AeroNews

AMA Drone Report 11.21.19: MultiGP Champions, Model Politics, AMA Expo's End

Also: DJI Fights Malaria, DroneResponders Working Group, Drones v Aircraft, ANN Staff Openings The RaceDayQuads 2019 MultiGP Drone Racing Global Championship presented by DRL has named its winners. Both contests, Sport Class and Pro, were hard fought. Drone racing pilots from all over the world competed in global ‘Qualifier’ races so that they could rise in the ranks to partake in the Championship. After weeks of qualifying, the Sport and Pro Class competitions took place over two weeks at Daytona Stadium, Daytona Beach, FL. MultiGP raised the stakes this year by allowing International Pilots to participate, as well as offering two different classes of competition with Pro & Sport Class. On Nov. 8, 2019, U.S. Representative Greg Pence and Senator Todd Young sent a letter to the FAA Administrator, Steve Dickson, on behalf of AMA. Representative Pence and Senator Young are supporters of model aviation and wish to help the future of AMA. The lawmakers noted that, “As the (FAA) develops rules for recreational (UAS), we urge you to continue to work with the (AMA) to ensure the aeronautic hobbyist community is not unduly burdened. Should the FAA move forward to impose uniform restrictions on local clubs, we are concerned that this multimillion dollar industry and pillar in the recreational community will be jeopardized.” After a good 20-year run, AMA Expo as we know it, has come to an end. AMA officials announced the decision at this year’s show AMA Expo West, held November 1-3, in Pomona, California, after the AMA Executive Council voted to end the show. In lieu of hosting a national trade show once a year in Southern California and in New Jersey (AMA Expo East), AMA has decided to explore multiple district events across the country in 2020 and in the years to follow. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of the AMA Drone Report!!!...

Airborne 11.25.19: AEA 3Q Sales, $20K Drone Fine, NTSB OV-1D Prelim

Also: AMA Expo Shutdown, Boeing on SWA 1380, Air Wisconsin Pilots, Tunisair Express, ANN Staff Openings AEA has released its third-quarter 2019 Avionics Market Report. In the first nine months of the year, total worldwide business and general aviation avionics sales amounted to $2,287,701,583.05, or more than $2.2 billion as reported by the participating companies. The figure represented a 14.3% increase in total sales compared to the first nine months of 2018. During the third-quarter months of July, August and September, sales increased 14.9% compared to the same time frame one year ago. Sometimes, members of our own communities are our own worst enemies. A California drone pilot, flying illegally in Las Vegas, NV, lost control of his Phantom 3 only to have the vehicle fly off an imp-act terrain to the side of a runway at busy McCarran International Airport... one of the busiest in the Western USA. Reuben Burciaga was attempting to shoot video of a local downtown Las Vegas landmark, in violation of the regs, when the vehicle departed control, and flew over 2 miles away to KLAS at altitudes as high as 450 feet. Burciaga seemed none too concerned about the safety and legal violations... The NTSB has released its preliminary report from an accident which occurred November 1 involving a Grumman OV-1D participating in the Stuart Airshow. The ATP-rated pilot was fatally injured when it went down near the approach end of runway 30. According to the report, the pilot was scheduled to perform a 12-minute routine that day. The person who was acting as crew-chief, and whom had accrued about 880 hours in the same make and model airplane during military conflict, reported that the pilot informed him and another individual before departure that no acrobatic maneuvers were to be performed due to the ceiling and wind conditions. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!...

