Falcon: Best Option For The Company At This Time

After being rumored for months, LightSquared officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan Monday afternoon. The move came only hours before a deal to prevent the Internet start-up from defaulting on its debt was set to expire.

'Longitude' Rolled Out At EBACE

Another trade show, another new airplane announcement for Cessna. The Wichita planemaker rolled out its new Citation Longitude Monday at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE). This launch follows on the heels of Cessna's announcement, just over six months ago, of the new Citation M2 and Citation Latitude.

Pilot On Board For First Flight, Will Eventually Be Unmanned

The U.S. Air Force completed the first manned flight of the QF-16 Full Scale Aerial Target (FSAT) on May 4 at Cecil Field in Jacksonville, FL. The QF-16 took off at 1505 EDT and climbed to an altitude of 41,000 feet during its 66-minute flight. The Air Force awarded a multi-year contract to Boeing in March 2010 that represented Phase I of the initial engineering, manufacturing and development of the QF-16, with options to buy up to 126 FSATs.

Improved Hardware Could Speed Certification Process For Some Aircraft

Preliminary design work has been completed on a $13 million-plus contract to design, build and test an improved replacement system for a 30-plus year old testing process used to certify helicopters and small fixed-wing airplanes for operation in icing conditions. The program is known as the Objective Helicopter Icing Spray System (OHISS).

SpaceX and Bigelow Aerospace Join Forces to Offer Crewed Missions To BA 330 Habitats

There will come a time when privately-held space stations orbit the Earth ... and it may be coming sooner than you think. But crews will have to be transported to those facilities, and that's where a company like SpaceX comes in. On Thursday, SpaceX and Bigelow Aerospace (BA) said they have agreed to conduct a joint marketing effort focused on international customers.

Dune Shifts Similar To Those Seen On Earth

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has revealed that movement in sand dune fields on the Red Planet occurs on a surprisingly large scale, about the same as in dune fields on Earth. This is unexpected because Mars has a much thinner atmosphere than Earth, is only about one percent as dense, and its high-speed winds are less frequent and weaker than Earth's.

Aircraft To Be Assembled In Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan has signed a letter of intent to acquire 20 Eurocopter EC725 helicopters, marking a major new commitment for this medium-lift rotorcraft. These aircraft, which will be assembled in-country, will be used by the Ministry of Defense in a full range of mission applications.

Touts New Adventure Aviation Regulation

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has said the Fox Glacier airplane accident that fatally injured nine people could have been avoided if a new regulation had been in effect at the time. The PM was speaking in Queenstown, and referenced the Civil Aviation Authority’s new part 115 rule which specifically regulates the adventure aviation industry saying it would have ensured the crash would not happen.

New Services Shift Maintenance Management Away From Flight Crews

A new maintenance management program desigend to offer short or long term, customized aircraft maintenance management services with an emphasis on safety, reliability and retention of asset value, was unveiled Thursday by a newcomer to the aviation maintenance management field.

To Study Storms' Impact On The Upper Troposphere

NASA researchers have flown off on a campaign that is taking them into the heart of thunderstorm country. The Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry (DC3) field campaign is using an airport in Salina, KS, as a base to explore the impact of large thunderstorms on the concentration of ozone and other substances in the upper troposphere.

Tailwheel Checkout Didn't Go So Well

The old adage "Any landing you can walk away from is a good one" may seem like a bit of a stretch in most situations, but it applies to Donald Kilday's first solo landing in his recently purchased Citabria.

Says Improvements Create Climate For Sustainable Growth In The Region

For Fraport AG's executive board chairman Dr. Stefan Schulte, the year 2011 marks a decisive milestone in the company's history. Speaking at Fraport AG's Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Friday, May 11, 2012, in Frankfurt,-Hochst, Schulte said "With the opening of Frankfurt Airport's Runway Northwest, we have laid the foundation for the future development of our company - while creating sustainable growth opportunities for the city of Frankfurt and the entire state of Hesse."

Agreement with Flight Data Expert, AvFinity, Helps Airlines Take Advantage Of Cloud By Simplifying Communications

While the rapid advance of technology continues to aid the North American airline industry, those same advancements are making timely and accurate communication challenging for some airlines. The pace of change is challenging the continual transmissions that occur during every flight such as relaying key modifications in flight plans or weather and airport updates.

