Business & Military
NASA Tests Flight Planning Software
In partnership with Alaska Airlines, NASA is testing cockpit-based flight planning software that is designed to save time and fuel using real-time flight data. Developed by NASA, the Traffic Aware Planner (TAP) software optimizes routes using factors like real-time weather, winds, air traffic and aircraft fuel burn, including associated weight and performance changes. The tablet-based […]
Boeing Tanker Now FAA-Certified
The FAA has granted a Supplemental Type Certificate to Boeing’s KC-46 tanker, the company announced this week. The STC is the second of two FAA certifications required for the aircraft. Next, Boeing will seek a Military Type Certificate from the U.S. Air Force, which is expected in the next few months. The required testing already […]
skyBeacon Receives TSO Certification
uAvionix announced that it has received Technical Standard Order Authorization (TSOA) for its skyBeacon integrated ADS-B Out solution on Tuesday. The skyBeacon was designed to replace the wingtip navigation or nav/strobe lights found on many aircraft including the Cessna 172 and Piper PA-28. It includes TSOs for the ADS-B, GPS, barometric altitude sensor, position light […]
Short Final: Bird Dog
I was working field operations at a major airport and got this call: Ground: Ops 1, Ground. Me:Go ahead. Ground: We just got a report of a dead animal about the thousand‑foot markers on Runway 13. Me: Is that the previously reported dog that we cleared? Ground: Negative. I’m seeing feathers. From an unidentified aircraft: […]
XCub Certified In Canada And Japan
CubCrafters has announced that its two-seat XCub received type certification from Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) and the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) last week. The company has been growing steadily since 2009 and recently announced plans to significantly increase production in 2019. According to CubCrafters, the first XCub delivery has already landed in Japan. […]
Pratt Working On Geared Turbofan Vibration
Bloomberg is reporting that Pratt & Whitney has been quietly assessing excessive vibration in its new-design geared turbofan engines in the latest of a string of teething problems with the fuel-sipping design. Bloomberg says a vibration issue has caused cockpit alerts in A320neos that have been delivered to airlines all over the world. Pratt told […]
Van’s Takes RV-12 Assembly In-House
The world’s largest kit aircraft manufacturer is about to become the world’s newest aircraft manufacturer. Van’s Aircraft has announced it will expand its Aurora, Oregon, facility to build its popular RV-12 light sport aircraft. Factory-built RV-12s have been available for several years but Van’s contracted out the building of them to Synergy Air. Van’s is […]
Perlan Tops 76,000 Feet
Airbus’ Perlan glider beat the U2’s altitude record on Sunday, reaching 76,000 feet in pressure altitude in the mountain wave over Patagonia in southwestern Argentina.It came a week after Perlan broke its own record and hit more than 62,000 feet. The high-tech sailplane was piloted by Jim Payne and Tim Gardner, both of Minden, Nevada, […]
Industry Round-up, August 31, 2018
AVweb‘s weekly news roundup found reports on a new exhibit at the Tillamook Air Museum, a research team looking for ASRS report from GA pilots, installation of a new in-flight connectivity system on a Bombardier Challenger 300, an updated white paper for business aircraft operators and an agreement between Hawaiian Airlines and MINT Software Systems. […]