CATEGORIES

US NAVY UNMANNED HELICOPTER IMPRESSES

Northrop Grumman's MQ-8C Fire Scout is an unmanned helicopter based on Bell's 407, itself a derivative of the hugely successful 206L-4 Long Ranger. The autonomous vehicle provides reconnaissance, situational awareness, aerial fire support and precision targeting support for the ground, air and sea forces of its primary user, the US Navy.

L3HARRIS SKY WARDEN  ATTACK PLANE WINS SOCOM’s ARMED OVERWATCH PROGRAMME

L3 Harris could produce up to 75 AT-802U Sky Warden aircraft to replace US Special Operations Command’s U-28 Draco.

F/A-18E/F SERVICE LIFE MODIFICATION PROGRAMME UNDERWAY

The F-18 Hornet is a great many wondrous and worthwhile things. The twin-engine, all-weather, fourth-generation fighter is fast, manoeuvrable, tough, battle-proven, eminently upgradable and a symbol of American Naval airpower. However, the Hornet is not young.

UAVIONIX AV-30-C, STC NOW INCLUDES LIGHT TWINS AND HIGH-SPEED PISTONS

Last month uAvionix announced it has received FAA approval to expand the Approved Model List (AML) for its AV-30-C Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS), by more than 190 light twin and higher performance single-engine models. This expansion significantly extends the availability of AV-30-C in the general aviation market to include a large portion of popular aircraft from Beechcraft, Piper, Tecnam, Air Tractor, Cirrus, Extra, Howard, Taylorcraft, Cessna and many others.

MCC AVIATION'S FIREFIGHTING AIRBUS H125 HELICOPTERS IN ACTION

The assignment was to capture one of three MCC Aviation owned Airbus H125 helicopters fighting a deliberately set grass fire in the southern Highveld area of Mpumalanga on a brisk winter's day.

WHY EMIRATES THINKS AIRBUS SHOULD BUILD BIGGER PLANES

Following its unique relationship with the Airbus A380, Emirates has stated its wish for Airbus to continue to build larger aircraft. Speaking at a media roundtable in Doha, the airline's CEO, Tim Clark, made clear his thoughts on the need for larger aircraft in the future as demand for travel bounces back following the pandemic.

ALSIM WINS BIG

ALSIM, the innovative Nantes (France) based Flight Training Device manufacture, has recently had two big successes in North America.

THE SECOND AERO SOUTH AFRICA EXPO

The second edition of AERO South Africa took Wonderboom Airport in from 7 - 9 July 2022 at Tshwane (Pretoria).

ULTIMAX AVIATION - EVERYTHING ABOUT HELICOPTERS

ULTIMAX AVIATION is a Cape Town based Approved Maintenance Organisation (AMO), renowned for its top-level experience in helicopter maintenance.

CAPE TOWN SUPPLEMENT

Aviation in and around Cape Town is bouncing back strongly after the Covid lockdown and associated restrictions of travel.

SLING HIGH WINGS - Epic Adventure to Oshkosh

The intrepid entrepreneurs of the Sling Aircraft Factory have done it again.

JET-A DIESELS - NOW A MATURE TECHNOLOGY

As Avgas prices head for R40/ litre the need for an alternative to Avgas powered planes becomes ever more pressing. The good news is that, for the past 16 years, Jet-A diesel piston engine technology has been quietly maturing. It has now become a well-developed aero engine that is a serious contender to compete in the piston market.

THE TRUTH ABOUT EXPERIENCE

"Money lost - nothing lost; health lost - little lost; spirit lost - everything lost." - Igor Sikorsky The key to a long career in any chosen profession is to never fall out of love with the work you do. Because, as the quote attributed to the father of the helicopter, Igor Sikorsky, intimates, if you lose your spirit, you lose everything. Evangelist Billy Graham took the quote a step further, saying he believed the loss of character was the greatest loss a person could experience.