Airborne-Unmanned 11.26.19: Leonardo Invests, WavDrone Flt Test, Drone Fine

Also: Terra Drone Indonesia, FLIR Intro's StormCaster, AMA Expo's Canceled, Sensefly Partnerships Leonardo is investing in Skydweller Aero Inc., a U.S./Spanish start-up specializing in large-scale solar-powered unmanned air systems. The initiative will result in the development and deployment of the Skydweller drone, a fully electric unmanned aircraft capable of carrying large payloads with unlimited range and ultra-persistent endurance. Skydweller has the capability to operate from existing airbases around the world, deploy thousands of miles away to areas of high need, and remain overhead for orders of magnitude longer than current aircraft. The Skydweller project builds on an aircraft that successfully circumnavigated the globe in 2016. WavDrone has announced that they will begin comprehensive flight testing of its carbon-nanotube drones and drone intercept technologies at Griffiss International Airport, formerly Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, NY. Griffiss International Airport is one of just seven FAA-designated UAV test sites in the United States and is responsible to the FAA and NASA to supervise operations for UAS testing. The facility is part of New York's 50-mile UAS corridor between Syracuse and Rome, NY, facilitating BVLOS testing, thus enabling the safe integration of UAS testing in U.S. airspace. ometimes, members of our own communities are our own worst enemies. A California drone pilot, flying illegally in Las Vegas, NV, lost control of his Phantom 3 only to have the vehicle fly off an imp-act terrain to the side of a runway at busy McCarran International Airport... one of the busiest in the Western USA. Reuben Burciaga was attempting to shoot video of a local downtown Las Vegas landmark, in violation of the regs, when the vehicle departed control, and flew over 2 miles away to KLAS at altitudes as high as 450 feet. Burciaga seemed none too concerned about the safety and legal violations... even posting complaints to social media about losing the drone in the controlled airspace surrounding McCarran. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne-Unmanned!!!...

ANN Wishes Our Readers, Listeners And Viewers A VERY Happy Thanksgiving Holiday

Yes... We Will Be On A Holiday Schedule For The Rest Of Week As the Aero-News staff observes the US holiday of Thanksgiving on Thursday, we wanted to let our readers know that ANN will still be on the job, reporting breaking news in the aviation and aerospace fields as it happens -- in Real Time -- just like always. Aero-News will be publishing at a slightly reduced level on November 27th and 28th, as our staffers spend some time with their families... some of whom may not recognize them away from their computers. Basically, we're going to treat the four-day weekend as just that: a four-day weekend, meaning you'll still be able to find several new stories each day on our website....

Airborne 11.27.19: FAA Busts KSMO, 737 MAX 10 Debut, Homebuilt Accidents

Also: Gone West-Pat Luebke, CAE-Jazz-Seneca, Dubai Airshow, Safe Skies Act It’s about time... after years of watching the FAA let the city of Santa Monica kill off one of California’s most vital airports, someone in Washington apparently has had enough. An aggressive Part 16 complaint made by a number of airport tenants, operators, the NBAA (whose leadership on this issue has been prominent), and others in 2016, resulted in an FAA investigation that found the city dealing fast and loose with airport funds, and its responsibility to operate lawfully, in accordance with FAA Airport Grant agreements. In the November 8th finding, the FAA ruled that the city was guilty and not in compliance with Grant Assurance 25, stating that it failed to meet requirements under the FAA’s Revenue Use Policy, there was a litany of financial irregularities and practices, some seemingly designed to create hardships and obstacles for those wishing to use the airport... as an airport... while offering special treatment to those who didn’t. Boeing marked a key milestone Friday as thousands of employees gathered for the debut of the first 737 MAX 10 at the company’s Renton, Washington factory. During a ceremony, Boeing leaders highlighted the team’s accomplishments and recognized their efforts in completing production of the newest member of the 737 MAX family. While fatal accident totals in amateur-built aircraft remain at historic lows, a slight increase in the total for the last 12-month reporting period shows the continuing necessity for dedicated educational efforts to push the total even lower, according to our friends at EAA. The FAA reports that for the 12-month period from October 1, 2018, to September 30, 2019, fatal accident totals for the experimental category overall, including amateur-built aircraft, racing aircraft, those used for exhibit only, research-and-development, and some types of light-sport aircraft, rose to 52 – five above the FAA’s “not to exceed” goal of 47 for the period. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!...

