We Choose to Go to the Moon

In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of what has come to be known as Kennedy’s We Choose to go to the Moon speech, NASA and the leadership of Rice University—where President Kennedy delivered the famed, 1961 address—are preparing to host a series of events chronicling and celebrating the history and achievements of America’s space program. The agency will provide live coverage of the event’s finale on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website at 11:00 CDT on Monday, 12 September.

Also: Air France Brawl, Pilot Training Book, B-2 Modernization, Lufthansa 787

Daher's newest version of the TBM family, the TBM 960, has been a popular addition to the fold. The TBM has proven a fast seller at home and abroad. The lucky recipient of aircraft number 20 was Johnie Weems, a South Florida businessman. This plane will be his fourth TBM, no small feat for any model in the competitive business turboprop market. The winning formula, he says, is the single-pilot capability of the Daher aircraft. The Army issued a surprising grounding order earlier this week, halting flight operations for more than 400 Chinook helicopters over an issue that coul

Of Carbon Emitters and Carbon Converters

Tamarack Aerospace, the Idaho-based aviation technology company and maker of the forward-thinking SMARTWING system, has signed a Memo of Understanding (MOU) with OXÏ-ZEN. The agreement facilitates the carbon-balancing of the products and services offered by Tamarack Aerospace's customers. Tamarack is looking forward to offering installation of its eco-SMARTWING upgrade as a fully carbon-balanced program, complete with a unique digital data-set showing how, where, and when each metric ton of carbon emission has been carbon-balanced.        

Contracts Set for Review for Another Airline as Pilots Face Difficult Economy

The WesJet Master Executive Council of the Air Line Pilots Association has notified WestJet Airlines Management of their intention to open negotiations regarding the group's collective agreement. The pilots group's head, Captain Dave Kingston, said that the pilots have been pulling more than their fair share of weight at the company since 2020 and it's time their services are acknowledged. “For more than two years, our airline has faced the devastating impacts of COVID-19 head-on but is on its way to recovery, thanks in large part to the efforts and sacrifices of this pilot group. For some, those sacrifices included a nearly 70 percent reduction in pay, while close

Qatar Boeing 787-9 and 737-10 Fleets to Offer In-Flight Connectivity

Qatar Airways, the state-owned flag carrier of the Middle Eastern peninsular nation of Qatar, has selected British satellite communications company Inmarsat, to provide inflight digital connectivity to its Boeing 787-9 and 737-10 fleets. Once equipped, the aircraft will grant passengers and crews access to GX Aviation—Inmarsat’s wholly owned, purpose-built, in-flight broadband network.

Silence of the Fans

Skandia, Incorporated—the Illinois-based aircraft interior and completion concern—has received final European Union Aviation Safety Administration (EASA) Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) approval of an acoustic soundproofing kit for all variants of Dassault’s Falcon 900 business jet. Henceforth, Falcon 900 operators may dramatically reduce the cabin noise and increase the comfort of their aircraft throughout all flight regimes by availing themselves of Skandia’s proprietary soundproofing materials and acoustic expertise.

Apache Along the Polish-Ukraine Border

The Polish military is seeking to purchase no fewer than 96  AH-64E Apache attack helicopters from Boeing. The purchase would make Poland’s the second-largest fleet of Apaches in the world—surpassed only by that of the United States. If acquired, the AH-64Es would replace Poland's fleet of outdated, Soviet-designed Mil Mi-24 helicopters.

Autonomous Tasking System Allows Mid-Flight Assignments for Uncrewed Aircraft using OMS

A longtime sci-fi fantasy is nearing fruition after Boeing demonstrated their new "open autonomy architecture" for the uncrewed MQ-25 that allows a combination manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) capability. The architecture is non-proprietary, based on the government's Open Mission System for maximum interoperability. The end result is that crewed aircraft can task autonomous MQ-25 aircraft to carry out new directives in-air. Boeing's test aircraft included Northrop Grumman’s E-2D Advanced Hawkeye C&C aircraft, Boeing’s P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, and Boeing’s F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet fighter.  

From 2017: New Composite Prop Introduced For King Air 350…

Hartzell Propeller and Raisbeck Engineering are collaborating on new structural composite swept blade props for the Beechcraft King Air 350 turboprop. The prop was introduced at AirVenture 2017 in July. The new King Air 350 propellers are an extension of the propeller blade technology advancements developed jointly by Hartzell and Raisbeck for the King Air 90, King Air B200 series and King Air 300 series aircraft. The new composite propellers have an extended 3,000-hour, three-year warranty.

The Life Didactic

The rapid rise of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) technologies has engendered need for personnel capable of remotely piloting all manner of complex and powerful Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV)s. The latest information germane to FAR Part 107 and preparation for the FAA’s remote pilot knowledge test is available in ASA’s 2023 Remote Pilot Test Prep book, Test Prep Plus computer program, and Prepware online curriculum.

Also: ASTM Vertiport/Vertistop Standards, MQ-8 Fire Scout, SpaceX Dragon, New Shepard’s 23rd Flt

Airbus’s Zephyr 8 UAV, a high-flying critter borne aloft for months on end by vast wings and solar-powered batteries, has a wingspan of 82-feet, weighs a scant 165-pounds, and spent the summer of 2022—most of it, anyway—soaring over the American Southwest. Regrettably, the Zephyr 8’s summertime sojourn came to an unexpected and tragic end on 19 August, when, for reasons passing understanding, it fell from the Arizona sky just hours short of breaking the 64-day, 22-hour, 19-minute, 05-second continuous flight record set in 1959

Also: CAE & Qantas, Pararescue Training Week, USAF Flight Test Museum, ALPA Pilots Picket

Celebrating the Young Eagles Program’s 30th anniversary, the EAA has loaded the year with fun activities. Following the launch of the program at this year’s AirVenture 2022, the organization kicked off its “Young Eagles 30 Flight for 30 Years”, which will award a commemorative Young Eagles anniversary themed polo shirt to all aviators who fly 30 program participants from August 1, 2022 to July 31, 2022. The EAA will track the flights through their recordkeeping and contact those pilots who reach their milestones to claim their prize. Me

Pilot Made A Call On The Radio Saying He Was Returning Downwind

On August 29, 2022, about 1245 Alaska daylight time, a Charles Brad Story TT FOX amateur-built airplane, N2723P sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident at the Wolf Lake Airport, Wasilla, Alaska. The pilot was critically injured. The airplane was operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot had departed from runway 08 at the Wolf Lake Airport (4AK6).

Aero Linx: Air National Guard

Welcome to the official website of the Air National Guard, the Air Force component of the National Guard. This site is provided as a public service by the National Guard Bureau (Public Affairs) and Office of the Secretary of the Air Force (Public Affairs).

IDENT   A request for a pilot to activate the aircraft transponder identification feature. This will help the controller to confirm an aircraft identity or to identify an aircraft.