CATEGORIES

DID CHINA KICK RUSSIA OFF THE CRAIC CR929 PROGRAMME?

With the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) setting up a booth at the Paris Air Show 2023 and showcasing a COMAC wide-body aircraft as one of its products, was Russia kicked out of the CR929 programme?

APIE AND FREDRICK KOTZEE WIN THE 2023 PTAR

Over the past few years whilst covering South African Power Flying Association (SAPFA) speed rallies and the annual President's Trophy Air Race (PTAR) I have become acquainted with father and son team of Apie and Fredrick Kotzee.

CAASA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

On behalf of African Pilot, I attended the Commercial Aviation Association of Southern Africa's AGM on Wednesday 31 May at CAASA House, Lanseria International Airport.

RIGHT SEAT RULES NO. 7 - BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

So far we have been gathering the tools you’ll need to be the best damn instructor around.

BLOCK THAT COEFFICIENT!

I have to admit that when I encounter equations in a book, I usually just skip over them. Often some phrase like, “It may be readily seen that...” precedes them, and so I figure that since plenty of other people must be readily seeing whatever there is to see, there’s no reason that I need to as well.

THE PARYS AIRSHOW

In 2022, the first edition of the Parys Airshow was very successful. So it came as little surprise to see aviation enthusiasts queuing from very early on the bitterly cold Saturday morning for entry to the Parys Airfield.

Maputo airshow KHANIMABO!!!

After a four-year hiatus, the Maputo Airshow returned on 17 June 2023 - and it maintained the high standard of the earlier show.

IRIS - HER EARLY YEARS - Tanzania Game Tracker Safaris

Laura McDermid continues her stories of Iris McCallum’s flying exploits.

POL

In Part 1 of this two-part story, Hugh Tells how his engineer Pol got lost in the Libyan desert.

KUMBULULUKA KWA BAFANA 2023 - ZAMBIAN CHILDREN'S FLIGHT

In 2016 musician, Michael Ferguson and commercial Pilot Felix Gosher joined forces to offer underprivileged children the opportunity to experience the joys of flight, a privilege that many of us take for granted. The initiative was inspired by a song by Michael, “Paper Plane” about a young boy with a dream to fly. Through hard work and dedication, his dream is realised.

CENTURY AVIONICS TURNS 45!

Century Avionics celebrates its 45th anniversary in 2023. The company has been based at Lanseria Airport since being established in1978.

WILLIE WALSH BERATES POLITICIANS

IATA DIRECTOR GENERAL Willie Walsh took the opportunity of the organisation’s AGM to rebuke the governments that will play a crucial role in ensuring airlines’ hard work and investments are not in vain.

REFLECTIONS ON INKWAZI

Inkwazi, the South African Air Force’s Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) used for VIP transport, has been reliably racking up the flying hours this year. In just the past two weeks before writing this column it flew President Ramaphosa tens of thousands of kilometres in back to back trips to Switzerland, Poland, Russia, and now France without a single hitch or serious snag and quick turnarounds between missions.

2-stroke Diesels better late than never

For years I have moaned about how crappy piston aircraft engines are. They are prohibitively expensive, yet have antiquated technology and are far less efficient and reliable than modern car engines.

I REALLY THOUGHT I KNEW HOW TO FLY AN AIRCRAFT....NOT

There comes a time in one's life when it feels like it's time to re awaken the sparkle and wonder of flight by trying something new. There is nothing quite like the sobering snotklap you get as you begin as a fresh student all over again. I had to try to convince myself that, \"you're not crazy, John\".

CESSNA 414 CHANCELLOR - CESSNA'S BEST TWIN?

The piston twin is making a comeback. In the 1980s, under the pressures of high maintenance and high Avgas prices, the demand for piston twins collapsed in the face of Cessna Caravan and Pilatus PC-12 turbines. But now, the value proposition of a 40-year old piston twin is once again hard to beat.

YVONNE MANZI MAKOLO CHAIRS IATA BOARD OF GOVERNORS

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that RwandAir CEO Yvonne Manzi Makolo has assumed her duties as Chair of the IATA Board of Governors (BoG) for a one-year term, effective from the conclusion of the 79th IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Istanbul, Türkiye on 5 June.

