Search Results for: Lockheed

NASA said last week it has officially committed to a development timeline that will lead to the first flight of its X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST) aircraft by 2021. Development of X-59 QueSST falls under the Low Boom Flight Demonstrator project, part of the Integrated Aviation Systems Program in NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. The […]

“There are those who have flown them and those who have not, and it is idle for the former to try to explain matters to the latter.” A Vickers Supermarine test pilot, Jeffrey Quill, was talking about the Walrus, an amphibious biplane flying boat designed in 1929 by RJ Mitchell, who a few years later […]

It’s the final Gold race for the Sport Class at the Stihl National Championship Air Races outside Reno, Nevada. I’m in an Aero Vodochody L-39 Albatros, making circles at 8,500 feet above the Reno-Stead Airport, watching as a group of eight Lancair Legacies, Super Glasairs and Thunder Mustangs battles it out at high speeds around […]

Looking back, the results were predictable, but the pilots and operators of earlier aircraft rarely had a choice. Advances in technology today allow precise engine monitoring and data evaluation so as to accurately predict and prevent upcoming partial or complete engine failures. In fact, monitoring has improved to the point that its rare for a modern and properly maintained-and operated-piston aircraft engine to fail without some kind of warning. The operators job is to conduct appropriate monitoring and analysis, and then to act when the data indicate a problem. Establishing an engine monitoring program and the minimal investment in equipment and training can be a significant factor in improving safety and reducing the overall cost of operation.

Spend a few years as a pilot and aircraft checkouts become second nature, those hours spent with an instructor to learn the ins and outs of a new machine so you can head off toward that next dramatic destination on your own. Every once in a while though the act itself of checking out becomes […]

Aerion’s CEO Tom Vice announced at NBAA’s Business Aviation Convention and Expo that the conceptual design phase for the AS2 supersonic jet is complete. The company is now starting the preliminary design phase and expects to begin initial flight testing of the 12-passenger jet in 2023. The Reno, Nevada-based company hopes to achieve certification for […]

A historic three-ship formation flight featuring aircraft flown by Tuskegee Airmen, past and present, took place recently over Moton Field Municipal Airport (LID) just north of Tuskegee, Alabama, honoring the brave African-American pilots who fought layers of obstacles to fight for their country in World War II. Moton Field was one of the primary training […]

An F-35B, designed for short takeoffs and vertical landings, crashed on Friday in the vicinity of Beaufort, South Carolina according to a U.S. Marine Corps release. The aircraft was part of Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 (VMFAT-501), based in Beaufort. This was the first crash of an F-35, the largest and most expensive U.S. […]

If we’d written this story a few decades ago, the list of weather resources for pilots would have been rather short — a flight service station briefing either in person or perhaps by phone, and the evening weather report on TV or the radio. Pilots thought they’d really made progress when the direct user access terminal system […]

The success of big annual air shows like Sun n Fun depends at least partly on the weather, and this years Lakeland, Florida, event lucked out with plenty of sunshine after a wet opening day. Sun n Fun president Lites Leenhouts said this years show had higher attendance, more revenue, and increased vendor satisfaction compared to years past. The Thunderbirds, a fan favorite, had to cancel just days before the show after a pilot died during a practice flight. The career fair continues to grow, with interest from both job hunters and companies in search of new hires. Bose introduced a new in-ear pilot headset, Garmin brought upgraded weather and traffic receivers, and the air show welcomed viewers worldwide via a new Internet live stream.