CATEGORIES

STARSHIP LAUNCH IN MARCH?

Following a test-firing of the Raptor rocket engines by which its Super Heavy booster is powered, SpaceX is nearly ready to fly its huge Starship.

PT6 CLOCKS UP A BILLION HOURS

Pratt & Whitney Canada is celebrating the accumulation of a billion hours on its PT6A engine in the 60th year of the engine's production.

GUARDIAN AIR

GUARDIAN AIR HAS, since its inception in 2009, become a key provider of non-scheduled Part 135 air charter operations and support services, and in particular, aeromedical flights.

IRIS GOES TO KHARTOUM

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

STICK TO THE RULES

Last month John shared the anticipation and de-horning flights. preparation for Rhino This month he continues the story with some unwelcome mechanical drama.

AIRLINK - BA CODESHARE

In February British Airways announced a codeshare partnership with Airlink.

SANDF DISASTER UNIT

THE SOUTH AFRICAN National Defence Force (SANDF) is looking to establish a dedicated disaster response unit, as it is regularly called on to assist with floods, fires and other events.

RIGHT SEAT RULES - PART 3 MAKING THINGS MEMORABLE

We all know an instructor who just seems to have the knack of making things memorable. We probably think of him as being a good, or even a great, instructor. Ever wondered how he does it?

FACE TO FACE HADI AKOUM

Guy Leitch (GL) asks Airbus Africa head Hadi Akoum (HA) about how his company assists African airlines and thus the demand for Airbus airliners.

HENSOLDT DEMONSTRATES ASTUS UAV TO POTENTIAL CLIENTS

Early in December 2022, HENSOLDT South Africa recently held flight demonstrations of its ASTUS unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the Western Cape for potential customers, showcasing the aircraft’s sensor payload capabilities.

AMPAIRE WINS NASA AWARD FOR INNOVATIVE HYBRID

New AMP drive AMP-H270 configuration for smaller aircraft and distributed propulsion can serve multiple markets.

ROLLS-ROYCE CONDUCTS FIRST-EVER TEST OF HYDROGEN-POWERED REGIONAL JET ENGINE

Rolls-Royce claims it has conducted the 'world's first run' of a regional aircraft engine powered with hydrogen.

EMBRAER REVEALS SUSTAINABLE AIRCRAFT MODELS AS PART OF ENERGIA

As a part of the company's progress report on Energia, Embraer revealed new aircraft concepts. The initiative to achieve net zero by 2050 has led Embraer to focus on hybrid-electric designs and hydrogen-electric propulsion.

AIRBUS AND ARIANEGROUP COLLABORATE ON HYDROGEN FUELLING FACILITY

ArianeGroup, a joint venture of Airbus and Safran and a worldleader in space propulsion technologies have announced they will work together to build the first liquid hydrogen refuelling facility for ZEROe aircraft at Toulouse, Blagnac airport (TLS). The station is slated to be operational in 2025.

SAMSON SWITCHBlade 'flying car' CLIMBS TO 100 RESERvations per month

Samson Sky, the creator of the futuristic Switchblade Flying Car, has reached more than 100 reservations per month in the last six months.

AIRBUS TO DEVELOP HYDROGEN POWERED ENGINE

Airbus has announced that it is about the business of developing a hydrogen-powered fuel-cell engine. The hydrogen propulsion system is among the designs being considered to power a planned zero-emission commercial aircraft the consortium hopes to see in airline service by 2035.

SPANISH POLICE FORCE TESTS EHANG eVTOL

The EHang EH216 electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle, intended to be used by Spanish National Police, has conducted its maiden flight.

RUSSIA's SUPERSONIC AIRLINER TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATOR PRODUCTION IN 2023 TO ENTER

Reports in Russian State media indicate that a technology demonstrator for an upcoming Russian supersonic passenger aircraft will enter production in 2023. It will be constructed at Chaplygin Siberian Scientific Research Institute of Aviation (SibNIA), using the MiG-29 fighter jet as a basis.

HOW DO DELIVERY DRONES DELIVER?

Drop, lower or land the delivery drone industry has seemed to settle down to three ways of doing business, all of which do just what helicopters do but are smaller. Different ways that delivery drones work have advantages and disadvantages.

CAR MAKER STELLANTIS WILL MASS PRODUCE ARCHER'S MIDNIGH EVTOL AIR TAXI

Under a new arrangement announced early in January, car maker Stellantis is to produce Archer Aviation's four-passenger eVTOL aircraft. Stellantis has also agreed to provide Archer with a further $150 million in equity capital in 2023 and 2024 in a move that significantly deepens a relationship with the Californiabased start-up that began in 2020.

IATA CALLS FOR INCREASE IN SAF INCENTIVES

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production will reach at least 300 million litres in 2023, a 200 percent increase on 2021 production of 100 million litres.

BLUEFLITE PATENTS eVTOL AIRCRAFT DESIGN

Late in 2022 Blueflite's patent for its 'advanced logistics drone platform' was accepted by the US Patent and Trademark Office, covering the 'revolutionary' design of the delivery UAV.

PIPER AND CAE PARTNER TO ELECTRIFY PA-28-180

The Centre Technologique en Aérospatiale (CTA), a Canadian technological concern dedicated to the application of aerospace technologies in cooperation with the École Nationale d'Aérotechnique (ÉNA) of Cégep Édouard-Montpetit, the largest college-level institution for aviation technology in North America, are making ready to convert a Piper Archer aircraft to electric power.

EMBRAER UPDATES ENERGIA CONCEPTS

Embraer announced plans to further explore two concepts for its Energia project, the Energia Hybrid Electric and Energia H2 Fuel Cell aircraft. 19- and 30-seat variants being considered for both models, which debuted last year as nine- and 19-seaters respectively.

AURA AERO SELLS ELECTRIC GLIDER TOW PLANE

French Sport plane manufacturer Aura Aero has obtained the approval of the French Gliding Federation (Fédération Française de Vol en Planeur, or the FFVP), with their purchase of an electric Integral.

DEVELOPMENTS IN HIGHLIGHTS IN evtol Aircraft Highlights from 2022

Last year was eventful for leading eVTOL developers so this feature is taking a look back at the progress some of the major players have made in the past 12 months.

BOOM Supersonic FINDS PILOT FLIGH training and EDUCATION partners

Boom Supersonic will be partnering with FlightSafety International (FSI) to train pilots, mechanics and cabin crew for its upcoming Overture aircraft. Together, the two companies, who are promising to bring back supersonic travel, will cooperate and develop training programmes and curriculums for Overture crews.

NASA CONSIDERS SOLICITING SPACEX'S ASSISTANCE

After MS-22, a Russian Soyuz capsule docked to the ISS, sprung a coolant leak on 14 December 2022, the safety of crew-members aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has been foremost on the minds of NASA and Roscosmos personnel, thereby calling into question the craft's space worthiness.

US NAVY TO FLY TWO XQ-58A

Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems Inc., Sacramento, California, has been awarded a $15,515,343 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to procure and deliver a quantity of two XQ-58A unmanned aerial systems (UAS) with sensor and weapon system payloads to accomplish the penetrating affordable autonomous collaborative killer.

COALITION FORMED TO DEVELOP HYBRID-ELECTRIC TURBOFAN TECHNOLOGY

A group of aerospace technology companies have announced the formation of a collaborative consortium to develop hybridelectric and water-enhanced turbofan technology for future aircraft propulsion systems, supported by the European Union Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking (Clean Aviation).