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October 04, 2021

Airborne 10.04.21: RED AO3 Engine, Autel Evo Lite-Nano, Mars Heli

Also: Beijing Declines Boeing, Bell Textron Canada, Kent Pietsch, 737 Dive Site

Sealand Aviation anticipates the first flight of their modified DHC-2 Beaver shortly. One of their De Havilland Beavers has been outfitted with the RED A03 engine developed by RED Aircraft in Germany. The RED A03 is now undergoing checks and calibration and has already been fixed to the airframe. The next steps include the aircraft undergoing further maintenance such as custom-made cowling and the installation of the Full Authority Digital Engine Control. Autel Robotics announced their newest evolution in the Evo Drone series with the Evo Lite and Evo Nano. The carbon-legged Evo Lite weighs 1.8 pounds and offers a 1” CMOS sensor and 4-axis gimbal for its improved camera. Th

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Virgin Galactic Cleared for Flight

FAA Accepts Proposed Changes, Unity 23 Cleared for Mid-October Flight

Virgin Galactic has announced the outcome of an FAA inquiry into an airspace deviation during the Unity 22 Test flight on July 11, 2021. The FAA has accepted the company’s proposed corrective actions to prevent future issues during the aircraft’s re-entry phase. The next test flight, Unity 23, is expected to take place Mid-October in conjunction with the Italian Air Force. The Inquiry was begun in response to Unity 22’s momentary airspace incursion during the reentry phase of its July flight. During its glide back to Earth, the aircraft deviated below its protected approach path for 1 minute and 40 seconds before stabilizing again within protected airspace

The Lil' Helo That Could... Will Again

In an update to the Mars Helicopter Blog, NASA broke news of Flight 14's postponement. Engineers want more time to address small issues in the aircraft as it sits more than 212 million nautical miles away. Serving beyond its initial assignment, the probe must compensate for seasonal decreases in atmospheric density by boosting output. A series of ground and vibration tests have been optimistic in addressing the changes, but an anomaly in two of the flight-control servomotors prevented a brief Sept. 18 test flight.