Educate, Inspire, and Honor Through Flight

To say that the crew of the Commemorative Air Force’s B-17, Texas Raiders, is passionate would be an understatement! Crew Member and Wing Historian for the CAF Gulf Coast Wing, Kevin ‘K5’ Michels is absolutely no exception. After taking a flight on the B-17 we caught up with Michels to hear a little about the history of the CAF and this particular aircraft.

Reflections of Honor

On 14 September 2022, in the midst of a weeklong celebration of the U.S. Air Force’s 75th anniversary, Generals Cuthbert Augustus and Charles Curtis Pattillo were honored in a rare inurnment ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. The Thunderbirds honored the Generals with the team’s first ever dual missing man formation, which saw two of the squadron’s six F-16 Vipers pull heavenward, away from the Delta formation as the team overflew Arlington’s solemn and sacred vistas.

Also: National Championship Air Races, USAF CV-22 Ospreys, DOJ Seeks to Seize Iran-Linked 747, Rocket Lab

The FAA has signed a fleet-wide STC approval to allow General Aviation Modification Inc's 100-octane unleaded avgas for use in every general spark-ignition engine and airframe powered by such. The move is a tremendous step towards a future of unleaded aviation gas, with GAMI's G100UL now an option for all piston aircraft across the GA fleet. It’s one of the most bizarre tales in recent memory. A boater on southern Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula’s set out besiegingly against pilot Eric Lee and his DHC-2 floatplane. Mr. Lee owns Homer-bas

Suit Alleges Parts Counterfeiting & USAF Coverup

First Lt. David Schmitz, an F-16 pilot at South Carolina’s Shaw Air Force Base, died 30 June 2020, when his ejection seat malfunctioned as he tried to punch-out during a failed nighttime landing. He was 32. An Air Force investigation of the incident revealed that key components of the ejection seat may have been counterfeit. Lt. Schmitz’s widow is suing three U.S. defense contractors for negligence and misrepresentation of their products’ safety.

“Part of a Larger, Persistent Pattern of Mismanagement”

Stock buybacks are a legal but despicable means by which companies buy up their own stock for purpose of creating the appearance of demand, thereby driving up the price. Once the artificially inflated stock is in demand—and it almost always winds up so—the companies divest themselves of their shares and pocket vast profits—oftentimes into the tens-of-billions-of-dollars. The Allied Pilots Association (APA), which represents the 14,000 pilots of American Airlines—the world’s largest air-carrier—added its voice to the broad coalition of aviation workers opposed to stock buybacks by U.S. carriers.

Also: ULA Vulcan Centaur, MQ-9 Extended Range, Eve UAM Sim, Classic Aero-TV: Camp AMA

Horizon Aircraft, an eVTOL aircraft developer, has been sold by Astro Aerospace after its acquisition in June in 2021. The deal saw the transfer of Horizon over to a group of Astro shareholders in a move that CEO Brandon Robinson says will “allow Horizon Aircraft to accelerate the development of our eVTOL in the private sector with access to more flexible funding mechanisms.” Steadicopter joined UK-Based Vikini Drone Packaging to launch a collaboration to transport and deliver hazardous materials via uncrewed aircraft. The match was a natural one, lever

Fight Against Orbital Litter May See Disposal Window Cut by 4/5ths

The FCC aims to reduce the disposal window for decommissioned orbital equipment: Up to 5 years after end of service, down from the more leisurely 25-year timeframe currently in effect. The Federal Communications Commission released a fact sheet regarding the incipient issue of space debris above as the commercial space race heats up. Currently, after decades of governmental and commercial space exploitation, Earth has more than 4,800 satellites floating in orbit, both operational and decommissioned.

Also: National Championship Air Races, USAF CV-22 Ospreys, DOJ Seeks to Seize Iran-Linked 747, Rocket Lab

The FAA has signed a fleet-wide STC approval to allow General Aviation Modification Inc's 100-octane unleaded avgas for use in every general spark-ignition engine and airframe powered by such. The move is a tremendous step towards a future of unleaded aviation gas, with GAMI's G100UL now an option for all piston aircraft across the GA fleet. It’s one of the most bizarre tales in recent memory. A boater on southern Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula’s set out besiegingly against pilot Eric Lee and his DHC-2 floatplane. Mr. Lee owns Homer-bas

Hybrid Electric Workhorse Undergoing FAA Type Certification

On 15 September 2022, Ampaire announced it had entered into an exclusive agreement by which Electric Power Systems (EP Systems) will supply the propulsion battery pack for Ampaire’s Eco Caravan—a proprietary, hybrid-electric iteration of Cessna’s 208B Grand Caravan. The nine-passenger Eco Caravan, which has undergone ground power tests and is slated to fly before the end of 2022, is the first hybrid-electric aircraft to enter into the FAA’s formal certification process. Ampaire expects the agency to issue supplemental type certification for the Eco Caravan in 2024.

For the Sophisticated Warfighter

AeroVironment, the Arlington, Virginia-based American defense contractor engaged in the design, development, and manufacture of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), has announced the launch of its next-generation VAPOR UAV—the VAPOR 55 MX—a helicopter-style machine optimized for defense, commercial, and industrial missions.

Also: ULA Vulcan Centaur, MQ-9 Extended Range, Eve UAM Sim, Classic Aero-TV: Camp AMA

Horizon Aircraft, an eVTOL aircraft developer, has been sold by Astro Aerospace after its acquisition in June in 2021. The deal saw the transfer of Horizon over to a group of Astro shareholders in a move that CEO Brandon Robinson says will “allow Horizon Aircraft to accelerate the development of our eVTOL in the private sector with access to more flexible funding mechanisms.” Steadicopter joined UK-Based Vikini Drone Packaging to launch a collaboration to transport and deliver hazardous materials via uncrewed aircraft. The match was a natural one, lev

Both Engines Remained Attached To The Wings And Both Propellers Were Feathered

On September 4, 2022, about 0850 Pacific daylight time, a Beech BE-58 airplane, N142DR was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Galt, California. The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. Multiple witnesses, who were hunting about one mile from the accident site, reported seeing the airplane spinning. One witness stated that “it was not nose down but more flat.” Another witness stated there was no engine noise.

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Obstacle Departure Procedure (ODP) A preplanned instrument flight rule (IFR) departure procedure printed for pilot use in textual or graphic form to provide obstruction clearance via the least onerous route from the terminal area to the appropriate en route structure. ODPs are recommended for obstruction clearance and may be flown without ATC clearance unless an alternate departure procedure (SID or radar vector) has been specifically assigned by ATC.

“In the distant past, the sand, mud, and salts that now make up the Wildcat Ridge sample were deposited under conditions where life could potentially have thrived. The fact that organic matter was found in such a sedimentary rock—known for preserving fossils of ancient life here on Earth—is important. However, as capable as our instruments aboard Perseverance are, further conclusions regarding what is contained in the Wildcat Ridge sample will have to wait until it’s returned to Earth for in-depth study as part of the agency’s Mars Sample Return campaign.” Source: Perseverance project scientist Dr. Ken Farley of Caltech, discussing the exploration of the Jezero Crater in Mars’s Syrtis Major qu