Airborne 11.27.19: FAA Busts KSMO, 737 MAX 10 Debut, Homebuilt Accidents

Also: Gone West-Pat Luebke, CAE-Jazz-Seneca, Dubai Airshow, Safe Skies Act It’s about time... after years of watching the FAA let the city of Santa Monica kill off one of California’s most vital airports, someone in Washington apparently has had enough. An aggressive Part 16 complaint made by a number of airport tenants, operators, the NBAA (whose leadership on this issue has been prominent), and others in 2016, resulted in an FAA investigation that found the city dealing fast and loose with airport funds, and its responsibility to operate lawfully, in accordance with FAA Airport Grant agreements. In the November 8th finding, the FAA ruled that the city was guilty and not in compliance with Grant Assurance 25, stating that it failed to meet requirements under the FAA’s Revenue Use Policy, there was a litany of financial irregularities and practices, some seemingly designed to create hardships and obstacles for those wishing to use the airport... as an airport... while offering special treatment to those who didn’t. Boeing marked a key milestone Friday as thousands of employees gathered for the debut of the first 737 MAX 10 at the company’s Renton, Washington factory. During a ceremony, Boeing leaders highlighted the team’s accomplishments and recognized their efforts in completing production of the newest member of the 737 MAX family. While fatal accident totals in amateur-built aircraft remain at historic lows, a slight increase in the total for the last 12-month reporting period shows the continuing necessity for dedicated educational efforts to push the total even lower, according to our friends at EAA. The FAA reports that for the 12-month period from October 1, 2018, to September 30, 2019, fatal accident totals for the experimental category overall, including amateur-built aircraft, racing aircraft, those used for exhibit only, research-and-development, and some types of light-sport aircraft, rose to 52 – five above the FAA’s “not to exceed” goal of 47 for the period. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!...

Aero-FAQ: Dave Juwel's Aviation Marketing Stories -- ITBOA BNITBOB

Dave Juwel's Aviation Marketing Stories ITBOA BNITBOB ... what does that mean? It's not gibberish, it's a lengthy acronym for "In The Business Of Aviation ... But Not In The Business Of Business."...

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (11.28.19)

International Women's Air & Space Museum The Museum is dedicated to the preservation of the history of women in aviation and space and the documentation of their continuing contributions today and in the future....

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (11.28.19): Blocked

Phraseology used to indicate that a radio transmission has been distorted or interrupted due to multiple simultaneous radio transmissions....

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (11.28.19)

"This is the final critical step before the spacecraft is ready to be joined with the Space Launch System rocket for this first test flight in 2020. Our team at Plum Brook Station has been upgrading the Space Environments Complex to prepare for this test, and we are thrilled that it is here." Source: Dr. Marla Pérez-Davis, acting director, NASA's Glenn Research Center....

White House, Capitol Briefly Locked Down Over Possible Airspace Violation

But Further Investigation Finds It May Not have Been An Aircraft In The National Capital Area The White House and the U.S. Capitol were placed on "Restrictive Access" for a short time Tuesday morning when a mysterious "blob" was seen on radar at the Capitol Police Command Center....

Blazing The Trail Of Urban Traffic Management

Pathfinder Project Is Laying The Foundation For Safe Autonomous Flight In The National Air Space Flying cars, drones delivering pizzas and a highway in the sky are scenes from science fiction, but they’re also visions of our very real future. At NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, engineers are laying the foundation for safe autonomous flight in the national air space through a project called Pathfinder....

Orion Spacecraft For Artemis I Mission Arrives At NASA's Plum Brook Station

Will Undergo A Four-Month In-Space Environmental Testing Program The Artemis I Orion spacecraft arrived at NASA's Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, on Tuesday, Nov. 26 for in-space environmental testing in preparation for its 2020 flight....

U.S.-Based Pilot Sets Guinness World Record

Makes Fastest Helicopter Solo Flight Throughout Lower 48 U.S. States British-Thai pilot Yosuke Chatmaleerat recently claimed a Guinness World Record title for traveling through all 48 contiguous states of the U.S. in record time: under 12 days. Beginning in Tallahassee on Sept. 25, Chatmaleerat traveled the east coast to Maine before heading west, southwest, north and east to cross through the U.S. several times, returning to Miami on Oct. 7. Chatmaleerat planned the trip for months and flew by himself, with no assistance. Guinness has already officially confirmed Chatmaleerat's record....

Embraer Services & Support Expands U.S. Presence In South Florida

Increases Capacity At Executive Jets Service Center Embraer Services & Support announces the expansion of its Executive Jets Service Center at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (KFLL). As of November 1, Embraer has expanded its service capacity through a lease agreement with Jetscape Services for a dedicated hangar....