This Year’s Theme Is 'Connected Skies / Connected Communities'

This year's FAA Drone and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Symposium will focus on how the FAA continues (or tries...) to safely integrate these aircraft while creating a framework to accelerate advanced operations. The event, which runs from July 30 – Aug 1 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Maryland, will bring together representatives from the FAA, other government agencies, international aviation experts, industry leaders and academia. 

From 2017 (YouTube Version): A New Way To See Where Your Drone Is Going…

One of the new entrants into the FPV world is the Cinemizer, which the company says is a versatile and comfortable way to see where your drone is going. Annette Tindall, Sales and Marketing director for Cinemizer, USA, told ANN's CEO and Editor in Chief Jim Campbell, at the Sebring Sport Aviation Expo in January, that the new FPV device is made by a 160-year-old German optics company. They are designed to be very comfortable for the wearer, and feature a focus adjustment for each eye for almost any visual correction from -5 to +2.

(Witness) Observed An Airplane “Falling Out Of The Sky, Twirling” And Descending Below The Clouds Until He Lost Sight

On April 12, 2024, about 1633 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-301, N9236J, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Knoxville, Tennessee. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The flight was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. According to the pilot’s spouse, the pilot was returning to home on the day of the accident. Preliminary flight track data obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration showed that the airplane departed from St. Petersburg, Florida, about 1130 and landed at Mc Ghee Tyson Airport (TYS), Knoxville, Tennessee, about 1530. The airplane was refueled and subsequently departed at 1617, on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan with a planned destination of Gerald R Ford International Airport (GRR), Grand Rapids, Michigan. 

From 2017 (YouTube Version): Caravan Floats Updated With Oil Bath Wheels For Reduced Maintenance…

Wipaire Floats was founded in the 1960s, and over the years has come to offer a line of products for everything from small recreational airplanes to large commercial aircraft, including firefighting airplanes. At NBAA-BACE is Las Vegas last month, Clint Clouarte, VP of Marking and Sales for Wipaire, said one of the most recent developments is the introduction of oil bath wheels on new production Wipline 8750 amphibious floats for Cessna Caravans, eliminating the need for repeated greasing. The design allows the main gear wheel bearings to be continuously lubricated using common SAE 15W50 motor oil (or equivalent), increasing the life of the bearings. Oil bath wheels are standard on Wipline 8750 floats serial number 87177 and up.

Amazilia Aerospace GmbH, Develops Digital Flight Control, Flight Guidance And Vehicle Management Systems 

Textron eAviation has acquired substantially all the assets of Amazilia Aerospace GmbH, a developer of digital flight control, flight guidance and vehicle management systems for civil manned and unmanned aircraft. “We’re excited to welcome Amazilia Aerospace’s talented employees and innovative technologies to the Textron eAviation team,” said Kriya Shortt, President & CEO, Textron eAviation segment. “This integration represents our continued dedication to pushing the boundaries of technology to deliver exceptional solutions for our customers.”

Company Celebrates Niche-but-Important Advancement in Industry Standards

Echodyne has announced full integration of its proprietary 'EchoFlight' radar into the e American Aerospace Technologies, Inc. (AATI) AiRanger aircraft, recently granted its BVLOS approval from the FAA. It's good news for the UAS industry to some small extent, showing that the regulator is content to approve efficient, affordable operations beyond immediate line of sight. That's the way of the future, of course, allowing operators to command a semiautonomous aircraft from a distance, but it's not an easy sell to a very danger-averse administration like the FAA. 

Honeywell's Primus Brings New Tools and Niceties for Hawker Operators

Hawker 4000 business jet operators have a new installation on the table, now that the FAA has granted an STC for Honeywell's Primus Epic integrated cockpit suite. The STC gives operators access to some pretty nifty, futuristic gear, thanks to theEpic cockpit featuring Future Air Navigation System (FANS) and Protected Mode Controller Pilot Data Link Communication (PM-CPDLC) systems in addition to the usual host of automation and QoL enhancements. Those in the flight deck should appreciate the improved comms with ATC, too, since they can now enjoy the same Data Link capabilities the heavies do...