LSA Engine Manufacturer Strengthens Ties with Community

A Rotax-branded shindig at the Weiße Möwe Wels airfield saw a strong  turnout of almost 300 guests from across the continent and beyond. The numbers may not be eye-popping to an American audience, accustomed to thousands of aircraft making a pilgrimage to whichever state is holding the biggest bash from one season to the other, but 130 aircraft and 280 attendees is solid work for a niche hobby in the EU. The turnout "marked one of the best visited years for the event", according to Rotax.

Investigators Cite 43 Violations of Tarmac Delay Rule

The U.S. Department of Transportation has levied a record $4.1-million fine against American Airlines (AAL) for unlawfully holding passengers aboard delayed aircraft for excessively long periods of time. American Airlines was determined to have repeatedly violated the DOT's Tarmac Delay Rule (Second Final Rule on Enhancing Airline Passenger Protections-EAPP #2) which sets forth U.S. air-carriers—barring a limited number of exceptions germane to safety and security—may not hold domestic flights on airport tarmacs for more than three-hours.

Upwards, Still

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has published the second quarter 2023 General Aviation Aircraft Shipment and Billing Report. Compared to the same time period in 2022, the general aviation aircraft manufacturing industry increased the volume and value of aircraft deliveries across all segments.

The Spirit of Aviation Embodied

The Experimental Aircraft Association Sport Aviation Halls of Fame will grow by five inductees, the entirety of which will be honored as part of the Association’s Class of 2023. The five inductees, to the one, represent discrete aviation foci; specifically: homebuilders, ultralights, the International Aerobatic Club, the Vintage Aircraft Association, and EAA Warbirds of America.

Also: Sun ‘n Fun Ticket Sales, Sport Aviation Hall of Fame, Gone West: Creighton King, RV-12 Builds

Montaer Aeronaves unveiled a follow-up to its 2-seat MC-01 Aircraft, with a 4-seater sporting IFR-ready avionics and a parachute. The all-metal, high-wing, tricycle geared MC-04 sports a Rotax 916 iS with all 160 turbocharged ponies under the hood, granting it a 132-knot cruise for 800 nautical miles. Californian defense contractor Advanced Tactics, Inc. has signed an agreement with Rotor X Aircraft Manufacturing Company for the design, modification, and production of a new and improved version of their A600 Turbo kit helicopter. Van’s provided anot

Issue of Unknown Origin

Air travelers across the E.U. contended with flight delays, cancellations, and the uncertainties occasioned thereby when technical difficulties rendered the United Kingdom’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) system largely unusable on Monday, 28 August 2023. In a statement, Britain's National Air Traffic Service (NATS) set forth a technical issue had restricted the flow of aircraft in and out of the U.K., thereby inducing the delay or cancellation of at least five-hundred flights.

First Kits to Ship October 2023

Having formerly resurrected the storied shape of the Ryan ST—in effigy, anyway—Montrose, Colorado-based Timber Tiger Aircraft has plied its considerable expertise and experience to the revival of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company’s JN-4—a World War I-era biplane known colloquially by generations of pilots and aviation enthusiasts as the Curtiss Jenny, or simply, Jenny. In point of fact, Timber Tiger has purchased the rights to sell Dennis Wiley’s Early Bird Jenny design as a kit. It should be noted, however, that while Wiley’s Early Bird Jenny was a 67-percent scale repli

Old Bird Sees New Life as Next-Gen Airline Testbed

Thanks to the recent delivery of an aged MD-90, Boeing has begun the hands-on conversion work in developing its Transonic Truss-Braced Wing under the NASA Sustainable Flight Demonstrator program. The company showed off the jet's final configuration before its upcoming retrofitting, which will revamp the familiar lines of the MD-90 into the experimental X-66A aircraft. The plane will be the first in a line of experiments aiming to help the US achieve a net-zero rate of greenhouse gas emissions from the  aviation industry, a rapidly approaching target for aeronautical markets around the world. Flight testing should begin sometime in 2028.

Also: Allegiant Air, ALPA v ATI, Folding Knee Desk, United Airlines Pledge

JetBlue has opened up its 8th program under the "Gateway" series of initiatives, this time taking aim at military pilots of rotary-wing aircraft as a base of future company pilots. The Gateway Rotor Transition Program offers a "prescribed talent pathway" for trained military helo personnel, allowing them to "transition their existing expertise as helicopter pilots and acquire the necessary skills and certifications needed to join JetBlue as a first officer."  The US Air Force has published its 2023 Rated Officer Retention Demonstration Program, which could provide up to $50,0

Flight Instructor Reported To The Controller "We Are Having Some Power Loss"

On August 02, 2023, about 1036 Pacific daylight time, a Czech Sport Aircraft SportCuiser (file photo, below), N384SC, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident in Van Nuys, California. The flight instructor and student pilot were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 instructional flight. A review of Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) flight tracking data revealed that the airplane initially departed runway 16L about 1021:33.

Klyde's Not Getting Any Enthusiasm For Lunar Realities

FMI: www.klydemorris.com

Popular MRO Establishes Slot Program for Gogo Installations

As Gogo Business Aviation readies for its long-planned and widely anticipated network migration, StandardAero, the Scottsdale, Arizona-based provider of aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services, has dedicated capacity across the entirety of its enterprise to the upgrading of extant Gogo Classic ATG (Air-to-Ground) airborne connectivity systems to Gogo’s new AVANCE architecture.  

Aero Linx: The University Aviation Association (UAA) The University Aviation Association (UAA) is the voice of collegiate aviation to our members, the industry, government and the general public. Through the collective expertise of our members, UAA plays a pivotal role in the advancement of degree-granting aviation programs that represent all segments of aviation.

Chaff Thin, narrow metallic reflectors of various lengths and frequency responses, used to reflect radar energy. These reflectors, when dropped from aircraft and allowed to drift downward, result in large targets on the radar display.

If an airline offers me the opportunity to get off the airplane during a tarmac delay and I choose to get off, is the airline required to let me back on the airplane?   No.  Passengers should be aware that if they choose to get off the airplane during a tarmac delay, airlines are not required to let them back on the airplane. The flight may take off without them and passengers may be responsible for finding another flight.  If passengers decide to exit the aircraft during a tarmac delay and the aircraft eventually takes off for its intended destination, the airline may not be required to offload any passenger’s checked bags before the plane takes off. Passengers will