Protest Draws 1,300 Southwest Pilots

Ranks of uniformed Southwest Airlines pilots gathered beneath the scorching Texas sun at Dallas Love Field to picket in protest of their treatment by the airline. The show of solidarity drew approximately 1,300 pilots, many of whom carried signs blaming Southwest management for delays and cancellations that have upset passengers. Southwest's operation: From first to worse, one sign read, while another, more prosaic banner posited, Our passengers and pilots deserve better.

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An Airbus H225 has performed the word’s first helicopter flight powered by 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The flight, which saw both the H225’s Safran Makila 2 engines powered by SAF, follows a November 2021 undertaking in which an H225 flew with one of its Makila 2 engines operating on SAF and the other on conventional jet fuel. The flights are part of an ongoing campaign to understand the impact of SAF use on aircraft gas-turbine systems. McMinnville, Oregon—famed UFO hotbed and Spruce Goose roost—will host a unique foreclosure auction. The property in question is neither a house, nor an automobile, nor even a collection of Richard Nixon campaign buttons; rather it’s a derelict Boeing 747 that’s been parked in front of the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum for eight years. The Federal Air Marshal Ser

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Sierra Space is creating an astronaut training program comprising a commercial human spaceflight training center and astronaut training academy at its offices at the Kennedy Space Center. The program, which will be headed-up by former NASA astronaut and Sierra Space president Janet Kavandi (pictured), will recruit, train and prepare an astronaut corps requisite the commercialization of space. Piedmont Airlines, Inc.—the American regional airline and wholly owned subsidiary of the American Airlines Group—has reached an agreement with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). The deal will see Piedmont pilots substantially exceed their regional peers in both pay and benefits. Voting members of ALPA’s Master Executive Council (MEC) unanimously agreed to accept the contract extension, which increases first year Captain pay from $78/hr to $146/hr, and

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At this year’s Aerial Fire Fighting conference in Nimes, France, Fire Boss LLC signed a historic fleet order with Air Tractor Europe. The Fire Boss is a modified AT802F, manufactured by Air Tractor. The order consists of eight Fire Bosses with an option for an additional eight. The first delivery is scheduled for late 2022. Brig. Gen. Charles E. McGee, one of the original Tuskegee Airmen and Air Force legend, was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington June 17. Along with his family and distinguished guests, many senior military leaders attended the service to bid a final farewell to the historic figure. McGee’s aviation career began on Oct. 26, 1942, after he enlisted in the U.S. Army as a pilot. He would fly 108 combat missions throughout Europe during World War II. The federal government could take action against U.S. airli

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Amazon has announced that customers in Lockeford, California, will start receiving package deliveries by drone later this year. The community of 3,500 will be among the first U.S. locations to receive free drone delivery of Amazon products within 30 minutes. Amazon has begun contacting customers in Lockeford for purpose of inquiring after their interest in drone delivery. Once enrolled, customers will be visited by Amazon personnel who will determine whether or not  the areas adjacent the customer’s homes are conducive to drone deliveries. A Michigan pair accused of violating zoning laws is once again at the center of a Constitutional debate. In 2008, Long Lake Township brought a zoning ordinance violation lawsuit against township residents Todd and Heather Maxon. The township alleged the Maxons’ property was overfull of tras

“There Is A Growing Trend Of Scapegoating Pilots For An Airline’S Inability To Attract And Retain Staff..."

In a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas from Capt. Joe DePete, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), and Capt. Ryan Muller, chair of ALPA’s Spirit Airlines pilot group, ALPA called on DHS to help prevent U.S. airlines from misusing the “specialty occupation” visa designation that undercuts airline pilot jobs.

NASA Does Not Have Sufficient Time To Complete The Testing Needed Ahead Of Its Remaining Launch Period

NASA has announced that the Psyche asteroid mission, the agency’s first mission designed to study a metal-rich asteroid, will not make its planned 2022 launch attempt. Due to the late delivery of the spacecraft’s flight software and testing equipment, NASA does not have sufficient time to complete the testing needed ahead of its remaining launch period this year, which ends on Oct. 11.

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Inflight testing of a Beechcraft King Air 350 fitted with Tamarack Aerospace Group‘s Performance SMARTWING  has confirmed predicted increases in endurance and payload, high/hot take-off abilities, extended loiter time, and inflight stability. Early comparative analysis of the flight-testing suggests a five-percent improvement in fuel economy during loiter-mission cruise; a ten-percent increase in climb-gradient; and a five-hundred-pound, “High/Hot” weight, altitude, temperature (WAT) improvement that correlates to almost two hours of added aircraft endurance. The CAF RISE ABOVE Squadron is honored to have Tuskegee Airmen Lt. Col. George Hardy and Lt. Col. James Harvey joining the CAF RISE ABOVE traveling exhibit for Oshkosh. The exhibit will be operating at KidVenture where visitors will be able to view both the RED TAIL RI

You Are Invited To Enter To Win At AirVenture

To help owners of general aviation aircraft modernize their cockpits, the Aircraft Electronics Association will randomly award five aircraft owners with $1,000 toward an avionics upgrade during the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture Oshkosh, July 25-31, in Wisconsin. Aircraft owners may enter to win one of the five $1,000 awards in Hangar B at Wittman Regional Airport, booth No. 2035/2036, beginning July 25.

H55 EPS A-Okay Says EASA

H55, the Swiss producer of electric propulsion technology, has been awarded its design organization approval (DOA) from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The measure follows the granting of the company’s production organization approval (POA) by the Swiss Federal Office for Civil Aviation in January, 2022. The DOA and the POA allow H55 to design its electric propulsion system within a defined certification framework. The procurement of the two approvals positions the company to receive type certification for its 100kW electric propulsion system (EPS) targeted for CS23 aircraft.