Aero-News Network

Also: Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, B-21 Raider, Airobotics, CIAM Legends Award

In keeping with the expectations of myriad aviation industry stakeholders, the FAA announced on 13 September 2023 that it would extend the Remote ID enforcement date by six-months. Ergo, owners and operators of Radio Controlled (RC) Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)—known colloquially as drones—now have until 16 March 2024 to either retrofit extant UAS with aftermarket Remote ID broadcast modules, or purchase new standard Remote ID-equipped drones. Pyka and Dole plc - the Dole of produce fame - have completed the 1st trial phase using Pyka's Pelican Spray, a fixed-wing, twin-prop UAV. The testing began in late 2022 at Dole Fresh Fruit's operation in Honduras. Pyka's Pelican was test flown and gauged for spray efficacy testing at Dole's Isletas Farm. Bell has delivered a High-Speed Vertical Takeoff and Landing (HSVTOL) test-article to Holloman Air Force Base for demonstration and technology evaluation. Testing teams will leverage the Arnold Engineering Development Complex Holloman High Speed Test Track. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne-NextGen!!!

Airborne-NextGen 09.19.23 is chock full of info in this Weekly News Episode, Tuesday, September 19th, 2023... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Hosts Holland Lee, Sophie Hurlock, Brianne Cross, Christopher Odom, and Laura Hutson, and is supported by ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell, and Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, this episode covers:

FAA Extends Remote ID Enforcement Date by Six Months
Pyka Completes Flight Tests Using Produce Spraying UAV
Bell Begins HSVTOL Testing at Holloman Air Force Base
NASA Commissions Report on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena
B-21 Raider Testing Proceeding Apace
Airobotics Nabs Airworthiness Certification for Drone-in-a-Box System
FAI Announces CIAM Legends Award for 3x Winners in Modeling

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 next week for the next edition of "Airborne-NextGen" here on Aero-TV. Thanks for watching. See you, again, next week!

@2023 Aero-News Network, Inc., ALL Rights Reserved.

To Preserve and Teach

Incorporated as a non-profit domestic corporation in June 1997, the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation (AAHF) is a one-of-a-kind, national organization comprising veterans, their families, and civilian supporters individually and collectively dedicated to preserving and presenting the legacy of U.S. Army Aviation.

By virtue of chapters in Hampton, Georgia; Mesa, Arizona; and St. Louis, Missouri, the Foundation hosts and participates in aircraft and museum tours, school programs, air-shows, and other public events across the U.S.

The AAHF aspires to accurately portray the American soldier as an active, accepted, and admired member of the broader American family by presenting the story of Army Aviation and the soldiers by which it is perpetuated.

The AAHF acquires, restores, and maintains historic, vintage, flying aircraft representing U.S. Army Aviation circa the Vietnam- and Cold War-eras. Whenever possible, the Foundation seeks out veterans experienced with such aircraft to lead groups of AAHF volunteers in the restoration thereof.

The Foundation’s member Sky Soldiers conduct patriotic flying presentations, public helicopter rides, and educational presentations, thereby honoring the men and women who’ve served in the U.S. military and Army aviation, and affording civilians opportunity to hear veterans’ stories and, by dint of such, better understand the rigors of, reasons for, and nobility inherent military flight.

Throughout the world, no other known educational foundation is wholly dedicated to preserving flyable U.S. Army Aviation aircraft exclusively. The AAHF’s aircraft are restored to their original Army specifications and maintained, thereafter, to operational and safety standards fully-compliant with applicable FAA regulations.

Army Aviation Heritage Foundation personnel and machines take part in approximately forty air-shows annually.
Aero-TV is a production of the Internationally syndicated Aero-News Network. Seen worldwide by hundreds of thousands of aviators and aviation adherents, ANN's Aero-TV has produced over 5000 aviation and feature programs, including nearly 2000 episodes of our daily aviation news program, AIRBORNE UNLIMITED, currently hosted by Holland Lee. Now in its third decade of operation, parent company Aero-News Network, has the most aggressive and intensive editorial profile of any aviation news organization and has published nearly a half-million news and feature stories since its inception -- having pioneered the online 24/7 aviation new-media model that so many have emulated.

