CATEGORIES

SHORT FINALS

Inthe October 2018 edition of SAFlyer, regular readers of the magazine would have noticed a new Heli Ops” column appear on page 46. In that first column, introduced myself, The Silver Fox,” as well as several themes that would build on as the magazine moved from its printed version, through a Covid-19 induced lockdown, to where it is now, online.

FLYSAFAIR EXPANDS REGIONALLY

FlySafair has received approval to operate international flights beyond South Africa’s borders.

FACE TO FACE JAMES GELDENHUYS

Nedbank’s Aircraft Finance head James Geldenhuys answers Guy Leitch’s questions about the state of post Covid aviation finance in Africa.

CESSNA 206 CFIT

AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT

MULTIPLICITY OF ACCIDENT CAUSATION Synopsis (SACAA)

On Friday, 8 April 2022 at approximately 09h40, a flight instructor and a student pilot on-board a Piper PA-38-112 (Tomahawk) aircraft with registration ZS-AXE took-off on a training flight from Cape Town International Airport (FACT) in the Western Cape province, to Diemerskraal Aerodrome in the same province.

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO ELVIS PRESLEY'S FLEET OF PRIVATE JETS?

As a new biopic about Elvis Presley, directed by Baz Lurhmann, hits the silver screen, there has been a renewed interest in the life of the man dubbed the 'King of Rock and Roll'. Recognised as the best-selling solo artist of all time by Guinness World Records, with one million billion sales worldwide, it is safe to say that Elvis Presley is one of the most recognizable faces and voices in music history.

EAA SUN 'N FUN 2022 RALLY

This year's EAA Sun 'n Fun flying event provided the opportunity to stage the seventh fun rally event staged annually in support of EAA.

FLYSAFAIR REFRESHES SA RUNWAYS

On 30 September low-cost carrier FlySafair revealed a refreshed logo and new aircraft paint scheme at the airline's OR Tambo hangars as the airline welcomed its 25th aircraft into the fleet.

BELL'S V-280 VALOR IS THE STANDALONE CHOICE FOR FLRAA

To deter the threat from near-peer competitors, the Army's air assault mission demands a revolution in capability that only a tiltrotor can provide, not just a faster helicopter.

BOEING FLOATS 'MODERNISED APACHE' CONCEPT FOR US ARMY'S FUTURE ATTACK HELICOPTER

The Apache is going to be the US Army's principal attack helicopter for the next 25 to 30 years. There is nothing right now that is on the books that is going to replace the Apache.

TECNAM UNVEILS P2012 STOL

Last month Tecnam unveiled a short take-off and landing (STOL) variant of its twin-engine P2012 Traveller. The P2012 STOL has a 16.6-meter (54.5-foot) wingspan, 2.6 meters (8.5 feet) wider than the standard P2012 and swaps the Traveller's Lycoming TEO-540-C1As for Continental GTSIO-520-S engines.

Autonomous concepts aiming to drive superiority for tomorrow's war fighter

As the battlefield of tomorrow becomes increasingly complex, BAE Systems' work in developing early lifecycle Uncrewed Aerial Systems capability could play a key role in maintaining critical advantage.

GENERAL ATOMICS DEVELOPING HYBRID-ELECTRIC ENGINE FOR STEALTHY 'MQ-NEXT' DRONE DESIGN

"We believe that GA is going to pioneer a completely new way to propel airborne air breathing vehicles," said Mike Atwood, the firm's senior director of advanced programmes.

MAIDEN FLIGHT OF THE ELEKTRA TRAINER

On 29 June 2022, a two-seater electric ultralight aircraft Elektra Trainer from Elektra Solar GmbH (a spin-off of the DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics) took off for its maiden flight at Memmingen International AirportElectric flying in Germany is becoming a reality step by step.

US AIR FORCE TO START NEW EXPERIMENTS WITH BOEING'S MQ-28 GHOST BAT DRONE

The US Air Force is set to begin flight experiments with Boeing's MQ-28 Ghost Bat, a combat drone developed for the Australian air force that may help its American counterpart learn how to operate unmanned aircraft alongside fighter jets.

ZEPHATALI WALSH MAKES HISTORY AS WINNER OF THE WORLD'S FIRST FLYING CAR RACE

A landmark moment in both the history of motorsport and the genesis of the flying car mobility revolution has been made in the salt flats of South Australia. Airspeeder pilot Zephatali Walsh beat fellow-competitor Fabio Tischler in a tense and close inaugural EXA remotely piloted race. This was the first time two pilots were given full license to race their 4.1m long eVTOL race-craft blade-to-blade in a fully competitive race setting.

