Also: P-40 Landing Gear Failure, AVW: Breaking The Sound Barrier, Aeromobil 3.0, Wright Brothers Master Pilots

While it is WAY too early to name a specific probable cause for the accident that befell SpaceShipTwo, evidence has revealed a series of worrisome clues that seem to indicate that SpaceShipTwo may have undergone an uncommanded wing feathering sequence at a speed in excess of Mach One. Wing feathering requires two primary actions... the first is to activate the wing feathering system, usually done at 1.4 Mach and, this time, done a bit earlier at about 1.0... the other is to actuate the wing feather seq

Forty-Three Aircraft In LRIP 8 Contract

The U.S. Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin have reached an agreement in principle for the production of 43 F-35 Lightning II aircraft. Officials anticipate the Low-Rate Initial Production lot 8 (LRIP 8) contract to be finalized in the coming weeks. The contract is for fiscal year 2014 with deliveries beginning in 2016.

Will Update The Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) In Preparation For Future Dual Frequency Capability

The FAA has awarded a $131 million contract to Raytheon Company for Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) Dual Frequency Operations (DFO) Segment 1.  Under this contract, Raytheon will enhance overall system capability as the FAA moves toward a dual frequency system.

Bel Air Of Norway, Lufttransport AS Of Norway Will Provide Simulator Training

Two training services contracts have been signed between AgustaWestland and BelAir of Denmark and Lufttransport AS of Norway to support AWs new generation helicopters.

U.K. Electric Utility Expands Its Fleet To Five Of The Aircraft

Western Power Distribution (WPD) has signed a purchase agreement for a new EC135 P2e from Airbus Helicopters UK. The aircraft, selected against a demanding requirement, will join WPD’s four current EC135 P1s, making it one of the largest, independent fleets in the UK. The aircraft is due to be delivered in March 2015.

Teams With Tata Industries To Make The Bid

Airbus Defense and Space and Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) have submitted a joint bid to replace the Indian Air Force´s fleet of Avro aircraft with the Airbus C295 medium transport.

Four Seasprite Multi-Mission Naval Helos To Get Enhanced SAR Capabilities

General Dynamics Canada has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract to upgrade four SH-2G Super Seasprite helicopters with an integrated mission system to enhance the operational capability of the Peruvian Navy and its ability to meet the demands of modern maritime missions.

Request For Proposals Focuses On Low-Mass Materials With Honeycomb Or Foam Cores

NASA is seeking proposals to develop and manufacture ultra-lightweight materials for aerospace vehicles and structures of the future. Proposals will demonstrate lower-mass alternatives to honeycomb or foam cores currently used in composite sandwich structures.

Country Will Have 22 Airbus Aircraft Following Delivery

Mexico has signed a contract with Airbus Defence and Space for the acquisition of two additional Airbus C295 medium transport aircraft for the Mexican Navy.

Inaugural Orbital Debris Workshop Will Feature Panelists From Industry, Government, Academe

The University of Maryland Center for Orbital Debris Education and Research (CODER) has announced speakers and panelists for the inaugural 2014 Orbital Debris Workshop. The workshop connects individuals and research from across academe, industry and government to foster collaboration and promote the long-term goal of developing policies, laws and systems leading to the effective remediation and control of orbital debris.

Had Been Suspended By FAA In August For Safety Issues

Dynamic Airways, a US airline based in Greensboro, NC, is ready to restart its service from New York, NY (JFK) to Georgetown, Guyana (GEO).

AD NUMBER: 2014-21-05

PRODUCT: Certain Boeing Model DC-10-10, DC-10-10F, DC-10-30, DC-10-30F (KC-10A and KDC-10), DC-10-40, MD-10-10F, and MD-10-30F airplanes.

AD NUMBER: 2014-21-08

PRODUCT: Certain Bombardier, Inc. Model BD-700-1A11 airplanes.