©2023 Aero-News Network, Inc., ALL Rights Reserved

FMI: www.aero-news.net, www.youtube.com/aerotvnetwork, https://armyav.org

Also: SUN ‘n FUN 2024 Tickets, McFarlane FAA-PMA, Soyuz MS-24 Docks, Gulfstream Completes Appleton

Two pilots are confirmed dead after the completion of a T-6 Gold Race as they returned to the field and collided in the process. Pilots at the site have furnished multiple reports that both aircraft collided while heading for final... with one aircraft getting its tail severed and impacting shortly thereafter, with the other continuing a short distance before going down. Reno officials ID’ed Nick Macy and Chris Rushing, as the pilots lost. Tragedy has hit again... with the Italian Frecce Tricolori Flight Demonstration Team at the center of it all. During a formation fly-by at the Turin Caselle Airport, this weekend, one aircraft was seen to drop out of a dual 'V' formation, followed seconds later by the pilot's ejection and the aircraft's impact near the end of the runway. The pilot has apparently survived but the jet's impact put it through the perimeter of the airport, and into nearby traffics. The debris collided with at least one vehicle subjecting a family inside to significant burns and other injuries... and causing the death of a five year-old girl. The North American B-25J medium-bomber dubbed Miss Mitchell will make a 04 through 08 October 2023 tour stop at Wichita, Kansas’s B-29 Doc Hangar, Education and Visitors Center. Miss Mitchell is lovingly maintained and operated by the Commemorative Air Force’s (CAF) Minnesota Wing. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne-Unlimited!!!

Airborne 09.18.23 is chock full of info in this Daily News Episode, Monday, September 18th, 2023... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Host Holland Lee. Holland is supported by ANN Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, as well as ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell. This episode covers:

Final Reno Air Race Shut Down After T-6 Mid-Airs
Frecce Tricolori Accident Puts Team At Center Of Tragedy... Again
B-25 Miss Mitchell Joins B-29 Doc for Wichita Event
SUN ‘n FUN 2024 Tickets On Sale
McFarlane Granted FAA-PMA for Cessna Door Springs
Soyuz MS-24 Docks at International Space Station
Gulfstream Completes Appleton, Wisconsin Facility Expansion

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, for the next edition of "Airborne Unlimited" here on Aero-TV. Thanks for watching. See you, again, tomorrow!

© 2023, Aero-News Network, Inc., ALL Rights Reserved.

Also: Alaska Super Cub Accident, B-21 Raider, HSVTOL Testing, 1B Gallons SAF

The Historic Flight Foundation’s collection of vintage aircraft is being sold off to pay a $20.1-million debt incurred by its founder, John Sessions. In 2022, a jury in Williston, North Dakota found Sessions and one of his companies, Eagle Crest Apartments, had fraudulently transferred funds to other businesses owned by Sessions, including the Historic Flight Foundation. The last 12-months have seen the FAA certify a total of 10,191 new Airline Transport Pilots (ATP). In August 2023 alone, upwards of 1,200 new ATPs were vetted and written gleaming new tickets—the largest monthly number in history. In keeping with the expectations of myriad aviation industry stakeholders, the FAA announced that it would extend the Remote ID enforcement date by six-months. Ergo, owners and operators of Radio Controlled (RC) Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)—known colloquially as drones—now have until 16 March 2024 to either retrofit extant UAS with aftermarket Remote ID broadcast modules, or purchase new standard Remote ID-equipped drones. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne-Unlimited!!!

Airborne 09.15.23 is chock full of info in this Daily News Episode, Friday, September 15th, 2023... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Host Holland Lee. Holland is supported by ANN Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, as well as ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell. This episode covers:

Unfortunate Events... Historic Flight Foundation Aircraft to be Sold Off
FAA Report Confirms Record U.S. Pilot Production
FAA Extends Remote ID Enforcement Date by Six Months
Husband of Alaska Congresswoman Killed in Super Cub Accident
B-21 Raider Testing Proceeding Apace
Bell Begins HSVTOL Testing at Holloman Air Force Base
United to Purchase Up To One Billion Gallons of Sustainable Aviation Fuel

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, for the next edition of "Airborne Unlimited" here on Aero-TV. Thanks for watching. See you, again, tomorrow!

© 2023, Aero-News Network, Inc., ALL Rights Reserved.

