CATEGORIES

Airbus Says Extra Development Needed for US-made Armed AH-125 Helicopter

Airbus has brought the new helicopters to market in a bid to 'capture advantages of the US export system' and the Foreign Military Sales process, said Scott Tumpak, vice president of military helicopters at Airbus US. Airbus H125M helicopters have inspired the launch of two US manufactured rotorcraft configured for light attack and multirole missions.

HONDA AIRCRAFT TO LAUNCH HONDAJET 2600 LIGHT JET

Honda Aircraft is moving ahead with plans to 'commercialise' the HondaJet 2600 concept light jet that it unveiled at NBAA-BACE 2021. Powered by two Williams International FJ44-4C turbofans and with a Garmin G3000 avionics suite, the 2600 will also share the original HA-420 HondaJet's over-the-wing-engine-mount design. Certification is planned for 2028.

PARYS AIRSHOW 2023

Located on the banks of the Vaal River in the Free State, Parys is a town in that is better known as a weekend getaway to de-compress from the pressures of modern life. Parys has an airfield, which is located outside the strictly controlled commercial airspace that is Johannesburg which adds to the attraction of hosting an airshow. In addition, the commute from the economic hub of South Africa is around 90 minutes.

ZAMBIA CHILDRENS FLIGHT 2023

Felix Gosher, along with his gorgeous wife Belinda continue their long-standing project of bringing the joy of aviation to those less privileged. His 'Children's Flight' initiative, which last year included Zambia, had the second running for a day of fun, for the underprivileged children in Zambia. With the support from the Zambia Air Force (ZAF), this event continues to be enormous. The ZAF provided the venue, as well as several aircraft to fly the children for their first flight experience.

PARIS AIR SHOW 2023

The 54th edition of the world's largest biennial aviation trade fair, the Paris Air Show opened its doors at Le Bourget Parc des Expositions for the first time in four years on Tuesday 20 June. The week-long fair was brimming with visitors from all around the world, especially Middle Eastern carriers that aim to expand internationally.

ROYAL AIR FORCE AIRSHOW RAF COSFORD, UNITED KINGDOM 11 JUNE 2023

The Royal Air Force's premier airshow took place once again at RAF Cosford, United Kingdom in early June. As usual with this event you have access to superb airshow and a major Royal Air Force Museum containing many famous exhibits documenting advances in British military aviation.

MAPUTO AIRSHOW

Early on Friday morning 16 June, I travelled with Brian Emmenis and his Capital Sounds team to Mozambique to attend the amazing and most successful Maputo airshow. We flew with LAM Express in an Embraer 145 that seats 50 passengers.

FAILURES OF FRACTIONAL AND CHARTER COMPANIES OF CONCERN

On 9 May 2023, Wheels Up founder and CEO, Kenny Dichter resigned in the face of his company's mounting losses and potential bankruptcy.

AZERBAIJAN TO PURCHASE A C-27J SPARTAN FROM LEONARDO

On 8 June Leonardo announced that the Azerbaijan Air Force had signed a contract with the company to procure an unknown number of C-27J Spartan multi-role military transport aircraft. According to a statement by the Italian firm, the contract was signed by an Azerbaijani delegation in Italy, in the presence of defence ministers' representatives from the two countries.

NASA AND BOEING TO PRODUCE NEW SUSTAINABLE X-PLANE

Last month NASA and Boeing announced a new project, creating a new sustainable X-plane. The aircraft produced through the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project will be designated X-66A by the US Air Force. Boeing was awarded its contract in January, to lead the development and flight testing for a full Transonic Truss-Braced Wing demonstrator airplane.

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