Briefing: November 2015

An autonomous landing system that Diamond Aircraft officials call an electronic parachute has been successfully tested in Austria, the company announced in September. Tested in a DA42 twin, the system uses fly-by-wire technology and has been in development for about three years. The aircraft, with two test pilots on board, flew the approach and landing to an uncontrolled field without any input from pilots in the cockpit or on the ground. The airplane touched down gently right on the centerline. CEO Christian Dries said the technology may be available as an option within a few years. An auto-takeoff feature also is in the works.

Editorial Staff

Monday, November 09, 2015 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Diamond Aircraft successfully tested an autonomous "electronic parachute" landing system, with an auto-takeoff feature also in development.
The NTSB concluded that the fatal Bedford G-IV crash was caused by the flight crew's failure to use checklists and perform flight control checks before takeoff, issuing safety recommendations for Gulfstream and pilots.
The restored WWII-era B-29 "Doc" achieved its first engine start, moving closer to its anticipated first flight after decades of restoration.

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Diamond Tests Auto-landing Feature

An autonomous landing system that Diamond Aircraft officials call an “electronic parachute” has been successfully tested in Austria, the company announced in September. Tested in a DA42 twin, the system uses fly-by-wire technology and has been in development for about three years. The aircraft, with two test pilots on board, flew the approach and landing to an uncontrolled field without any input from pilots in the cockpit or on the ground. The airplane touched down gently right on the centerline. CEO Christian Dries said the technology may be available as an option within a few years. An auto-takeoff feature also is in the works.

First Engine Start For Restored B-29 “Doc”

The World War II-era B-29 Superfortress known as “Doc”–named for one of Snow White’s seven dwarfs–ran all four engines in September at its home base in Wichita, a step closer to first flight for the restoration project, which started in the 1980s. Volunteers had hoped to have the B-29 flying by last summer, so it could join the only other flying Superfortress, Fifi, at EAA AirVenture. Now the nonprofit group that owns the airplane is hoping Doc will make it to Oshkosh next year.