"Tecnam Has Deemed It Necessary To Provide Additional Information To The Public"

Media reports suggesting a grounding of Cape Air airline P2012 commercial aircraft are being strongly refuted by personnel from Tecnam -- where some believe the initial reports have been taken out of context to provide click bait. Complicating the issue is a limited statement given to media from a Cape Air PR rep, stating that, "Based on our desire to allow time for the Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency to have a dialogue regarding recent modifications, we have temporarily and voluntarily suspended operations with the Tecnam P2012 Traveller." The Tecnam side of things provides more detail.

Also: XPONENTIAL 2020 Goes Virtual, FCC Fines Hobbyking, Drones Protect Sea Turtles, King Schools Giveaway

The prototype of Airbus Helicopters’ VSR700 UAS has performed its first free flight. The VSR700 performed a ten minute flight at a drone test centre near Aix-en-Provence in the south of France. This is a significant step in the programme following the first flight in November 2019 when the prototype was tethered to comply with regulatory requirements. To enable this free flight, Airbus Helicopters implemented geofencing, a virtual perimeter, which enabled and justified a flight clearance from

Upgraded System Also Available For G550 And GV Aircraft

Gulfstream has received approval from the FAA for installation of a high-speed, dual internet system on Gulfstream G650 and Gulfstream G650ER aircraft. Provided by Viasat, the system gives customers access to internet speeds that are some of the fastest in the industry. A streaming video service is also available, so customers can stream their favorite high-definition content without compromising connectivity. “We are pleased to offer this as a retrofit to our current G650 and G650ER customers,” said Derek Zimmerman, president, Gulfstream Customer Support. “With the use of Viasat’s Ku/Ka dual band terminal that seamlessly switches between satellites, we can provid

Special Aviation Day Offerings At Both Locations

Wings Over the Rockies (Wings) is hosting Aviation Day celebrations this week at both their Lowry, Denver and Centennial Airport locations. Aviation Day is an American holiday that celebrates the development of aviation. Established in 1939 by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Aviation Day occurs each year on Aug. 19, Orville Wright’s birthday. Among dozens of iconic aircraft and artifacts, Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum visitors will get to see a significant piece of aviation history, a Wright Flyer propeller signed by Orville Wright in 1944. Aviation Day celebrations at Wings Air & Space Museum (Lowry) includes discounted admissions from Aug. 19-23, paper airplane, photo contests, an

The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 Requires The Establishment Of A Collegiate Training Initiative Program

As the FAA continued its participation in the annual FAA-UAS Symposium (virtually, this year), it announced that 26 schools have been selected so far to participate in the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Collegiate Training Initiative (UAS-CTI). The FAA’s Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) program allows educational institutions to collaborate with the FAA to help students pursue their aviation career goals. The UAS-CTI program recognizes institutions that prepare students for careers in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones.

From 2017: Align Continues To Innovate In RC Helicopter Industry…

Speaking to ANN’s CEO and Editor in Chief Jim Campbell at the at the AMA Expo in Ontario, CA in January, Align’s Marketing and Tech Support Manager … who just goes by “Gale”, said that the company’s latest line of helicopters is lighter and has upgraded servos and electronics. Gale said that the the pilot can select one of three modes when flying the aircraft. The “easy” setting will allow the beginning pilot to learn to fly the aircraft. “If you run into trouble and flip

Would Allow Four Chinese Airlines To Increase To Eight Weekly Round-Trip Flights

The Department of Transportation issued an Order that to allow the four Chinese airlines currently performing scheduled passenger services to the United States to increase their services to eight weekly round-trip flights.  This aggregate level of service is equivalent to the total number of flights now permitted by the Chinese aviation authorities for U.S. carriers. As of August 12, the two U.S. carriers currently operating scheduled passenger service in the U.S.-China passenger market, United Airlines (“United”) and Delta Air Lines (“Delta”), had qualified for additional flight frequencies pursuant to the terms of the Civil Aviation

The Left Engine Started "Surging" And Rapidly Began To Lose Power

On August 1, 2020, about 1000 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-31-325, Canadian registration C-GXKS, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident in Sumter, South Carolina. The pilot and co-pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 aerial observation flight. According to the pilot-in-command (PIC), he and the co-pilot had been flying mapping flights for the United States Geological Survey group. The PIC stated they had scanners weighing about 800 lbs on board and they would fly about 300 ft. above ground level in a grid pattern while mapping. He further stated that he personally fueled the inboard an

AD 2020-16-08 Prompted By An Automatic Reset Occurring When The Display Internal Monitor Detects A Potential Fault

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Aspen Avionics, Inc., Evolution Flight Display (EFD) EFD1000 Emergency Backup Display, EFD1000 Multi-Function Display, and EFD1000 Primary Flight Display systems installed on various airplanes. This AD imposes operating restrictions on these display systems by revising the Limitations section of the airplane flight manual (AFM). This AD was prompted by an automatic reset occurring when the display internal monitor detects a potential fault, causing intermittent loss of airspeed, attitude, and altitude information during flight. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the

AD 2020-16-08 Applies to Certain Aspen Avionics, EFD1000 Emergency Backup Display, EFD1000 MFD, and EFD1000 PFD Systems

The FAA is correcting an airworthiness directive (AD) that published in the Federal Register. The AD applies to certain Aspen Avionics, Inc., Evolution Flight Display (EFD) EFD1000 Emergency Backup Display, EFD1000 Multi-Function Display, and EFD1000 Primary Flight Display systems installed on various airplanes. As published, the docket number and product identifier in the Comments Invited section of the preamble are incorrect. This document corrects that error. In all other respects, the original document remains the same; however, for clarity, the FAA is publishing the entire rule in the Federal Register. This correction is eff

Aero Linx: United States Ultralight Association USUA is the organization that the FAA, the media, and other organizations look to when it comes to ultralight issues. When an ultralight accident or incident happens in the USA, we are the ones that explain to the media the rules, the safety consciousness of pilots, and the freedom of flight. Currently USUA is working with other organizations to update Sport Pilot regulations and policy. USUA looks out after your sport flying interests like no other organization!

Approach Light System (ALS) An airport lighting facility which provides visual guidance to landing aircraft by radiating light beams in a directional pattern by which the pilot aligns the aircraft with the extended centerline of the runway on his/her final approach for landing. Condenser-Discharge Sequential Flashing Lights/Sequenced Flashing Lights may be installed in conjunction with the ALS at some airports.

"It is always disturbing to hear the word grounded when referring to an aircraft. However, we would like to make it clear that this action is not related to technical issues or safety, but only for authority inspection of certain proposed changes. The safety of this aircraft is widely demonstrated by the rest of the P2012 Travellers currently in service, including both Tecnam-owned test aircraft which have accumulated hundreds of hours in the most demanding flight-test conditions, far away from the typical airline mission profile. Nevertheless, Tecnam is always fully committed to customers’ decisions and open to any discussions aimed at improvements introduced to the fleet.” Source: Tecnam Managing Director, Giovanni Pascale La