mr. Fred Beddard, Director of Sales Marketing & Flight Operations at Commaris spoke with us midway through AUVSI2022 about the ‘Seeker’. Its mission is those applications that require a long flight time, 3+ hours of flight time, carries a payload of 6.5 to 7.0 lbs, basically law enforcement, surveillance, inspection pipeline, rail line, oil, gas line and so on. Search and rescue is another application, as is agriculture, where they have multispectral cameras to do plant health; they can scan thousands of acres of farmland in just a few hours.

ALPA Boss Repudiates Proposal To Lower Pilot Standards

DePete Calls Claims of Imminent Pilot Shortages False Rhetoric

In a letter to FAA Administrator Billy Nolen, Airline Pilots Association president, Joseph G. DePete (pictured), excoriated Republic Airlines’s proposal to lower the the required pilot minimums for its R-ATP program from 1,500 hours to 750. Republic’s R-ATP program is a proposed, closed-loop system that the airline would operate within its subsidiary, LIFT Academy training program. Republic claims the benefit of the closed-loop system is that pilots selected to participate are trained entirely in house, in keeping with Part 141 training standards specific to ATP requirements.

Seattle Resident Uses Drone to Track Down Stolen Property

A Seattle man is using ingenuity and aviation technology to fight the rampant crime and worsening lawlessness afflicting his home town. Angry and disgusted after having his car broken into and his trailer stolen, Tony, a 39-year-old husband and father, began seeking means by which to locate his purloined property. His search led him to a Facebook group called PNW [Pacific Northwest] Stolen Cars— a forum in which victims of theft share information pertaining to their stolen property in hopes of recovering it.

French Aerospace Marque to Offer Shares in its Innovative, Cassio 330 Aircraft

VoltAero is launching a European, fractional-ownership program for its Cassio 330 electric-hybrid aircraft. The company accepted initial expressions of interest for fractional ownership shares of its five-seat, single-engine, pusher-configuration, twin-tail-boom canard at last weeks European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva.

Loss of Another SR22 Remains Under Investigation

Aero-News extends its condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Edwin Farr, whose body was recovered off the coast of Bryan County in southeastern Georgia. On 06 May 2022, the U.S. Coast Guard announced a search was underway for a possible downed aircraft approximately twenty-miles southeast of Wassaw Island—one of over one-hundred, tidal and barrier islands between the mouths of the Santee and St. Johns Rivers along the Atlantic coasts of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. The search was discontinued on the same date “pending new information.”

Skyborne Airline Academy to Provide JetSuiteX ‘JSX’ With Pilots

At the end of last month, Skyborne Airline Academy and JSX (formerly JetSuiteX) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) where the former will supply First Officers for JSX’s Embraer ERJ fleet, once those pilots reach 50 hours of multi-engine time, 1000 hours total time. The MOU states that Skyborne will provide an opportunity for its experienced flight instructors who also meet JSX’s strict hiring standards, to enrich their professional experience with JSX, a US Part 135 air carrier.

Pilot 'Heard A Loud Pop And The Control Yoke Oscillated Violently'

On May 15, 2022, about 1320 central daylight time, a Cessna 421C, N619AC, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Monroe, Louisiana. The pilot and five passengers were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot stated that immediately after departure from Morehouse Memorial Airport (BQP), Bastrop, Louisiana, he heard a loud pop and the control yoke oscillated violently.

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (05.31.22)

Aero Linx: Cardinal Flyers Online (CFO) CFO stands for Cardinal Flyers Online. We are an affinity group, an organization of individuals who own, operate or are interested in the Cessna 177 Cardinal, a single engine aircraft made by Cessna from 1968 through 1978. We are a virtual community of over 3000 people who exchange knowledge, experiences, information and wisdom through our online presense and at in-person events around the country and the world. The principles of CFO have been involved with Cardinal groups since the early 1980's. CFO itself started in 1997 and became an official organization on Jan 1, 2000.

Severe Weather Forecast Alerts Preliminary messages issued in order to alert users that a Severe Weather Watch Bulletin (WW) is being issued. These messages define areas of possible severe thunderstorms or tornado activity. The messages are unscheduled and issued as required by the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) at Norman, Oklahoma.

“Cassio will open a new era of highly sustainable air transportation in Europe with on-demand flight services for those who join our fractional share ownership... It’s highly appropriate that we bring this mobility solution to Europe with Cassio…" Source: Jean Botti, VoltAero’s CEO and Chief Technology Officer, detailing how VoltAero is launching a European, fractional-ownership program for its Cassio 330 electric-hybrid aircraft. The company accepted initial expressions of interest for fractional ownership shares of its five-seat, single-engine, pusher-configuration, twin-tail-boom canard at EBACE in Geneva.