Also: FAA Reauthorization Stalled, First 777X, Unlicensed Pilot Arrested, Soundproofing PC-12

A Japanese entrepreneur and billionaire is the first passenger named for SpaceX's trip around the moon, which the company plans for 2023. Yusaku Maezawa has been named as the first private passenger to fly around the moon. No human has been that close to the moon since 1972. Maezawa, whose net worth has been estimated at $2.9 billion, appeared on stage with SpaceX founder Elon Musk for an event held at the company's headquarters. "Finally I can tell you that I choose to go to the moon," he said. The Bureau of Land Management wants the owners of an "art car" from Burning Man that is made from the front half of a Boeing 747 fuselage removed from government land. It has been parked on the Black Rock Desert since the event ended two weeks ago. The display had been moved about 12 miles from the Burning Ma

Also: DroneInsurance.com And AirMap, EagleView And PrecisionHawk, Laser-Carrying Drones, Army Drones

Claiming to offer, “... a cloud-based platform to manage, process, view, analyze and collaborate around data for insurance, property management, mining, quarrying, and construction,” Airware has elected to shut down operations after spending some 118 million in investment capital. Airware was founded in 2011 in Newport Beach, California, by Jonathan Downey and relocated to San Francisco in January 2014, and purchased Redbird, a drone analytics software company, in 2016. Company staffers were offered little warning... having been notified the day of the shutdown. At its height, the company reportedly had over 140 employees. AUVSI has urged lawmakers working on a reauthorization bill for the FAA to include legislative proposals that would give the Departments of Homeland Security and Just

Also: NATA Leadership, Navy Presents DFC, Wright Brothers Memorial, Orion Parachute Tests

We rarely get jealous of our fellow aviators but a recent announcement has definitely inspired us to be  green with envy. Seriously... just say the name, SPITFIRE, and you have nearly any pilot’s immediate attention as they consider the iconic airplane that so many have admired and so few have actually flown. And as exciting as the aircraft and its warrior history may be, there is one thing that this infamous aircraft has never done... fly around the world. BUT... two adventurous aviators seem intent on changing all that. The two British flyers, Matt Jones and Steve Brooks, intend to leave Southern England on a trans-global journey by next fall in a brightly polished silver Spitfire Mark IX, returning the following Christmas after an adventure that should require some 150 stops in over 30 countries

Uncommonly Thrifty Four-Seater May Change A Significant Light Aircraft Market Dynamic

ANN’s annual report on the best values in the SportPlane market remains one of our most interesting... and difficult... efforts of the year -- especially in a year where a number of aircraft have really started hitting their stride. While SportPlane design activity is not as prolific as it once was, the quality of that activity continues to impress... more and more each year... with recent offerings like the Pipistrel Alpha Electro, the updated Kitfox S7 Speedster, and RANS S-21 Outbound (among others) drawing rave reviews and lots of interest from the sport flying community. While the announcement of our Master List of over a dozen recommended SportPlanes is still a few weeks off, one new aircraft has easily risen to the top of the list reserved for NEW offerings in the VERY competitive sport aviation landscape. This year; the best new SportPlane is The Airplane Factory’s Rotax 915-powered Sling TSi.

Flight Training Facility Expands Services To Include Twin Engine Aircraft

Bell Helicopter has announced a signature from Edic Horizon International Flight Academy to purchase two Bell 429 aircraft. Based at Al Ain International Airport, Edic Horizon International Flight Academy utilizes their fleet of entirely Bell aircraft to provide flight training to a variety of international students.

Transaction Valued At $250 Million

Jet Aviation has completed its acquisition of Hawker Pacific, a leading provider of Civil MRO, Fleet and FBO Services, and Aircraft Sales across Asia Pacific and the Middle East. The transaction is valued at $250 million.

Hydraulic Engine-Driven Pump And AC Motor Pump From Parker Aerospace Chosen As Supplier-Furnished Equipment For Emirates’ New 777X Fleet

Parker Aerospace, a business segment of Parker Hannifin Corporation has announced a pump call-out agreement with Emirates for its 777X aircraft. Emirates is the launch customer of the new Boeing aircraft with an order book of 150 777X, one of the single largest aircraft orders by value in the history of US commercial aviation. Parker will provide the hydraulic engine-driven pump and AC motor pump on the fleet of 777X wide-body airplanes.

Growth Forecast To Be 4.31 Percent During The Period

According to the new research report, now available on ASDReports, "Flight Inspection (FI) Market by Solution (System, & Services), End User (Commercial Airports, Defense Airports), Services Type (Commissioning, Routine, Special Inspection), System Type (Fixed, Mobile, Ground-based) and Region - Global Forecast to 2022", The Flight Inspection (FI) market is projected to grow from an estimated $4.51 billion in 2017 to $5.57 billion by 2022, at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 4.31% during the forecast period.