Sister School to Thrust Flight Pilot Academy Launches A&P Curriculum

Aviation Maintenance Technician (A&P) courses will commence on 06 November 2023 at Addison, Texas’s Thrust Institute of Maintenance—sister school of the Thrust Flight pilot academy. The convening of Autumn classes occasions the fulfillment of Thrust Institute of Maintenance’s 21 June 2023 commitment to offer an Airframe & Powerplant technician curriculum at its facility on Texas’s Addison Airport (ADS). The new program will provide aviation technicians an exceptional educational experience and opportunity to earn the FAA’s Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) mechanic certification—a standard prerequisite to the aircraft maintenance

Eastbound Eagle

The Republic of Indonesia and Boeing, during Indonesian Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto’s recent visit to the United States, finalized the sale of 24 F-15EX to Indonesia—subject to U.S. State Department approval. Following a tour of the F-15EX production line at Boeing’s St. Louis, Missouri facility, Indonesian Ministry of Defense Head of Defense Facilities Air Vice Marshal Yusuf Jauhari and Boeing Fighters vice-president Mark Sears signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) outlining the sale of the highly-capable fourth-generation-plus air superiority fighters.

Best-Seller Given Brand New Tail Section for Improved Performance

A new tail layout for the R66 Turbine will provide "enhanced roll stability during high-speed flight." Robinson Helicopter Company says that the new configuration also aids in operating costs, increasing the horizontal stabilizer's previous 2,000-hour time between overhaul to a much loftier 4,000 hours. The new empennage sports a symmetrical horizontal stabilizer mounted on the tailcone, also mounted a bit further forward than the original. The development is a simple effort at improving the handling, production efficiency, and design of the R66, Robinson's bread and butter aircraft.

Deviation from the Historical Mean

Racine, Wisconsin-based DeltaHawk is a privately-held manufacturer of reciprocating engines for aircraft and hybrid power systems. The company and its teams of engineers, designers, manufacturing specialists, flight test, and certification experts has devised a new generation of patented, FAA-certified, jet-fuel-burning, aviation piston engines for a wide variety of general aviation, military, and experimental aircraft and ground-based applications. In May 2023, DeltaHawk’s DHK180 powerplant was granted FAA Type Certification. In July 2023 DeltaHawk’s commenced accepting reservation deposits for it

Also: DOJ Sues SpaceX, Teal 2 Military UAV, Kelluu Airships, ZeroAvia

Autel's EVO Max series of drones are the beneficiary of some new features via an update to the accompanying app and firmware. Overall, the improvements amount to some quality-of-life updates here and there, with a handful of very convenient features. India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission landed on the moon successfully, less than a week after a competing Russian mission impacted the surface after unsuccessful orbital maneuvering. The successful touchdown of Chandrayaan-3 is a feather in the cap for India’s space program as it vies for recognition in the international

Also: DOJ Sues SpaceX, Teal 2 Military UAV, Kelluu Airships, ZeroAvia

Autel's EVO Max series of drones are the beneficiary of some new features via an update to the accompanying app and firmware. Overall, the improvements amount to some quality-of-life updates here and there, with a handful of very convenient features. India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission landed on the moon successfully, less than a week after a competing Russian mission impacted the surface after unsuccessful orbital maneuvering. The successful touchdown of Chandrayaan-3 is a feather in the cap for India’s space program as it vies for recognition in the international

Also: WI Airport Threatened, RIP: Creighton King, That's All Brother, Clifford Henderson Trophy

Alleging the world-leading orbital space-launch provider’s hiring practices discriminate against asylum seekers and refugees, the Biden DOJ has sued SpaceX. In a statement, the DOJ set forth: “The lawsuit alleges that, from at least September 2018 to May 2022, SpaceX routinely discouraged asylees and refugees from applying and refused to hire or consider them, because of their citizenship status, in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act.” the Justice Department said in a statement. Boom Supersonic, the American compa

