Also: Mustang Woes, CAF's "FIFI", Cal Fire v UAVs, FAA Grants, Prescott Municipal, Boeing Donates, Super Puma

 

It's certainly another “Only in Oshkosh” first. Blue Origin will display its historic New Shepard rocket and astronaut crew capsule at AirVenture the week of July 24-30. “EAA AirVenture Oshkosh has always showcased innovation, imagination, and achievement in flight, which makes Blue Origin’s presence at Oshkosh an excellent fit,” said Jack J. Pelton, EAA CEO and Chairman. Blue Origin’s exhibit will also feature a 1:1 mockup of New Shepard’s astronaut crew capsule, which has seating for six people. AirVenture guests will be able to climb inside, recline in flight-ready seats and experience a simulated flight to space created with real mission footage from New Shepard’s on board cameras. The crew capsule windows which take up more than one-third of the capsule’s surface area. Rotax has issued an urgent correction to its recently released service instruction: SI-912 i-015 Fuel pump service kit for ROTAX Engine Type 912 i (Series). This Service Instruction contains a procedural error and will soon be replaced with a revised version. Inexplicably; the city of Santa Monica is reportedly spurning the FAA when it comes to potential federal grant money that could help the airport as long as it remains open. The Santa Monica Airport Association reports that the city has turned up its nose at federal grants available to all airports, while accepting federal money for other projects. That means homeowners who live near the airport are unable to get federal assistance to help insulate their homes against airport noise, among other things. The SMAA says that the "shenanigans" by the city government "cost Santa Monica taxpayers in waste, inefficiency and poor local government." All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!