More Than 56,000 Members, Youth And Adult Members, Serve As Volunteers

Civil Air Patrol members throughout the United States and in overseas squadrons have been celebrating the organization’s commitment to community service — a commitment that began Dec. 1, 1941, and has continued for 80 years. More than 56,000 members, youth and adult members, volunteer their time and talent to perform essential emergency services, advance aerospace and STEM education, and provide youth programs that build character, enhance physical and mental fitness, and shape the leaders of tomorrow.

ICAO Is The United Nations’ Air Safety Organization

The US Senate has confirmed the nomination of C. B. “Sully” Sullenberger III to be the U.S. representative on the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, who along with fellow “Miracle on the Hudson” pilot Jeff Skiles, became instantly known on January 15, 2009, when they successfully landed an airliner on the Hudson River following a complete loss of engine power after the aircraft struck a flock of geese. All 155 people on board were safely rescued from the river in an incident that quickly became known as the “Miracle on the Hudson.” The ICAO is the United Nations’ air safety organization with a mission to serve as a global forum for international civil aviation.

Also: Commemorative Air Force, Skydiving Museum Fundraiser, SmartSky, Shadin Avionics

The Experimental Aviation Association has passed a big milestone for the once niche aviation organization. Begun in 1953 by a group wanting grassroots, enthusiastic support for aviation, the EAA has grown to over 250,000 members for the first time in history. The quarter of a million mark comes at the tail end of a bonanza over the last 5 years that saw group membership grow by 25%. Daher's Kodiak celebrated a milestone when it recently delivered the 300th plane, an important moment for the high-wing, turboprop workhorse. Introduced in 2007 as a STOL option for those needing reliable, capacious, hardy aircraft for remote missions, the Kodiak saw itself quickly pressed into service in humanitarian, medical, governmental, and special mission sectors. The Kodiak squared off with similar backwoods aircraft in offering an unimproved, dirt-strip performance

Also: USAF Extends Rated Prep Program, Micro Drones UAV Sim, Drone Awareness, ERAU Scholarship

Flight School Promotion  will receive its first Sonaca 200 Trainer Pro shortly. The Sonaca 200 Trainer Pro is the Glass Cockpit version of their two-seater low-wing aircraft with an all-metal structure and a 750 kg maximum take-off weight. The Volocopter VoloCity eVTOL aircraft has been officially added to the roster of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, granted through the application's Sim Update VII. The 33.4 gigabyte update added the first vertical takeoff and rotorcraft to the game as part of a joint effort with Volocopter as a multi-function advertisement, update, and training tool. Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has chosen the International Test Pilots School (ITPS) in Ontario, Canada, for one of the biggest flight test training contracts in the school's history. Turkish Aerospace has a full roster of developing aircraft to test and evalua

Also: DJI Joins AnimaMundi, Earth Defense Grid, Bladeless Balloon Drone, Aergility's ATLIS

E-Hang's 216 autonomous electric vehicle completed an aerial sightseeing demonstration at the tourist favorite of Bali, Indonesia working alongside local partner Prestige Aviation. During a 5-minute unmanned flight at Villa Blackstone Beach, VIP guests saw the aircraft take off and hover amidst the beautiful backdrop before returning to earth on the painted landing target. Guests from Indonesia's directorate of civil aviation, industry authorities, and other VIPs preceded the momentous flight by speeches and photos. Schiebel, working with Andøya Space Defence, recently completed a test of their Camcopter S-100’s search and rescue capabilities in a week-long trial aboard the Norwegian Coast Guard's Nordkapp in the frigid northern waters above the 75th parallel. The unmanned aircraft was the focus of the week-long program through the Norwegian Min

Pratt & Whitney PW812D Certified for Flight 

The Dassault Aviation extra widebody Falcon 6X has passed another milestone on its way to production after Transport Canada approved the use of the newest iteration of the Pratt & Whitney PW800 series, the high-efficiency PW812D.  Currently in flight testing, the engine program has completed more than 500 hours of flight time across 150 flights as Dassault evaluates fuel efficiency, maintainability, and performance for the installation. CEO Eric Trappier congratulated Pratt on their win, saying “Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PW812D engine is a major step forward in fuel efficiency, maintainability and performance, and will help make the 6X a truly outstanding aircraft.”

Unfortunately, There Were Seven Fatal Experimental Category Accidents Last Month

November’s uptick in experimental category aircraft accidents is another reminder that aviation safety is a journey, not a destination. There were seven fatal experimental category accidents last month, well above the two projected as part of the FAA’s not-to-exceed figure for the month. It also put the yearly tally, just two months into the new federal fiscal year, above the FAA not-to-exceed tracking for the year. Early indications show that this increase mirrors a parallel increase in general aviation accidents overall in November.

'SpaceX Crew Transportation System Is The Only One Certified To Meet NASA’s Safety Requirements'

NASA intends to issue a sole source modification to SpaceX to acquire up to three additional crew flights to the International Space Station as part of its Commercial Crew Transportation Capabilities (CCtCap) contract. The additional crew flights allow NASA to maintain an uninterrupted U.S. capability for human access to the space station. In October, NASA issued a request for information from American industry capable of providing safe, reliable, and cost-effective human space transportation services to and from the International Space Station to ensure a continuous human presence aboard the microgravity laboratory.

Klyde Keeps Scratching His Head Over Current Events...

FMI: www.klydemorris.com

From Oshkosh 2021: Goal Is To Try To Maintain A 400 Knot Cruise And Ceiling Up To 41,000 Feet

Stratos Aircraft presents its newest debut, a single engine VLJ, the Stratos 716X. The experimental version will use the proven Pratt & Whitney JTE-5 with an eye towards flight testing for certification under part 23 in 2026 with delivery of aircraft in 2028. Fred Hadlich, Program Director, goes over a bit of what makes it so special. Geared for the owner/operator, the 716X is competitive with popular turboprops like the TBM or Epic 1000, even smaller bizjets like the Citation Mustang. The certified version should entice a section of the market less interested in experimental category aircraft or commercial operators.