Up, Up, and Away …

Bally Ribbon Mills (BRM) is a Pennsylvania-based designer and manufacturer of highly-specialized, engineered woven-webbing, tapes, specialty fabrics, woven preforms, and two-dimensional and three-dimensional structural fabrics. In addition to providing civilian, military, and government customers with nylon, Kevlar, Nomex, and other such high-strength engineered fabrics, Bally Ribbon Mills has supplied E-WEBBINGS e-textiles to Best Aviation Services. Inc., the balloon manufacturing and repair company developing a tension system to support the Torabhaig Atlantic Explorer gas balloon’s open basket. In September 2023, the three-man crew of the Torabhaig Atlantic Explorer will attempt to make history’s first non-s

Factory to Boast Suite of Econo, Eco, and Auto Features Beyond the Norm

Airbus announced a brand new facility focused on production of the upcoming A321XLR, to sport nearly 10,000 square meters of production space to create rear fuselages. While the addition of more floor space and production lines is rarely interesting, Airbus is going about it a little more aggressively than usual, equipping the Finkenwerder site with all kinds of funky, fresh, and familiar goods to pump out as many aircraft as it can. Much like competitor Boeing, Airbus has its eyes set on some surprising output figures in the future: 75 aircraft a month from the A320 family by 2026.

Romanian Training Facility Added to the Falcon’s Nests

The F-16 Fighting Falcon continues to be a popular fighter and a perennial geopolitical topic for anyone looking for a capable, modern, affordable fighter. With the fighter’s growing European footprint, the number of support and training facilities must also grow, with the latest on the roster added in Romania. The country is a buyer of F-16s, and will embark on their training Center in cooperation with the Netherlands, a longtime pillar of the European Falconer scene.

Also: WI Airport Threatened, RIP: Creighton King, That's All Brother, Clifford Henderson Trophy

Alleging the world-leading orbital space-launch provider’s hiring practices discriminate against asylum seekers and refugees, the Biden DOJ has sued SpaceX. In a statement, the DOJ set forth: “The lawsuit alleges that, from at least September 2018 to May 2022, SpaceX routinely discouraged asylees and refugees from applying and refused to hire or consider them, because of their citizenship status, in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act.” the Justice Department said in a statement. Boom Supersonic, the American compa

Of Pages and Wrenches Turned

The ASA 2024 Test Guide books for aviation mechanics preparing for the FAA’s General, Airframe, and Powerplant Knowledge Exams will commence shipping mid-September 2023. The new editions align with the Aviation Mechanic Airman Certification Standards (FAA-S-ACS-1) and Part 147 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. Each Test Guide includes a code for five free practice tests at Prepware.com.

After Takeoff, The Airplane’s Maximum Altitude Reached Was 125 Ft Above Ground Level (AGL)

On June 25, 2023, at 1232 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-30, N7240Y, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Claxton, Georgia. The pilot, flight instructor, and pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 instructional flight.According to preliminary automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS-B) data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the airplane departed Swinton Smith Field - Reidsville Municipal Airport (RVJ), Reidsville, Georgia about 1140, and was destined for Claxton - Evans County Airport (CWV), Claxton

Aero Linx: Piper Apache Club In 1978 a group of Piper Apache owners from the USA and Canada gathered in Hazleton, PA and formed the "Flying Apache Association".  The Association produced a monthly newsletter and had an annual fly-in in various locations in the  United States and the Bahama Islands.  The Piper Apache was primarily owned by individuals that were long time owners and some flight schools for multi-trainers.  As time went on many of the owners moved on to larger twins and a lot of the planes were sold to individuals that were only interested in building multi time to get an airline job.  There was still a group of dedicated Apache Lovers out there that kept i

Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN)

An ultra-high frequency electronic rho-theta air navigation aid which provides suitably equipped aircraft a continuous indication of bearing and distance to the TACAN station.

“We have invested years of expertise into developing the F-15EX capabilities. There is no other fighter like the F-15 in the world, and this platform will put Indonesia at the top of air dominance capabilities. Boeing is ready to support this effort and remains a committed partner to the U.S. government in advancing international security objectives with allies and partners around the world.” Source: A quote from Boeing Fighters vice-president Mark Sears after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) outlining the sale of the highly-capable fourth-generation-plus air superiority fighters -- 24 F-1