Also: Affordable Flying Expo, Aero-Pup Cowling, Young Eagles Air Academy, FAA Admin Nom

Oregon-based Van’s Aircraft is developing a web-portal by which customers in receipt of cracked aircraft parts may report such and arrange to take delivery of replacement components. Customers visiting the portal will be presented lists of the heretofore problematic laser-cut parts from which they may specify the replacements they require. The ANN crew had an immensely successful trip to Mt., Vernon Illinois for the very busy 15th Annual MidWest LSA Expo. Not the biggest show in the world, there was still LOTS of flying, an overtly friendly atmosphere and a volunteer staff that could NOT be beat. Close to 40 vendors filled the easily accessed airport ramp, and nearly 200 demo flights were safely executed. Overall traffic was estimated to be up some 20% over previous such events. Longtime EAA Chapter 252 member and volunteer-pilot Fred Stadler of Oshkosh, Wisconsin has become the first individual to fly ten-THOUSAND young people as part of the EAA Young Eagles program. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!

Airborne Affordable Flyers 09.14.23 is chock full of sport aviation info in this Special Episode, Thursday, September 14th, 2023... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Host Holland Lee. Holland is supported by ANN Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, as well as ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell. This episode covers:

Van’s Web Portal to Support Replacement of Defective Parts
MWLSA Expo Rocked!
EAA Volunteer Pilot Celebrates Flying 10,000 Young Eagles
Tentative Dates Set For AFE2025
New Cowling Being Developed For Aero-Pup
Young Eagles Air Academy Registrations Open
Michael Whitaker Nominated for FAA Administrator Position

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, for the next edition of "Airborne Unlimited" here on Aero-TV. Thanks for watching. See you, again, tomorrow!

© 2022, Aero-News Network, Inc., ALL Rights Reserved.

Also: Avionics Theft, CIAM Legends Award, Wright Trophy For Crippen, PHI buys Airbus Helis

The ANN crew had an immensely successful trip to Mt., Vernon Illinois for the very busy 15th Annual MidWest LSA Expo. Not the biggest show in the world, there was still LOTS of flying, an overtly friendly atmosphere and a volunteer staff that could NOT be beat. Close to 40 vendors filled the easily accessed airport ramp, and nearly 200 demo flights were safely executed. Overall traffic was estimated to be up some 20% over previous such events. On 11 September, Frank Rubio, who’s currently serving out a year-long mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), earned the distinction of logging the longest single spaceflight by an American, surpassing former record-holder NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei’s mark of 355 days in space. Upon returning to Earth later this month, Rubio will have accrued 371 days in space. In an SEC filing, Wheels Up, stated: “On September 6, 2023, the Company [Wheels Up] and Delta [Air Lines] entered into the Third Amendment to Secured Promissory Note to increase the aggregate principal amount of the Note by up to an additional $15-million, of which the additional $15-million was received by the Company on September 6, 2023.” All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne-Unlimited!!!

Airborne 09.13.23 is chock full of info in this Daily News Episode, Wednesday, September 13th, 2023... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Host Holland Lee. Holland is supported by ANN Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, as well as ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell. This episode covers:

MWLSA Expo Rocked!
NASA Astronaut Sets Spaceflight Milestone
Wheels Up Receives Additional $15-Million from Delta Air Lines
Thieves Strike Respected Oklahoma Flight School
FAI Announces CIAM Legends Award for 3x Winners in Modeling
Robert Crippen to Receive 2023 Wright Trophy
PHI to Acquire 28 Additional Airbus Helicopters

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, for the next edition of "Airborne Unlimited" here on Aero-TV. Thanks for watching. See you, again, tomorrow!

© 2023, Aero-News Network, Inc., ALL Rights Reserved.

Also: Matternet-UPSFF, Wisk In DC, General Atomics-DARPA, Volatus MOU w/LEO

The FAA has granted uAvionix approval to conduct BVLOS drone flights utilizing Vantis, North Dakota’s first-of-its-kind UAS system. uAvionix, with support from the Northern Plains UAS Test Site, demonstrated to FAA personnel that it had established adequate risk mitigations to satisfy requisite safety standards for the specified BVLOS operation within the NAS. The FAA has issued a brief statement in which they state that they have closed the SpaceX Starship Super Heavy mishap investigation. The final report cites multiple root causes of the April 20, 2023, mishap and 63 corrective actions SpaceX must take to prevent mishap reoccurrence. The United States Navy’s Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Lakehurst (NAWCAD LKE) partnered with New Jersey’s Toms River School District to host a drone camp at which students were instructed in the basics of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) design, purpose, and operation. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne-NextGen!!!

