Bizarre, Dangerous, Incident Under Investigation

As G-Class Mercedes are to Hollywood celebrities, so floatplanes are to Alaska—a defining, singularly indispensable means of transportation without which life would be reduced to a protracted series of overland drudgeries. Were that universal logic prevailed, Alaska’s state bird would be the de Havilland DHC-2 Amphibious Beaver, not  the Willow Ptarmigan. Alas, just as some Alaskan’s are wont to hunt the Willow Ptarmigan, one boater on southern Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula’s set out besiegingly against pilot Eric Lee and his DHC-2 floatplane.

Military Cyber-Defense Materials Discovered Aboard Grounded Aircraft

In an instance indicative of troubling political undercurrents in South America, Argentine authorities have grounded a Venezuelan Boeing 747-300 that the U.S. Justice Department alleges was previously linked to a U.S.-sanctioned Iranian airline with ties to terrorist organizations. The Justice Department has petitioned the Argentine government to hand the aircraft over to the U.S.

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: BT-13 Restoration, Heli Operator Cleared, Young Eagles Upgrades, MQ-8 Fire Scout

The bankruptcy of Aha! airlines and its parent company, Georgia-based ExpresJet, has grounded a fleet of five Embraer ERJ145 regional jets and the crews who flew them. Piedmont Airlines has announced that it will provide employment-relief to the newly displaced ExpressJet airmen under the distressed carrier provision of its ALPA-negotiated pilot contract. DJI has unveiled their newest drone, breaking the mold with a compact, sharp little unit geared towards agile, quick recording wherever necessary. The Avata breaks from the usual convention among drones, opting to e

Also: BT-13 Restoration, Heli Operator Cleared, Young Eagles Upgrades, MQ-8 Fire Scout

The bankruptcy of Aha! airlines and its parent company, Georgia-based ExpresJet, has grounded a fleet of five Embraer ERJ145 regional jets and the crews who flew them. Piedmont Airlines has announced that it will provide employment-relief to the newly displaced ExpressJet airmen under the distressed carrier provision of its ALPA-negotiated pilot contract. DJI has unveiled their newest drone, breaking the mold with a compact, sharp little unit geared towards agile, quick recording wherever necessary. The Avata breaks from the usual convention among drones, opting to e

SLS Malfunctions Tedious but Surmountable

The scrubbing of Artemis I’s original 29 August and back-up 03 September launches have been respectively attributed to problems with the SLS’s engine and fuel systems. NASA brass has congratulated Artemis mission directors for making the difficult calls necessary to safeguard the program's integrity. Artemis I's next lauch window wil occur in late October 2022.             

Rutherford Rocket Engine Performs to Specifications

Rocket Lab has refurbished and successfully test-fired one of its proprietary Rutherford rocket engines. The refurbished engine passed the selfsame rigorous acceptance tests Rocket Lab performs on every one of its engines—including two-hundred-seconds of engine fire and multiple restarts. The instance marks a significant advancement in the company's efforts to make its Electron launch vehicle the world's first reusable small orbital rocket. 

STEM: Branching Out

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded $231,000 in grants to support Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) outreach. The grants build on the FAA's efforts to inspire future generations of aviators. 

Air-to-Ground Network Up and Running Following Successful Expansion Efforts

SmartSky Networks has announced that their mobile broadband network is live from coast to coast with high-speed inflight broadband internet. The company's air-to-ground network is composed of hundreds of sites throughout the continental United States leveraging the unlicensed 2.4GHz band. Using it as a base, SmartSky combines 4 and 5G tech to optimize scalability, transmission range, and power to provide reliable, low-latency connections even over congested areas with high interference. That consistency is a hallmark of their service, according to SmartSky president Ryan Stone. 

From 2011 (YouTube Version): Aviation's Greatest Living Legend Talks About His Life In Aviation (Part 4)

ANN is pleased to offer you yet another snippet from the public conversations that took place with Bob Hoover at Airventure 2011... where he was honored for a lifetime of aviation excellence. In this program, Bob continues his discussion about his life in aviation, in a segment entitled, 'What's Your Most Exciting Memory?' Ask any pilot who he (or she) thinks is the best he ever saw and depending on how long they've been in the business, the answers might surprise you... BUT, for anyone who had the grand opportunity to see much of the Golden Age of GA,

Wichita FBO to Offer Special Pricing for Alliance Members

Part 135 charter operators within the Fly Louie Alliance will soon see fresh savings at Yingling’s  Wichita Eisenhower Airport, the FBO company reports. The Fly Louie Alliance is a relatively new addition to the industry, founded in September of 2019 to create a network to match Part 135 operators with FBO partners to mitigate costs and provide additional benefits to both. The Alliance allows charter providers to save up to $0.89 per gallon at Preferred FBOs in the United States, the Caribbean, and Canada, while offering a crew travel savings program, health insurance plan, and fleet networking initiative branded “Connect”.

The Engine Was Recently Field Overhauled And Was Installed On The Airframe About 5 Hours Prior To The Accident

On August 27, 2022, about 1315 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 140, N76527 , was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Slocomb, Alabama. The commercial pilot sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to a witness, who was the son of the pilot, he observed the takeoff roll and stated that the airplane seemed “sluggish,” and the engine sounded “weak.”

Aero Linx: The Society of Experimental Test Pilots The Society of Experimental Test Pilots is an international organization that seeks to promote air safety and contributes to aeronautical advancement by promoting sound aeronautical design and development; interchanging ideas, thoughts and suggestions of the members, assisting in the professional development of experimental pilots, and providing scholarships and aid to members and the families of deceased members.

State Aircraft Aircraft used in military, customs and police service, in the exclusive service of any government or of any political subdivision thereof, including the government of any state, territory, or possession of the United States or the District of Columbia, but not including any government-owned aircraft engaged in carrying persons or property for commercial purposes.

“The aluminum boat was coming toward me, I thought they were trying to get around me at first... Then they started weaving back and forth fairly close to the aircraft... My concern level was high because she was—it appeared to be within inches—but more than likely within feet of our wings. Had she, at those speeds, hit our wings, I just assumed it was going to be a catastrophe and we would have to evacuate... If the boat did actually hit me, how was I going to get them to get out of the aircraft and to safety? Because the tide runs through there pretty fast and sometimes creates a pretty strong current, and it’s fairly cold water and, of course, the sides of the bay are fairly rocky too, so it would have been a tough maneuver if I had