Picture of the month.

JOBY DESIGNED FOR DAILY LIFE

FLOATING, FOILING AND FLYING: HOW DOES REGENT'S ELECTRIC SEAGLIDER WORK?

It has been a busy time for progress in electric aviation, with several new aircraft and vehicles taking to the skies for test flights across the world recently, including a new type of vehicle that will transport passengers just a few feet above the surface of the water.

PLANS FOR 30-SEAT ELECTRIC REGIONAL AIRLINER

In 2020 the Swedish start-up revealed its 19-seat ES-19. However, Heart Aerospace has now unveiled a design for its 30-seat ES-30 electric regional airliner. During a 15 September event at Heart's Gothenburg headquarters, Air Canada and Swedish aerospace and defence group Saab each committed to investing $5 million in the venture.

WISK UNVEILS GENERATION SIX eVTOL AIR TAXI PROTOTYPE

The four-passenger, all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is the first candidate for FAA certification for autonomous, passenger-carrying air taxi, the company said.

S-PLANE TO CONVERT MWARI TO OPTIONALLY PILOTED AIRCRAFT

South African Paramount Group has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with S-Plane Automation that will integrate its optionally piloted vehicle solution onto Paramount's Mwari aircraft.

M3 SYSTEMS, PIPISTREL, VOLOCOPTER COMPLETE DECONFLICTION TESTS

M3 Systems, air traffic (ATM) and management unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operator, light and electric aircraft manufacturer, Pipistrel and Volocopter, a pioneer of urban air mobility (UAM), have completed their first joint flight test campaign in France at Pontoise airfield.

FIRST FLIGHT FOR STUDENT-BUILT ELECTRIC SLING

The four-seater was developed and assembled by 20 students at ETH Zurich over two years at Innovation Park in Dübendorf, Switzerland, as part of their studies towards their bachelor's degrees.

MARS ROVER EXPLORES ANCIENT MARTIAN RIVER DELTA

NASA's Perseverance rover is a car-sized, six-wheeled rover designed to explore the Jezero Crater in Mars's Syrtis Major quadrangle. The crater measures approximately 28-miles in diameter and is thought to have once been flooded with liquid water in which life may have existed. In some Slavic languages, the term 'Jezero' man's lake.

SOUTH AFRICAN FIRST FOR SANBS DRONE DELIVERY

A three year-long initiative by the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) came full swing with the issuing of a remote operator's certificate (ROC) by the SA Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), believed to be the first medical delivery drone license in the country.

DRONE BOOTLEGGING ON THE RISE IN THE US

The notion that a society's essence manifests most purely in its vices and criminals finds compelling expression in Bryant LeRay Henderson, who was arrested and charged with multiple felonies after allegedly flying a drone into a federal prison for purpose of delivering drugs and electronic devices to inmates.

BYE AEROSPACE's eFLYER 2 MAKES PROGRESS TOWARD FAA APPROVAL

Bye Aerospace first flew its initial prototype of the eFlyer 2 in April 2018 and since then it has been working through several iterations of the aerodynamic design, powerplant, battery system and other components that will go into the eventual production version of the all-electric, two-seat aircraft.

EVIATION ALICE ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT

Eviation Aircraft is aiming to complete type certification and service entry for its Alice fixed-wing electrically powered aircraft by 2026. The company intends to certify Alice under the US Federal Aviation Administration's Part 23 rules.

AERODELFT STUDENTS BUILD HYDROGEN PLANE

A team of students at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands has successfully flown the first prototype of its Phoenix hydrogen-powered aircraft. The AeroDelft student team aims to promote the use of liquid hydrogen as an alternative to conventional aviation fuels by developing two hydrogenpowered aircraft: the remotely piloted Phoenix Prototype and the two-seat Phoenix full scale, which the team revealed with a taxi run during the annual AeroDelft summer event at Breda International Airport in the Netherlands.

URBAN AIR MOBILITY: A FUTURE ALTERNATIVE TO CURRENT PUBLIC TRANSPORT?

In past decades traffic congestion in cities has commonly been increasing, considerably impacting the quality of urban life both from an environmental perspective and on citizen's mental health. Today's measures set by cities aim to dissuade people from using their cars due to increasing road taxes, parking fees, and congestion, but rarely offer alternative means of transportation.