BRAVE PILOTS, YELLOW ARCS

A dozen or so years ago, after the trend toward very powerful and fast turbocharged singles had begun, competition between the Lancair Columbia and the Mooney Bravo shed a fleeting light upon some odd quirks in the rules under which such aeroplanes were certificated.

Van's RV-15 too little, too late?

There is a lifecycle in owner-run businesses. The dynamic founder gets old and steps back, and the business becomes professionally managed - which means cumbersome, with slow decision making. Such a fate may have befallen the iconic Vans Aircraft.

VNAV LEATHER FLIGHT BAGS

Finding the right flight bag has always been a tricky undertaking and has deterred my wife from trying to buy me one.

A CENTURY OF OPERATIONS: THE 10 OLDEST AIRPORTS IN EUROPE

Can you believe that some airports in Europe are significantly older than the grandparents of those who work there? Here is a list of the oldest airports in Europe, all of which are still in operation.

BEST OF THE BEST - CHARLIE SUNSHINE’S BREEZY

When I visited AERO Friedrichshafen in April this year, I met a most interesting man Carl-Friedrich Schmidt who had built his Breezy aircraft and this is his story.

RUSSIAN AGGRESSION TRIGGERS NEW INTEREST IN KC-46

Boeing expects to sell up to 42 KC-46 tankers in addition to its current backlog, said Mike Hafer, the company’s senior manager for KC-46 business development.

CATASTROPHIC STRUCTURAL FAILURE

ACCIDENT REPORT

KOREAN AIR RANKS FIRST IN GLOBAL CUSTOMER SATISFACTION FOR 18TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

Korean Air took first place in the air passenger transportation sector of the 2022 Global Customer Satisfaction Index (GCSI) awards.

MULTI-DOMAIN ADVANTAGE: MQ-9B

The first quarter of the 21st century has unfortunately proved one constant from the previous one: The world is not getting any safer.

BOEING SAYS IT CAN MAINTAIN $80M PER UNIT COST FOR THE F-15EX

Boeing's Steve Parker said he expects a contract for F-15EX lot 2 and 3 'will be at the advertised price' when it is finalised in a couple months. The price claim comes after lawmakers bemoaned lack of oversight on unit costs for the fighter.

KUMBULULUKA KWA BAFANA (FLIGHT FOR THE CHILDREN)

In 2016, Felix Gosher created an initiative to provide an opportunity of flight to under-privileged children from various shelters in Johannesburg. With the support of many within the aviation fraternity, this has been very successful. As he is now Zambia based it was only logical that he has would expand this into the African continent. The first ever Zambia Children's Flight held at the Zambia Air Force (ZAF) base in Lusaka on 23 July 2022.

METAL MASTER PREPARES TO FLY SECOND FLARIS LAR-1 TEST AIRCRAFT

Metal Master expects to fly the second production-conforming Flaris LAR-1 in the coming weeks, with Polish certification to follow in mid-2023.

ROYAL INTERNATIONAL AIR TATTOO

Three years since its last edition, the world's largest military airshow made its triumphant return to RAF Fairford, United Kingdom in July with its most successful show ever.

COPING WITH THE FEAR OF FLYING

"Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me and when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."

AERO SOUTH AFRICA

Staged at Wonderboom National Airport over three days from Thursday 7 to Saturday 9 July, AERO South Africa was a wonderful opportunity for aviation companies to show off their business to the market.

REMEMBER THE GERMAN AEROPLANE?

My son Nick, who was screening a series of classic films for his friends, put on the 1981 Spielberg pulse-pounder, Raiders of the Lost Ark, which came out in the year he was born and therefore stood to him, in terms of the history of film and the decline of taste, as Casablanca does to me.

UITENHAGE WINGS AND WHEELS 2022

The Klinicare Uitenhage Wings and Wheels Festival had the distinction of being one of two airshows held in South Africa on 2 April.