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November 18, 2020

Airborne-Unmanned 11.18.20: DJI AGRAS T20, DoT BEYOND, Workhorse TC App

Also: Autel and DroneSense, Pennsylvania CAP Wing, Airspace Link, Beringer Aero

DJI is aiming at the farming market with its latest agriculture drone, the DJI AGRAS T20. This agriculture spraying drone makes it accessible and scalable for farmers who are ready to apply digital insights and automated spray technology into their operations. The DJI AGRAS T20 is optimized to work in complicated environments and different agricultural lands, from its autonomous flight planning and terrain-sensing radar, to extended flight time, high payload capacity, and off-the-grid power options. SecTrans Chao has announced that the three-year UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) successfully concluded on Oct. 25. Eight of the nine state, local and tribal governments that participated in the progra

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Airborne-Unmanned 10.28.20: RAAF UAV, Dufour eVTOL, OSIRIS-REx!

Also: 2020 MultiGP Championships, Honeywell Partners W/Pipistrel, AMA Leads DAC Group, uAvionix TSO

The Boeing Loyal Wingman aircraft being developed with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) recently moved under its own power for the first time, a key milestone for the aircraft that’s expected to make its first flight this year. RAAF Head of Air Force Capability Air Vice-Marshal Cath Roberts said“Air Force partners with industry to ensure we can find innovative solutions to meet our future priorities, Boeing’s Loyal Wingman project is a perfect example of what this collaborative appr

Stats Are Below FAA's Not-To-Exceed Goal -- Continuing Decade-Long Improvement In Safety

There's good news for the sport aviation community. Things are safer out there than expected and seem to be trending that way for the future. Safety totals for experimental amateur-built aircraft continued the decade-long improvement trend in 2020, as fatal accident totals finished below the Federal Aviation Administration not-to-exceed number for the 12 months ending September 30, 2020. Over the 12-month period from October 1, 2019, through September 30, 2020, which mirrors that federal government fiscal year, total fatal accidents in experimental aircraft dropped more than 15 percent from the previous year, to 44 total fatal accidents including 32 in a

New Installation Saves 17 Pounds Per Engine And Delivers Better Performance

Intercontinental Jet Service Corp (IJSC), Tulsa, has obtained an STC for Hartzell Propeller’s scimitar four-blade aluminum prop installations on MU-2 twin-engine aircraft. Models covered include more than 260 MU-2B, -26A, -40, -36A, and -60 aircraft built by Mitsubishi. The STC by IJSC, a Hartzell Propeller Recommended Service Facility, replaces the previous Hartzell steel hub prop installations with lighter weight aluminum hubs and blades. The new installation saves 17 pounds per engine and delivers better performance.

Arianespace And The ESA Will Set Up An Independent Inquiry Commission

It is the second loss of this type of vehicle in the last three launches, but on Tuesday, November 17, Arianespace confirmed the loss of the Vega VV17 mission, which was carrying two payloads, SEOSAT-Ingenio, an earth-science observation satellite for the European Spatial Agency (ESA) and TARANIS for France’s National Centre for Space Studies (CNES). Two and a half months after Vega’s return to flight, the Vega launch vehicle lifted off as scheduled on November 16 at 22:52 (local time in Kourou, French Guyana) from the Guyana Space Center. The first three stages functioned nominally until the ignition of the AVUM upper stage, eight minutes after departure from the la

The DroneZone Is The FAA’s Official Website For Registration

The FAA is reminding everyone whose drone registrations expire in December that the DroneZone is the FAA’s official website for registration. If you completed your drone registration directly with the FAA before the DroneZone was established in January 2018, a DroneZone account was created for you using the information you provided. Access your account by entering the same email address you used when you first registered, and by using the “forgot password” tool to establish a new password.

EASA-Certified Helicopter Flight Training Program Underway In US

The F-1 Visa Program Is An Important Part Of The Equation

International students interested in doing their helicopter training in the US, just got a chance to learn in a more comprehensive licensing framework. Hillsboro Heli Academy has received approval to conduct professional helicopter pilot training in accordance with European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations. The approval comes through a partnership with Austria-based helicopter flight school RotorSky -- reportedly making them the only helicopter flight school in the US that is able to offer joint FAA/EASA training under the F-1 visa. This program offers significant time and cost savings for European students. Historically these students have needed to complete separate EA

Will Equip The eFlyer 2 & eFlyer 4

Bye Aerospace and Safran Electrical & Power have signed a Cooperation Agreement to equip the eFlyer 2 & eFlyer 4 aircraft with the ENGINeUS electric smart motors. Bye Aerospace is FAA-certifying the two-seat, all-electric eFlyer 2 for the professional flight training mission and the four-seat eFlyer 4 for air-taxi and advanced training uses.

From 2009: The Oldies Can Be Newbies...

There's something about a Cub... a something that has remained alluring over the course of the better part of a century. But then again, there are Cubs and there are SUPER Cubs... hence our fascination with the CubCrafters Super SportCub. CubCrafters tells ANN that the SUPER SportCub shares many airframe parts with the Sport Cub S2 and the Carbon Cub Kit. By eliminating virtually all airframe components that don’t carry flight or landing loads, this modern design is simpler, lighter and stronger than the Piper Super Cub designed in 1949. 6

Expanding Market Reach to Regional Jets

Spirit Aeronautics has recently completed a relocation to larger, more capable hangar facility to serve their clients more efficiently and expand their market reach. Located at Signature Flight Support's FBO at KCMH, this upgrade into a 1st class hangar facility will enable the team's expansion into higher level of aircraft maintenance and world-class avionics support.

Engine Initially Ran Smooth But Began Knocking And Vibrating

On October 28, 2020, about 1145 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182T airplane, N3537C, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Lebanon, Ohio. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot stated he and the passenger were ferrying the airplane from Clermont County Airport (I69), Ohio, to Warren County Airport (I68), Ohio following maintenance to install new avionics. While flying at 3,000 ft mean sea level (MSL) in instrument meteorological conditions the oil pressure dropped to zero. The engine initially ran smooth but began knocking and vibrating.

Aero Linx: Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) Since 2006, the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) has sought to enhance energy security and environmental sustainability for aviation through the use of alternative jet fuels. CAAFI is a coalition of airlines, aircraft and engine manufacturers, energy producers, researchers, international participants and U.S. government agencies. Together these stakeholders are leading the development and deployment of alternative jet fuels for commercial aviation.

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (11.18.20): Wind Grid Display

Wind Grid Display A display that presents the latest forecasted wind data overlaid on a map of the ARTCC area. Wind data is automatically entered and updated periodically by transmissions from the National Weather Service. Winds at specific altitudes, along with temperatures and air pressure can be viewed.

"This is outstanding news as far as the continuing trend of lower accident totals in experimental category and amateur-built aircraft, especially as total flight hours increased over the past 12 months. The FAA continues to challenge our community by lowering the not-to-exceed number each year and we have met that challenge over the past decade, as we have seen fatal accident totals drop by nearly 40 percent for both experimental and amateur-built aircraft over the past decade." Source: Sean Elliott, EAA's vice president of advocacy and safety, commenting on the safety totals for experimental amateur-built aircraft -- as they continued their decade-long improvement trend in 2020, as fatal accident totals finished below the Federal Aviation