Also: Tecnam P2012, Great Lakes Biplane, USAF X-56A, New IFR Training System, 'Lost In Space' Returns, Laser Strikes, ADS-B Seminar 

 

When it comes to innovative aircraft designs, our friend Burt Rutan is the guy to watch, and last week his latest creation, called the SkiGull, made its first flight in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Here’s some of what Burt had to say about the first flight on his Facebook page: “Yesterday our test team preflight briefed the first flight, took off from runway 06 at KCOE, flew for 1.8 hours and landed back on 06. The aggressive test card included all the basic stability and control flight tests with the cruise configuration and with flap down and skis extended. All maneuvers on the card were performed on this first flight. Speeds for first flight were limited to less than 80 knots and altitude to less than 8,000 feet.” The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, which is a living and flying museum dedicated to World War one era aircraft, has turned to the crowdfunding site GoFundMe in an effort to help rebuild its gift shop and model museum which was destroyed by a fire in August. Last week, NASA announced that it had selected Virgin Galactic as a partner in its Collaborative Opportunities program. As part of this new partnership, NASA will provide Virgin Galactic with technical expertise and access to test facilities to aid the development of our LauncherOne small satellite launch service. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!