Select Airport-Adjacent 5G Networks Rollout to Be Delayed

The game of chicken continues, on the eve of the twice-postponed activation date for some 5G cell networks. The networks have blinked once again, as AT&T agreed to defer deployment of certain towers near a few airports. The move comes following strong hints that unabated activation on the formerly agreed-upon date, the 19th, would result in a cascade of airline delays. Exactly which areas will be affected remains unknown. Earlier this week, airlines executives made statement imploring the government to once again delay the activation of 5G networks. “result in not only hundreds of thousands of flight cancellations and disruptions for customers across the industry in 2022, but also the suspension of cargo flights into these locations, causing a negative ripple-effect on an already fragile supply chain.”

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Thales and Iridium have joined the infamous ultra-high-altitude Perlan continuous flight program. The engineless glider can now avail itself of the Iridium communications network, offering the world's highest internet hot spot at more than 65,000 feet. Perlan will use their newfound connectivity for inflight communications, as well as live streaming from both the glider and its Egret super tow plane. The FAA has published its first round of Notices To Air Missions regarding the soon-to-be activated 5G cell networks, placing warnings over 1,462 airports in an effort to ease the industry into a post-5G world with minimal issue. The restrictions put into place warn that radio altimeters are unreliable and not authorized for use unless equipped with approved alternative methods of compliance. Virgin Orbit confirmed it successfully deployed into orbit all 7 customer satelli

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Delta Airlines has notified prospective pilot candidates that the company has reduced its minimum hiring requirements. The reception was mixed, with more than a few non-industry commenters decrying the decline in standards. Those in the pilot career pipeline should be excited, as the drawing back of the non-essential standards in the biggest legacy carriers means that at last the long-prophesied pilot shortage may be upon us. A severe windstorm struck Alaska earlier last week, wreaking havoc across the south central region, with winds up to 91 mph causing damage to vehicles, power lines, and equipment. Witnesses were surprised to see the level of damage caused by breakaway aircraft, which were subjected to such forces that tiedown anchors and ropes were ripped from their attachment points. One viral video this week showed a dramatic, last-second s

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Zeva has completed the first untethered flight test for its Zero flying wing airframe, where the aircraft took off and flew under its 8 electric propellers. With the first flight completed, the Zero now boasts the bragging rights of being a functional, real aircraft, with flight time in its logbook in an industry rife with ground demonstrators and digital renders. The flight is an important milestone in the airworthiness certification process, proving the unmanned demonstrator could take off and maintain position in a controlled hover, as well as taxi, climb, and maneuver at low altitude. Some in the collective aerospace community have expressed a measure of annoyance at the recent non-statement issued by the FAA in regards to a ground stop issued January 10. The halt saw departures from west coast airports paused for around 15 minutes. The FAA twitter

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The first prosecution of an airman operating without a certificate has been filed, with the filing of indictments for wire fraud and uncertificated airmanship. Matthew Jones of Spanish Fork, Utah, is accused of falsely presenting himself as the owner and operator of Noctem Aviation and a Certified Flight Instructor for fixed and rotary wing aircraft. Jones stands accused of defrauding prospective students by presenting himself through text messages and Instagram posts to be a capable and legal instructor for the purposes of obtaining funding for his daily living expenses. Delta Airlines has notified prospective pilot candidates that the company has reduced its minimum hiring requirements. The reception was mixed, with more than a few non-industry commenters decrying the decline in standards. Those in the pilot career pipeline should be excited,

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Joby Aviation has completed its second prototype aircraft in an effort to speed up its flight testing schedule heading into 2022, recently receiving its Special Airworthiness Certificate and US Air Force approval. JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO, said the pre-production campaign has been an enormous effort for the young eVTOL design, logging 65 terabytes of test data in 2021 alone. The addition of a second demonstrator will help to quicken the pace, and Joby intends for it to help see the design obtain FAA certification in time for a commercial operations launch in 2024. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope team fully deployed its 21-foot, gold-coated primary mirror, successfully completing the final stage of all major spacecraft deployments. A joint effort with the European Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency, the Webb mission explores every phase of cosmic his

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Zeva has completed the first untethered flight test for its Zero flying wing airframe, where the aircraft took off and flew under its 8 electric propellers. With the first flight completed, the Zero now boasts the bragging rights of being a functional, real aircraft, with flight time in its logbook in an industry rife with ground demonstrators and digital renders. The flight is an important milestone in the airworthiness certification process, proving the unmanned demonstrator could take off and maintain position in a controlled hover, as well as taxi, climb, and maneuver at low altitude. As the eVTOL industry moves onwards, investments and promises abound, building hype for an imminent future where the everyday convenience of automotive ride share apps will meet the limitless freedom of aerial mobility. The Markets and Markets Company released their forecast for the ae

OIG Report Shows Corps Currently Maintained for ISS Missions, But Artemis and Mars Will Require Expansion

As NASA moves full speed ahead with their crewed moon mission program, the corps of flight-qualified and mission-ready astronauts has been eyed with increasing wariness. A higher mission tempo and expansion of space programs have required the administration to draw on the limited pool of candidates for not only its space station missions, but further missions to the moon or the upcoming Orbital Reef project. NASA's management of their numbers has resulted in a report from the OIG Office of Audits, analyzing the administration's treatment of its astronaut program. Currently, the OIG says, the administration has fallen into the habit of tailoring its program to the small scale of ISS missions, and imminent mission developments require more forward thinking. 

German Sport Seaplane to Serve as LSA and Base for Amphibious eVTOL

Dornier Seawings has purchased the Flywhale seaplane program from its German parent, Uniplanes GmbH, in a package that includes all intellectual property, production assets, design data, drawings, manuals, tooling, and molds. The acquisition positions the Flywhale FW650 as a future Dornier product in line with the company's Seawings and Seastar CD2 aircraft as the DS-2C. Dornier says an eVTOL, jet-powered version is also in early development to enter the air mobility market. 

Data, Radar, And Flight Combine to Locate Remote Mountain Plane Remains

The first mission of the year came only days after January 1st, as a missing plane was reported overdue on its flight from Marana, Arizona to Riverside, California. The CAP National Radar Analysis Team received the alert from the FAA to begin their search with available data, looking for the aircraft along its projected route. The team is no stranger to the process, using data pulled from the pilot's cell carrier and Google account to locate the last known on-network position as a base to begin extrapolation.