HEVENDRONES LAUNCHES HYDROGEN-POWERED DRONE FOR COMMERCIAL AND DEFENCE USE

As a leader in the development and commercialisation of actionable drones, launched its first drone for commercial HevenDrones hydrogen-powered use, the H2D55. With five times greater energy efficiency than traditional lithium battery-powered drones, the H2D55 is capable of flying for 100 minutes with a payload capacity of seven kg

BLADE AIR MOBILITY SEES GROWTH IN MEDICAL BUT STAGNATION IN PASSENGER SERVICES

Soaring over Westchester County Airport (KHPN) in White Plains, New York, was Beta Technologies' ALIA-250 eVTOL aircraft, part of a flight test between Beta and partner Blade Air Mobility as the latter looks to transition to an air taxi service.

AMERIFLIGHT RECEIVES FAA EXEMPTION TO OPERATE DRONES

Ameriflight is the United States's largest Part 135 cargo airline. In the 55-years since its 1968 founding, the company has evolved from a small air-charter provider and cargo service into an international operator with 14 bases, 1,500 weekly departures and two-hundred destinations

RESEARCHERS FIND THAT PROPELLERS ARE LOUDER OVER GROUND

For the very first time the effects of the ground on propeller noise have been measured experimentally by researchers in the Aeroacoustics research team at the University of Bristol

PIPISTREL VELIS ELECTRO: NOW CERTIFIED IN THE USA

There is so much buzz around the emergence of electric airplanes that it is easy to forget what animates most of the enterprise is press releases. Cutting through this background noise is the innovative Slovenian company, Pipistrel. In 2020, as it promised it would, it announced the first certified electric airplane in the United States, the Velis Electro.

VOLTAERO CASSIO ELECTRIC-HYBRID AIRCRAFT

Bids are being sought for the construction of an industrial site at Rochefort - Charente-Maritime Airport in France's NouvelleAquitaine region where VoltAero is to perform the assembly and deliveries of its Cassio electrichybrid aircraft family.

LESSOR ROCKTON TO PURCHASE UP TO 40 ES-30 AIRPLANES FROM HEART AEROSPACE

SeoulSwedish investment and aircraft leasing company Rockton will acquire up to 40 of Heart Aerospace's EA-30 regional electric airplanes, converting an earlier letter of intent with the Swedish airplane maker into firm purchase orders for 20 airplanes with purchase rights for 20 more.

AURA AERO REVEALS FINAL DESIGN FOR HYBRID-ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT

During a public presentation on 12 May 2023, French startup AURA Aero has revealed the final design of its hybrid-electric aircraft currently under development. The ERA, a 19-seater, 900nm-range aircraft designed for the regional market, was unveiled

US STANDS READY FOR POTENTIAL SPACE CONFLICT, AMID TENSIONS WITH RUSSIA AND CHINA

The United States stands prepared for potential orbital conflicts amid escalating tensions with Russia and China, a top US military official told The Guardian, adding that the US \"is ready to fight tonight in space if we have to.\"

LEONARDO JOINS THE SHAREHOLDERS AND BOARD OF FLYINGBASKET, CARGO DRONE STARTUP IN EUROPE

Just a few months after its investment by venture capital fund Cysero, the South Tyrolean startup makes another excellent entry and continues its growth path. A new and important milestone in the growth path of Flying Basket, the South Tyrolean startup has been able to carve out a role for itself as an absolute leader in the high-capacity drone industry in Europe just a few years after its inception

STEADICOPTER AND BIRD AEROSYSTEMS REVEAL NEW CAPABILITY FOR THE BLACK EAGLE 50H

A leader in the Rotary Unmanned Aerial Systems (RUAS) industry, Steadicopter and BIRD Aerosystems, a global provider of innovative defence technology and solutions that protect the air, sea and land fleets of governments and related agencies, have unveiled the BlackEagle 50H, an advanced hybrid unmanned helicopter, featuring a miniature airborne radar with advanced proprietary technology, for use in maritime intelligence missions.

HYDROGEN HELICOPTER TO BE DEVELOPED BY PIASECKI AT SIKORSKY FACTORY

Piasecki Aircraft Corporation (PIAC) will develop its PA-890 hydrogen-powered helicopter at the former Sikorsky factory in Coatesville, Pennsylvania.

VERTICAL AEROSPACE RELEASE DATE SLIPS

Vertical Aerospace has pushed its certification timetable back towards the end of 2026 after a confluence of factors began to induce drag on operations