Of Dear Memories and Distant Mountains

Marilyn Lovell, wife of renowned NASA astronaut and Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell, passed away peacefully in Lake Forest, Illinois on 27 August 2023. Mrs. Lovell departed life surrounded by her devoted husband of 71-years and loving family.

Racing the Federal Clock

Notwithstanding the buzz MOSAIC has occasioned amongst pilots and aeronautical stakeholders, little mention has been made in the aviation community or the press by which it’s served of the FAA’s intentions—under MOSAIC—to amend nine discrete regulations. Moreover, in supporting the proposal, the docket includes 17 supporting documents (including two draft advisory circulars), 129 footnotes with numerous standards and 26 Federal Register cites, and seven policy documents equating to well over one-thousand pages of directly relevant information.

Second Prototype Under Construction

Vertical Aerospace, the Bristol, UK-based concern that designs and manufactures Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, announced on 09 August that its VX4 eVTOL prototype had suffered an accident during a test-flight at Gloucestershire, England’s Cotswold Airport (GBA). The company set forth in its SEC filing: “Our flight-test program is designed to establish the limits of the aircraft’s performance, and the incident occurred during an uncrewed test of the aircraft’s maneuverability during a motor failure test scenario, which is a key requirement to progress to crewed operations.” On 31 August, Vertical Aerospace reported the flight-testing mishap had been attribute

The Memory of 'Aviation's Elder Statesman' Lives On...

An expanded Bob Hoover Legacy Foundation (BHLF) Board Of Directors has formally met for the first time after expanding its leadership team, and prepping for a much upgraded mission. Up until recently, the Foundation has been led by Board Members Michael Herman, Brian Cochran, Joan Cochran, James G. Kidrick, and Executive Director, Jim Campbell, though, we have regretfully accepted the resignation of Rich Pickett who has a thriving aviation business to attend to… and we wish him the very best. Recently added to the board of the BHLF, by a unanimous vote, former AOPA President, Phil Boyer; Cirrus Design Founder Alan Klapmeier; and retired SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo President & CE

Also: Emergency AD For Bell 407, Coulson USFS Contract, Reliable Robotics, Textron 

EASA and the FAA have issued the type certificate for Dassault’s Falcon 6X. These certifications conclude a more than two-year-long test campaign during which 1,500 flight hours were logged worldwide. First units are undergoing final completion. Russia’s first attempt at establishing a lunar presence in almost 50 years ended in disappointment when their tiny, uncrewed lander impacted the surface following a failed orbital maneuver. Luna 25, named to establish some continuity with decades of Soviet moon missions under the old space race program, would have been a land

Also: Allegiant Air, ALPA v ATI, Folding Knee Desk, United Airlines Pledge

JetBlue has opened up its 8th program under the "Gateway" series of initiatives, this time taking aim at military pilots of rotary-wing aircraft as a base of future company pilots. The Gateway Rotor Transition Program offers a "prescribed talent pathway" for trained military helo personnel, allowing them to "transition their existing expertise as helicopter pilots and acquire the necessary skills and certifications needed to join JetBlue as a first officer."  The US Air Force has published its 2023 Rated Officer Retention Demonstration Program, which could provide up to $50,000 a

From 2014 (YouTube Version): One Of the Airshow Industry's Most Creative Performers Talks Shop With ANN

While at EAA AirVenture 2014, ANN News Editor Tom Patton caught up with Kyle Franklin at the Concorde Battery display booth. Patton has been checking up on the health of the airshow industry and he asked Franklin to give his views. Franklin indicated that, in his opinion, the industry is coming back from the doldrums it was in last year. Franklin ranks as one of the most popular performers because of the type of routines he perform

Aussie Carrier Orders Four 787-9 and Eight 787-10 Jets

Australian flag-carrier Qantas has selected Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner family to serve as the cornerstone of the air-carrier’s efforts to modernize its wide-body aircraft fleet. To that end, the airline—the name of which is an acronym connoting Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services—has placed an order for four 787-9 and eight 787-10 jets.

Witness Reported Seeing N4184G Pitch Up And Roll Near Inverted And Then Enter A Spin

On August 5, 2023, about 1206 mountain daylight time, a Nanchang China CJ-6A airplane, N4184G, was  substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Peyton, Colorado. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Several witnesses observed N4184G and another airplane of similar make and model performing aerobatic maneuvers and formation flight in the vicinity of the Meadow Lake Airport (FLY), Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Air Nostrum Group Doubles Airlander Orders

Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) and Air Nostrum Group have agreed to double the number of Airlander-10 airship reservations to a total of twenty aircraft. Under the initial agreement, announced in June 2022, Air Nostrum Group reserved ten Airlander-10 aircraft, with a one-hundred-passenger configuration. Under the new agreement, Air Nostrum Group has reserved a further ten Airlander aircraft for purpose of facilitating expansion of a planned airship network extending from Spain into the Mediterranean region, to include Malta.

Aero Linx: The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, FAI The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, FAI - The World Air Sports Federation, was founded in 1905. It is a non-governmental and non-profit making international organization with the basic aim of furthering aeronautical and astronautical activities worldwide, ratifying world and continental records, and coordinating the organization of international competitions. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 

Known Traffic With respect to ATC clearances, means aircraft whose altitude, position, and intentions are known to ATC. 

“Our flight-test program is designed to establish the limits of the aircraft’s performance, and the incident occurred during an uncrewed test of the aircraft’s maneuverability during a motor failure test scenario, which is a key requirement to progress to crewed operations.” Source: From a statement by Vertical Aerospace, the Bristol, UK-based concern that designs and manufactures Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft -- who announced that its VX4 eVTOL prototype had suffered an accident during a test-flight at Gloucestershire, England’s Cotswold Airport (GBA).