Airborne-NextGen 09.12.23 is chock full of info in this Weekly News Episode, Tuesday, September 12th, 2023... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Hosts Holland Lee, Sophie Hurlock, Brianne Cross, Christopher Odom, and Laura Hutson, and is supported by ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell, and Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, this episode covers:

FAA Approval Allows BVLOS Drone Flights in North Dakota
FAA Closes SpaceX Starship 'Mishap' Investigation
U.S. Navy Hosts Student Drone Camp
Matternet Partner UPSFF Granted BVLOS Authorization
Wisk Brings Air Taxi Service to Wash DC (Kinda)
General Atomics Poised to Deliver on DARPA Contract
Volatus Infrastructure Signs MOU with LEO Flight

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 next week for the next edition of "Airborne-NextGen" here on Aero-TV. Thanks for watching. See you, again, next week!

@2023 Aero-News Network, Inc., ALL Rights Reserved.

Also: Young Eagles Air Academy, WWII Pilot Fred L. Brewer Jr., Virgin Galactic, Cert G700-G800 Engines

The FAA has issued a brief statement in which they state that they have closed the SpaceX Starship Super Heavy mishap investigation. The final report cites multiple root causes of the April 20, 2023, mishap and 63 corrective actions SpaceX must take to prevent mishap reoccurrence. H2Fly, a German Hydrogen-Electric Demo Company has successfully completed a test flight using its liquid hydrogen-electric powered HY4 aircraft. The HY4 demonstrator was able to set a company record with a 3-hour flight, showing some promising performance that points to a max range somewhere around 1,500 kilometers. An F8F Bearcat operated by the Commemorative Air Force will be needing a bit of love, with the aircraft prepped and ready to go on its way to a full restoration to airworthy condition. Produced by Grumman as one of the last of the production run, Bureau of Ordnance Number 122674, was tendered to the Navy a scant week before the very last Bearcat changed hands. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne-Unlimited!!!

Airborne 09.11.23 is chock full of info in this Daily News Episode, Monday, September 11th, 2023... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Host Holland Lee. Holland is supported by ANN Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, as well as ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell. This episode covers:

FAA Closes SpaceX Starship 'Mishap' Investigation
German Hydrogen Company Completes Liquid H2 Flight
SoCal CAF Wing's Bearcat to See Full Paint Job Under Restoration
Young Eagles Air Academy Registrations Open
Because We Must NEVER Forget: WWII Pilot Fred L. Brewer Jr. Accounted For
Virgin Galactic Completes 4th Successful Flight in 4 Months
FAA Certified: Gulfstream G700 and G800 Engines

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, for the next edition of "Airborne Unlimited" here on Aero-TV. Thanks for watching. See you, again, tomorrow!

© 2023, Aero-News Network, Inc., ALL Rights Reserved.

Also: Whitaker Nominated 4 FAA Admin, EASA VTOL Regs, GE90 Issues, PAL-V 'Flying Car'

ANN is having a BLAST at the MidWest LSA Expo in Mt. Vernon, IL. While low ceilings around the airport hampered or delayed a few folks from getting to the field, most of them had made it by the end of the day -- paving the way for the good weather currently forecast for Friday and Saturday. The Expo has a good showing of the regulars, as well as some new designs, with several actual ultralights and gyroplanes joining the mix. A new tail layout for the R66 Turbine will provide "enhanced roll stability during high-speed flight." Robinson Helicopter Company says that the new configuration also aids in operating costs, increasing the horizontal stabilizer's previous 2,000-hour time between overhaul to a much loftier 4,000 hours. Universal Avionics (UA) has partnered with AerSale to develop and certify AerAware Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS). The successful conclusion of the certification flight test program prescribed by the FAA and its certification have come to pass. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne-Unlimited!!!