Hart Starts What Might Be A 'Year-Long' Effort To Find A Probable Cause For The Loss of SS2

ANN RealTime Update--0206 ET, 11.03.14: A late Sunday evening press conference hosted by Acting NTSB Boss, Christopher Hart has revealed some notable details in this early investigation period. While it is WAY too early to name a specific probable cause for the accident that befell SpaceShipTwo, evidence has revealed a series of worrisome clues that seem to indicate that SpaceShipTwo may have undergone an uncommanded wing feathering sequence at a speed in excess of Mach One. Wing feathering requires two primary actions... the first is to activate the wing feathering system, usually done at 1.4 Mach and, this time, done a bit earlier at about 1.0... the othe

Rocket Science Is Hard... As Hard As Life Itself

Analysis/Commentary By ANN Editor-In-Chief/CEO, Jim Campbell It's been a bad couple of days... for aviation and aerospace -- and all those who dream of greater things for ourselves and our children. But as bad as the news has been, so has the coverage given to these events by general media personnel who, simply put, don't know what they are talking about. And worse than that, these clowns do not appeciate (or care) about the benefits our world has accrued or the critical (but necessary) relationship between risk and reward -- and/or how our present circumstances and capabilities have been brought about -- even if it was force fed to them by the likes of Christopher Columbus, Charles Lindbergh, and/or Neil A

FAASTeam Recognizes Those Who Have Flown 50 Years Without An Accident

The Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award is presented by the FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam) to pilots who have been certificated and flying for 50 consecutive years without an accident. On November 8, FAA officials will be on hand at the regular monthly meeting of EAA Chapter 983, Granbury, Texas, to present 13 pilots with this prestigious award.

NTPS Instructor and Student Lost in Training Flight

A training flight from the National Test Pilot School has resulted in an accident that has taken the lives of a Senior NTPS Staffer, Mike Hill, and a foreign student, Ilam Zigante. The focus of the flight was reported to be spin training... a flight regime already known to have been troublesome in previous Slingby T76 accidents/incidents. According to a statement issued by NTPS, "It is with great sorrow that the National Test Pilot School (NTPS) reports that NTPS Instructor Mr. Michael (Mike) Hill and NTPS Student Mr. Ilam Zigante perished in an accident in a T-67 Slingsby Firefly aircraft on 24 October 2014. The accident occurred during a scheduled NTPS curriculum sortie approximately 28 miles north of t

Klyde Is Right On The Money... General Media Coverage of Aviation and Aerospace Is AWFUL

FMI: www.klydemorris.com

The Term Ultralight In The U.S. Means Something Different From The Same Term Used In Some Other Countries

The term light sport aircraft (LSA) is reserved for U.S. certification, but the term ultralight is used for a similar airplane in many other countries. That’s why it’s not uncommon to see a foreign manufacturer’s website use the term ultralight when referring to an LSA being offered in the U.S.

Also: More TFRs, Pelton on Aviation Outreach, Type Clubs Speak Out, NGPA Leader Lost, KICT King Air Accident

In a statement posted on the Virgin Galactic website, the company said: "Virgin Galactic’s partner Scaled Composites conducted a powered test flight of SpaceShipTwo earlier today. During the test, the vehicle suffered a serious anomaly resulting in the loss of the vehicle. Our first concern is the status of the pilots, which is unknown at this time. We will work closely with the relevant authorities to determine the cause of the accident and provide updates as soon as we are able to do so." The Gen

Had Survived The Accident, But Fall Caused More Serious Injuries

The NTSB has released a preliminary report from an accident that resulted in the fatal injury of the pilot of a CGS Aviation Hawk Arrow II airplane.

Pilot Unhurt When Gear Collapsed After Landing

A P-40 Warhawk landing at New Smyrna Beach airport on Florida's central Atlantic coast suffered a landing gear failure after touching down at 1622 EDT Wednesday afternoon.

Aero Linx: Pilots For Christ International Pilots For Christ International is a non-denominational organization of pilots and aviation enthusiasts, dedicated to the promotion of the Gospel through aviation and necessary ground transportation. If you are in need of free air or ground transportation, then Pilots for Christ may be able to help. Please see our Services Page for information on how to request a flight or ground transportation.

UT (Universal Time) UT (Universal Time), also called Zulu (Z) time, previously Greenwich Mean Time. UT is based on the imaginary "mean sun," which averages out the effects on the length of the solar day caused by Earth's slightly non-circular orbit about the sun. UT is not updated with leap seconds as is UTC.

"The readiness to blame a dead pilot for an accident is nauseating, but it has been the tendency ever since I can remember. What pilot has not been in positions where he was in danger and where perfect judgment would have advised against going? But when a man is caught in such a position he is judged only by his error and seldom given credit for the times he has extricated himself from worse situations. Worst of all, blame is heaped upon him by other pilots, all of whom have been in parallel situations themselves, but without being caught in them. If one took no chances, one would not fly at all. Safety lies in the judgment of the chances one takes. That judgment, in turn, must rest upon one's outlook on life. Any coward can sit in his home and criticize a pilot for flying into