Upcoming Solar Eclipse to Provide Rare Vistas Next April

Mt. Vernon Outland Airport, KMVN in Mt Vernon, Illinois, will be the home of the Midwest MVN Eclipse Homecoming, a free airshow at the LSA Expo Fave. The town sits smack dab in the middle of the total solar eclipse that will take place on April 8, 2024, when the moon blots out the sun for a brief 4-minute window. Mt Vernon locals invited “all Midwest LSA Expo attendees, Airventure Cup, Air Race Classic racers, KR, Ercoupe, Fly-Baby Builders & Flyers, Bonnie Aviator Club members, CAA members” and locals to attend.

NAA Heading Into 2024 With Fresh Faces from Blue Chips and Innovators

The National Aeronautic Association announced the election of a half dozen new members to its Board of Directors, bringing fresh blood from longtime titans of aerospace and hungry new startups alike. The new members include Darby Becker, of General Electric; Lauren Haertlein, of eVTOL manufacturer Joby Aviation; and Joan Higginbotham, of Ad Astra, LLC. (Ad Astra, in her case, is the Rocket Company, and not one of many similarly-named enterprises among the constellation of bay-area startups). Next, Billy Nolen, of eVTOL operation Archer Aviation; James Viola, of industry body Helicopter Association International; and Claudia Zapata-Cardone, of US carrier United Airlines roun

'Record Breaking' Year On Hand for Women in Rotary Flight

Whirly-Girls International, a non-profit dedicated to advancing women's roles in the helicopter aviation industry, named recipients of its 2024 scholarship programs. The lucky winners will be awarded at the February 25th HAI Heli-Expo in Anaheim, California, where each will be given a moment of appreciation at the Whirly-Girls Annual Reception.

2024 Not Starting Off on a Good Foot for the Bean Counters

JAL is in a tough spot after losing their Airbus A350 in the recent incident at Tokyo Haneda, with a $100 million price tag to clean up the mess. The carrier’s shiny new Airbus A350 was a total loss, though the wings don’t look all that worse for wear. Luckily for the airline, the aircraft will be covered under their all-cause insurance policy, all 15 billion yen worth. Those in the know believe that American insurer AIG is the lead on a $130 million policy. The coverage breaks down to a hull value of $117 million, and a $13 million total loss-only coverage.

Pioneer Aerospace Nestles into the Musk Family

Pioneer Aerospace has been officially acquired by SpaceX after its parent company's bankruptcy earlier this year. The change brings the former contractor into the SpaceX family, adding even more in-house know-how on a difficult and demanding area of spaceflight. Pioneer Aerospace has been the cheapest buy for their new owners so far, a scant 2.2 million dollars. That was a steal of sorts, thanks to the Chapter 11 filing from Pioneer's parent company Aviation Safety Resources.

Actor Christian Oliver And Children Announced by Local Authorities

The Royal St Vincent and Grenadines Police Force identified the victims of a recent plane crash in Bequia, naming a local pilot Robert Sachs, Christian Klepser, and his 2 daughters. The group were killed when their Bellanca Viking went straight into the sea one mile West of Petit Nevis, just after takeoff from the JF Mitchell Airport in Paget Farm, Bequia on their way to St Lucia.

Simpler, Easier Compass Work Promised by Capital Avionics CA-420

EDMO has become a distributor of Capital Avionics' CA-420 Digital Sight Compass System, a "state-of-the-art portable magnetic heading standard" for testing and calibration.The CA-420 Compass Sensor system, and its accompanying accessories, allows operators to calibrate aircraft compasses without using old-fashioned equipment like painted compass roses or conventional sighting. The CA-420A Sensor is a highly sensitive instrument able to measure the direction of the Earth's magnetic field in 3 axes in addition to pitch and roll attitudes. Its included rechargeable battery powers an on-board sighting laser, and wi-fi wireless antenna to connect remotely to the included Samsung tablet.

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