Operator Adds to the Corporate Family, Filling Shelves and Adding Experience

Yingling Aviation has acquired Mid-Continent Aviation Services, adding the full-service MRO to its collection of similar facilities. The business has been in the MRO, parts, & support biz since 2010, building up a presence out of its Wichita, Kansas home. Yingling quickly made itself a fixture at the Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, taking on jobs from tip to tail in pretty much any plane that rolls into the hangar. Their new acquisition expands its base of expertise, employees, and preparation for future work. Details surrounding the purchase are undisclosed, but it sounds as if Mid-Continent will be good to its new folks.

Stripped-Down Archer Derivative Finds Footing in Vero Beach Flight School

Piper's trainer-specific iteration of the Pa28 remains popular with Skyborne Airline Academy, with another order for 20 more filling out the manufacturer's order books. The school already has almost a dozen on the books, with an initial order placed in late 2023 as the first element in a multi-year fleet agreement. This newest deal will run about $8 million for Skyborne, buying them even more of the stripped-down, cost-efficient, Archer derivative. The 'Pilot 100i' gets rid of the frills of the mainstream Archer LX, replacing its soft touch appointments with hard plastic and more resilient interior features. It also sports a more spacious cabin behind the front seats, w

Also: Odysseus Lander Lying Prone, HAL Rebrands, Enstrom Adds AC, Hartzell Bumps Up Warranty

The (truly) legendary Burt Rutan will return to Oshkosh in 2024 with appearances and forums coinciding with the 50th anniversary of his VariEze canard aircraft design. EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024 is July 22-28 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh. Rutan, an EAA Lifetime member for more than 50 years, made his first big splash at Oshkosh in 1972 with the VariViggen, which brought canard design to the homebuilt community. The Reno Air Racing Association folks have disclosed the top three locations in the running to become the future home of the National Cham

Firm Continues Adding to Airbus Collection with 85 More A321neos

American Airlines singed a firm order for 85 A321neo narrowbodies, bringing its total order for the type to 219 aircraft. The carrier took delivery of its first of the type in 2019, and has brought its total fleet of A321neos to 70 in all. The carrier remains the world's largest operator of the family, including the older A321ceo. It makes sense that they would keep on buying more of the same, since the Airbus product just keeps refining its offerings. The newest mark of the A321 offers 20% fuel savings and 50% fuel reduction over legacy ones, and every cent counts in the cutthroat airline biz.

King Air-Based T-54A to See New Simulator Arrangements, Avionics Trainers for Navy Students

TRU Simulation announced the receipt of a Multi-Engine Training System (METS) and Ground Based Training System (GBTS) contract from the Naval Air Warfare Center – Training Systems Division. The base award will see them provide a trio of Unit Training Device (UTD) simulators in a King Air 260 standard configuration, a single Operational Flight Trainer simulator in the METS T-54A configuration, one Simulator Support Station for the METS T-54A sim, and 21 Desktop Trainers for avionics training. It's a pretty big deal for the brand, getting them some always popular military-used brand awareness and padding out the pocket book for 2024.

Models Need More Tweaking Before Publication

The Biden administration was set to unveil new modeling to gauge the effect of sustainable aviation fuels on the climate, citing disagreements among developers. The revised model is supposed to help gauge whether corn-based ethanol derivatives will be able to qualify for credits when used in SAF development. The admin had said the corn industry could use the Department of Energy's Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy Use in Technologies model after suitable revisions to some of its internal modeling. Initially the White House said that it would be published on March 1st, but now that's been pushed back a few weeks.

New Options, New Paint Schemes Keep the Booth Busy At HAI 2024

A resurgent Enstrom Helicopter Corporation left Heli-Expo in high spirits this year, highlighting a handful of successes and headlines to further ride a wave of post-bankruptcy success. Since bouncing back from the brink of failure in January of 2022, Enstrom has had a streak of pretty good news all around. They've managed to build on their portfolio of aircraft with continued options, evolutions, and advancements all around. Company brass was pretty optimistic about their chances on the open market today, judging from the amount of booth traffic they saw throughout the week.

Also: Odysseus Lander Lying Prone, HAL Rebrands, Enstrom Adds AC, Hartzell Bumps Up Warranty

The (truly) legendary Burt Rutan will return to Oshkosh in 2024 with appearances and forums coinciding with the 50th anniversary of his VariEze canard aircraft design. EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024 is July 22-28 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh. Rutan, an EAA Lifetime member for more than 50 years, made his first big splash at Oshkosh in 1972 with the VariViggen, which brought canard design to the homebuilt community. The Reno Air Racing Association folks have disclosed the top three locations in the running to become the future home of the National Champions

From 2019 (YouTube Version): Sandia Introduces The SI-11X Electronic Course Deviation Indicator

Sandia Aerospace introduced the SI-11X Electronic Course Deviation Indicator (e CDI) at EAA AirVenture 2019 in Oshkosh, WI. The SI-11X Electronic Course Deviation Indicator is a panel mounted device that displays lateral and vertical needles from a typical navigation receiver or GPS navigator. The non-certified SI-11X CDI is currently intended for the experimental aircraft market. All information is displayed on a color 3.5” diagonal LCD display in traditional aerospace symbology. The SI-11X displays left/right course deviation for VOR, ILS o

After Takeoff, With The Airplane About 200 Feet Above Ground Level (AGL), The Engine Sustained A Loss Of Power

Analysis: The pilot flew the airplane earlier in the day and made a stop at the accident airport. He performed a pre-flight inspection and positioned himself in the front seat, with the pilot-rated passenger in the rear seat. After takeoff, with the airplane about 200 feet above ground level (agl), the engine sustained a loss of power. The airplane collided with a plant nursery. 

Aero Linx: Chico Air Museum The non-profit Chico Air Museum was founded in 2004 by a group of local residents who were concerned that the rich, local aviation history was being lost to time. Founders included Vic Alvistur, Jim Babcock, Brian Baldridge, Norm Rosene, Gary Thompson, and Noel Wheeler. In 2004 the museum accepted its first two aircraft donations: a Lockheed P-2V Neptune Navy anti-submarine aircraft and the largest production biplane ever built, a Russian Antonov AN-2 Colt. In May 2005 the museum officially opened its doors to the public in a small WWII Army Airfield building at the Chico Municipal Airport.

Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS) The operation of a UAS beyond the visual capability of the flight crew members (i.e., remote pilot in command [RPIC], the person manipulating the controls, and visual observer [VO]), if used to see the aircraft with vision unaided by any device other than corrective lenses, spectacles, and contact lenses.

“We’re thrilled to support this additional aircraft order from our neighbors here in Vero Beach, Skyborne, and it’s a privilege to have them as a Piper Flight School Alliance member. We look forward to being a part of Skyborne’s growth in our community by providing them with top-of-the-line trainers that are reliable and cost-effective.” Source: Piper marketing VP Ron Gunnarson, with an upbeat look at their most recent fleet sale to a growing international flight school.