Airborne 09.08.23 is chock full of info in this Daily News Episode, Friday, September 8th, 2023... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Host Holland Lee. Holland is supported by ANN Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, as well as ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell. This episode covers:

ANN Reports From the MidWest LSA Expo
New Empennage for Robinson R66 Turbines Approved
FAA Approves ClearVision Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS)
Michael Whitaker Nominated for FAA Administrator Position
EASA Proposes VTOL Regulations
Boeing 777 AD Incoming for GE90 Engine Parts
PAL-V 'Flying Car' Gains First German Showroom

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, for the next edition of "Airborne Unlimited" here on Aero-TV. Thanks for watching. See you, again, tomorrow!

© 2023, Aero-News Network, Inc., ALL Rights Reserved.

It’s a Small World After All…

Founded in 2011 by pilot, aircraft designer and builder, and U.S. Air Force veteran Sam Watrous, Uncasville, Connecticut-based ScaleBirds is about the noble mission or salting the kit-plane marketplace with unique, radial-engine-powered, down-scaled replicas of iconic WWII aircraft.

Currently in its prototype phase, ScaleBirds’s initial offering is a 55-percent scale P-36 Hawk. Once thoroughly vetted and certificated, the type will be the first in what Watrous and his crack team of engineers, fabricators, and artists have dubbed the company’s LiteFighters series.

Tipping the scales at a maximum gross weight of 1,232-pounds and powered by a single, 124-horsepower, seven-cylinder, air-cooled Verner Scarlett 7U radial engine turning a three-blade fixed-pitch propeller, ScaleBirds’s P-36 replica manages a maximum level-flight speed of 130-knots, a Vne of 158-knots, a dive speed of 176-knots, and a sea-level stall-speed (presumable Vso) of 54-knots.

While the prototype’s airframe is stressed to a maximum of +3.8 G, the production aircraft will be capable of handling up to +4.4 G and engaging in light aerobatics—the likes of barrel rolls and the occasional Immelmann.

ScaleBirds’s prototype P-36 replica, N936SB (imagine the 9 as a backwards “P”) is the company’s alpha build. Watrous and company are currently accepting applications for beta builders—experienced pilot/builders whose construction experiences will inform further development of the machine.

To the subject of why its inaugural offering is patterned after Curtiss’s relatively obscure P-36, ScaleBirds et al. set forth: “First: It's cool.

“Second: It is extremely under appreciated. The P-36 saw combat from Day One (for America) and was credited with two of the first aerial victories of the War at Pearl Harbor. That said, the P-36 was already being flown by the French, the Finns, and RAF and they would continue to see service throughout WWII. Heck, the Argentinians flew it through the 1950s! The Hawk represents the first-generation of warbirds; what better way for us to start out our project than at the beginning.

“Third: The P-36 is a great place to start to show off the modularity of the LiteFighter concept. We plan to convert the design to a P-40 which primarily only requires changes from the firewall forward. As the successor to the P-36 in the Curtiss line, the P-40 is the natural choice to evolve the ScaleBirds line. The P-40 is an iconic fighter of the early war years, represented by the Flying Tigers in China, or the RAF and Free French in North Africa. More importantly, the basic design is so extremely similar that our builders can choose to build either the P-36 or the P-40 depending on the engine they want to use. Furthermore, we have already begun preliminary design concepts using the existing LiteFighter design to modify the basic fuselage, empennage, and wing structure to build an A6M Zero, FW190, and P-47.

“Fourth: We have a great partnership with Verner Motor and wanted an aircraft that can show off these excellent, modern radial engines.

“Lastly: It has never been done. While we at ScaleBirds love Spitfires, Corsairs, and Mustangs; they have all been done before. We wanted something uniquely ScaleBirds.

“Having completed and successfully flown the P-36 prototype, ScaleWings has set out to identify a qualified group of beta-builders—the construction experiences of which will inform further development of the model.”

Aero-TV is a production of the Internationally syndicated Aero-News Network. Seen worldwide by hundreds of thousands of aviators and aviation adherents, ANN's Aero-TV has produced over 5000 aviation and feature programs, including nearly 2000 episodes of our daily aviation news program, AIRBORNE UNLIMITED, currently hosted by Holland Lee. Now in its third decade of operation, parent company Aero-News Network, has the most aggressive and intensive editorial profile of any aviation news organization and has published nearly a half-million news and feature stories since its inception -- having pioneered the online 24/7 aviation new-media model that so many have emulated.

©2023 Aero-News Network, Inc., ALL Rights Reserved

FMI: www.scalebirds.com, www.aero-news.net, www.youtube.com/aerotvnetwork