ELECTRIC WINGSUIT FLOWN
Electric propulsion is showing up in every corner of aviation and an Austrian skydiver has launched an electrically boosted wingsuit. Peter Salzmann and BMW collaborated on the contraption that will allow a wingsuit pilot to climb briefly and reach speeds of up to 186 mph. Salzmann leapt from a helicopter at 10,000 feet in the first test flight of the suit in November. The rig is chest mounted and consists of two ducted fans powered by a lithium ion battery pack supplying 15 kW of power. Salzmann prototyped the unit and BMW engineers made it work.
WORLDWIDE AGENCIES DOUBLE CHECK MAX FIXES
Although the first U.S. Boeing 737 MAX revenue flight was scheduled for Dec. 29, the rest of the world is taking its time recertifying the airliner after a 20 month grounding. In November, the FAA signed off on Boeing’s fixes for the flight control system and other items that came up in the comprehensive review of the aircraft’s certification after two catastrophic crashes. The European Aviation Safety Agency is targeting January of 2021 to allow the MAX to fly and Canada had not set a timeline at our press time. Other aviation agencies were also predicting a return to service in early 2021. EASA said it’s not relying on the FAA’s process and has done its own review. Canada is also doing an independent assessment of the MAX fixes.
