Also: Parrot Mambo FPV, Blue Thunder II, NJ Helo Accident, Kenai Aviation, Mobile ATC Tower, USMC Quadcopters

Five GA organizations are urging transportation leaders in Congress to strip a controversial proposal to  privatize the nation’s ATC system from a pending FAA reauthorization bill.

In letters this week, the groups urged that authorization for the FAA, scheduled to expire Sept. 30, be extended at least six months, so as not to distract from the important progress being made on NextGen ATC modernization and needed airport projects. A thrilling epoch in the exploration of our solar system came to a close Friday, as NASA's Cassini spacecraft made a fateful plunge into the atmosphere of Saturn, ending its 13-year tour of the ringed planet. "This is the final chapter of an amazing mission, but it’s also a new beginning,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The FAA's Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) has approved a report that recommends rolling back pilot qualification rules it says is adding to a nationwide shortage of airline pilots. The committee approved the report 14-4 with one abstention. But the recommendations are opposed by some pilot unions and safety advocacy groups, as well as several lawmakers. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!

Airborne 09.18.17 is chock full of info in this Daily News Episode, Monday, September 18th, 2017... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Hosts Brianne Cross, Christopher Odom, and Laura Hutson, and is supported by ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell, Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, and Aero-Journalist Tom Patton, this episode covers:

• Aviation Groups Urge Congress: Strip ATC Privatization From FAA Bill 
• NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft Ends Its Historic Exploration Of Saturn 
• ARAC Backs Rollback Of Pilot Qualification Rules 
• Parrot Mambo FPV Aimed At The Drone Racing Market
• AVW: Blue Thunder II Emergency Landing
• NTSB Releases Preliminary Report In NJ Helicopter Accident
• Kenai Aviation Closes Due To Declining Business
• FAA Sends Mobile Air Traffic Tower To St. Thomas
• Spirit Pilots Stand Ready to Walk Out If Negotiations Break Down
• Marine Corps Infantry Receive Small Quadcopters

Get Comprehensive, Real-Time, 24/7 coverage of the latest aviation and aerospace stories anytime, at aero-news.net. And be sure to join us again tomorrow, LIVE from Oshkosh 2017, for the next edition of "Airborne Unlimited" here on Aero-TV. Thanks for watching. See you, again, tomorrow!

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