Also: NTSB, Kyle Franklin, Aspen, SpaceX, OSH2012, Akoya, Cessna, Raptors, and WATCH OUT Over Chicago!!! Yep... another busy week... so let's get on with Airborne! Pipistrel is proving itself to be an amazing company... again and again. Just a couple of weeks after introducing its new four-place hybrid “Panthera” airplane, Pipistrel has taken the wraps off of its brand new Alpha Trainer ... which as the name suggests, is designed as a primary training airplane. Hawker Beechcraft has announced that it has reached an agreement with a significant number of its senior secured lenders and senior bondholders on the terms of a financial restructur

By ANN Guest Columnist Kristy Graham

ANN E-I-C Note: Ms. Graham has submitted the following editorial in support of a story we did last week (Stupid Fed Trix? Anonymous Unsubstantiated FAA Hotline Call Gets Pilot Suspended) discussing the issues involved in yet another FAA action against an admittedly innocent pilot victimized by anonymous and unsubstantiated complaints, at least one of which was submitted by Convicted Felon and Criminal Pilot, David G Riggs... whom we fear may be one of the most dangerous men in all of General Aviation -- despite the FAA's inexplicable unwillingness to confront a number of well-documented issues ass

Certification Expected In 2014

The first prototype of AgustaWestland's new generation AW169 flew for the first time Thursday. The AW169 program is on schedule to achieve basic civil certification in 2014. The 4.5 ton light-intermediate helo was flown by AgustaWestland’s Chief Test Pilot, Giuseppe Lo Coco, Test Pilot Giuseppe Afruni, and Flight Test Engineers Massimo Longo and Stefano Rognoni at the company’s Cascina Costa plant in Italy.

Klyde Offers Up Some 'Arresting' Commentary

FMI: www.klydemorris.com

At Issue Is Airport Rent Hike For Air Shows

A meeting held to discuss a rental contract between Quad City Air Show and the Davenport City Council left at least two of the city's aldermen frustrated by the inability of the two parties to reach a compromise over the airport rental agreement.

Awards Presented To Members And Non-Members For Achievements In Aviation

The Ninety-Nines, the International Organization of Women Pilots, will present several awards to members and non members for significant accomplishments in support of The Ninety-Nines and aviation. Winners will be honored at a banquet during the organization’s annual meeting in Providence, RI, on July 13th.

NATS Reports That Delays Have Been Cut 99 Percent

Flight delays caused by the UK Aeronautical Information System NATS have been cut by 99 per cent in 10 years to an all-time low level. Figures for February to April 2012 show the average NATS air traffic control (ATC) delay was down to 1.4 seconds per flight, the lowest figure since records began in the mid-1990s. That compares to an average delay of 132.1 seconds 10 years ago.

Approved For Installation In Beech King Air Series Airplanes

The FAA has issued a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for Universal Avionics’ third generation Airborne Datalink System, UniLink UL-800/801 Communications Management Unit (CMU).

Heavy-Lift Helo Flew For The First Time 50 Years Ago

Wednesday marked the 50th anniversary of the maiden flight of the CH-54, the military version of the S-64 Aircrane (“Aircrane”). The Aircrane was designed, developed, and produced as a multi-purpose, heavy-lift aircraft.

Local Airport Advisory (LAA) - A service provided by facilities, which are located on the landing airport, have a discrete ground-to-air communication frequency or the tower frequency when the tower is closed, automated weather reporting with voice broadcasting, and a continuous ASOS/AWSS/AWOS data display, other continuous direct reading instruments, or manual observations available to the specialist.

Aero Linx: Aerostar Owners Association The Association offers the Aerostar Owner a unique opportunity to tap an invaluable source of information concerning the care and feeding of this fine airplane. The networking aspect alone is worth the cost of the membership dues... You can make unlimited telephone calls to the AOA office and speak with a person completely knowledgeable in the operation of the various models and if the information is not readily available, every effort will be made to get the answer to the member as soon as possible. In addition, the Association keeps in touch with all it's members through its magazine The Aerostar Log.

“The AW169 is the only new generation helicopter in its category to be launched in decades, so this is an important milestone for the continued enhancement of AgustaWestland’s product range and for the development of our family of new generation helicopters... With both the AW169 and AW189 now flying and the AW139 established as the market leader in it class, we are able to offer the market the most advanced range of helicopters across the 4 to 8 tonne weight classes in the shortest possible timescales. Operator will for the first time ever, in the helicopter market, be able to benefit from the advantages of a family concept of three new generation helicopters.”  Source: Bruno Spagnolini, Chief Executive Officer