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All News

May 14, 2022

Wingcopter 198 Receives SCA From FAA

Wingcopter 198 Hops New Milestone With Special Class Airworthiness

Yesterday, it was announced that German-based Wingcopter had reached a significant milestone in the trajectory of their winged 8-engine drone, having received a Special Class Airworthiness Certification from the FAA. An interesting feature of the 198 is the fact that it utilizes tilt-rotor technology which lends itself to greater maneuverability and stability unlike many of its ‘fixed-prop’ counterparts. The Wingcopter 198, billed as the world’s first ‘triple-drop delivery drone’ is now potentially on track to achieve Type Certification to engage in regular operations in the United States.

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US Coast Guard Changes Course On Satellite Launch

Space-X’s Falcon 9 Halts Launch When Cruise Ship Enters Zone

In early February 2022, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) opened an investigation following the incursion of a cruise ship into the ‘no launch zone’ less than 30 seconds prior to the launch of a Space-X rocket. The Royal Caribbean cruise ship, ‘Harmony of the Seas’ was returning to port Canaveral, which is approximately 10 miles south of the launch site of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Apparently, the February launch was the 4th attempt in as many days that SpaceX tried to launch the ‘COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation FM2’ mission to put the Italian Space Agency’s observation satel

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Airborne 05.06.22: Stratolaunch Flies Again!, MayDay STOL, AA v Pilots

Also: Rocket Lab Reuses, Balloon Festival at Lakeland, Norman Mineta Goes West, New KBOS Approach

Stratolaunch successfully completed its fifth flight test of Roc, the world’s largest flying aircraft. The aircraft flew for 4 hours and 58 minutes over the Mojave Desert and reached an altitude of 22,500 feet. The fifth flight debuted a new pylon on the aircraft’s center wing that will be used to carry and release Talon-A hypersonic vehicles. The hardware is comprised of a mini-wing and adapter that is constructed with aluminum and carbon fiber skins. It weighs approximately 8,000 pounds and occupies 14 feet of Roc’s 95-foot center wings

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Airborne-Flight Training 05.05.22: FAA Grants, Sportys SP Course, Rising Av. HS

Also: Van Nuys Career Day, Constant Aviation, JetBlue-Spirit, First USAF T-7A Red Hawk

To invest in and build a future workforce in aviation, the FAA is providing two grants to academia and the aviation community to inspire, recruit, and prepare a diverse, inclusive pool of pilots and maintenance technicians. These grants, total $10 million and are authorized through fiscal year 2023. Sporty's continues to go through and revise their online courses, this time allowing future LSA pilots to learn the ropes and save money on ground time for their Sport Pilot License. Like the other courses in recent months, Sporty's has updated things with new video, hand

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United Airlines Hauls Back On Routes

United Airlines Continues To Haul Back On Some International Routes

United Airlines is selectively culling some long-haul routes, for the month of June 2022 only…well…that’s the story for now, but this may be the continuation of more fits and starts before they eventually, if ever, find their footing on regularly scheduled operations to previously served destinations.

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FAA, EASA Issue Emergency AD’s for Helicopters

FAA Issues Emergency Airworthiness Directive For Airbus' AS, EC, and MBB Helicopters

Earlier this month, the FAA issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive, AD 2022-10-51 for specific models of the Airbus AS, EC, and MBB series of helicopters. This AD is in response to a “supplier report of non-conformity during production”, in particular, the ‘Flexball’ flight control cables which, if not addressed, may result in those controls becoming jammed, and subsequently pilot loss of control. Similarly, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an emergency AD 2022-0077-E on 29 April 2022 to correct that unsafe condition.

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Classic Aero-TV: SpiderTracks – Aero-Tracking Par Excellence

From 2018 (YouTube Version): New Zealand Company Tracks Over 6,000 Aircraft Every Day

The idea for Spidertracks took root in 2005, when a high-profile New Zealander crashed his helicopter and couldn’t be found for two full weeks. The question became, why wasn’t there a better and more affordable way to locate downed aircraft? Not long after that incident, the first Spider made its way into the world. It became clear that they had tapped into something the market needed — and since that day in early 2007, Spidertracks has grown into a globally recognized brand synonymous with quality and value.

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Daher Seeks LIST For Composite Welding

Daher & List Combine Efforts To Weld Thermoplastic Composites

French Aircraft manufacturer, Daher, perhaps best known to General Aviation for its TBM line-up of turboprop single engine airplanes has teamed up with the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) to develop welding technology for use in aircraft assembly which utilize thermoplastic composites.

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NTSB Prelim: Piper PA-28-235

Exited The Left Side Of The Runway, Went Into A Ditch Where The Landing Gear Impacted A Sign...

On April 3, 2022, about 1755 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-28-235, N9119W sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Calhan, Colorado. The pilot and two passengers sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Video surveillance of the accident showed the airplane cross the runway threshold and it remained airborne until past the 1st taxiway and appeared to touchdown near the 2nd taxiway before it bounced.

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ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (05.14.22)

Aero Linx: The International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations IFALPA is the global voice of pilots. An international not-for-profit organization, IFALPA represents over 100,000 pilots in nearly 100 countries. The mission of the Federation is to promote the highest level of aviation safety worldwide and to be the global advocate of the piloting profession; providing representation, services, and support to both our members and the aviation industry.

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ANN's Daily Aero-Term (05.14.22): Land And Hold Short Operations

Land And Hold Short Operations Operations which include simultaneous takeoffs and landings and/or simultaneous landings when a landing aircraft is able and is instructed by the controller to hold-short of the intersecting runway/taxiway or designated hold-short point. Pilots are expected to promptly inform the controller if the hold short clearance cannot be accepted.

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Aero-News: Quote of the Day (05.14.22)

"Earlier this year, it looked as if MidTex Aviation would step in and buy Enstrom, but when they had unexpected problems securing the funding, Chuck was able to step in and save the company, which ended a lot of sleepless nights here for us in Michigan!" Source: Matt Francour, President & CEO of Enstrom. explaining some of the details about how Enstrom Helicopter finally got sold.

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