The stealth strike bomber was unveiled in December 2022 and officially moved into low-rate production earlier this year. In January, Northrop Grumman said six B-21 bombers are in various stages of final assembly and testing at its facility in Palmdale, California.

On Wednesday, the Air Force released a new image of the aircraft it calls the “backbone of the  U.S. Air Force bomber fleet.”

Northrop Grumman on Thursday released an additional image of the bomber in flight, saying the test campaign at Edwards AFB was led by a Combined Test Force (CTF) composed of personnel representing the Air Force and the manufacturer.

“CTF test pilots indicate the jet is performing as expected with the aircraft flying like the simulator, reflecting the precision of the digital environment on B-21,” Northrop Grumman said in a statement.

• READ MORE: Pentagon Greenlights B-21 Production

Andrew Hunter, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics, addressed the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this month on the B-21’s progress.

“We are in the flight test program, [and] the flight test program is proceeding well,” said Hunter. “It is doing what flight test programs are designed to do, which is helping us learn about the unique characteristics of this platform, but in a very effective way.” 

Designed to carry out long-range conventional and nuclear missions, the B-21 is set to eventually replace aging B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit fleets. The B-21 is scheduled to hit full operational status in the mid-2020s.

• READ MORE: B-21 Raider Takes First Flight

The Air Force has said it intends to purchase at least 100 of the aircraft. Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, has been designated as the first main operating facility for the B-21 and its formal training unit. 

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The “parade of airplanes” flyover event, which is sponsored by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), will begin at 11.30 a.m. EST from Frederick Municipal Airport (KFDK). The Washington portion of the flyover is expected to start around noon.

“The flyover will consist of 15 different ‘chapters’ telling the story of GA in America, starting in the golden age and continuing to the present day,” AOPA said in a statement. “Two dozen groups of aircraft will fly the 88-mile round trip from FDK down the Potomac River. The formation will be led by AOPA president Mark Baker in his historic Beechcraft Staggerwing.”

• READ MORE: ‘Parade of Airplanes’ Over Washington to Celebrate 85 years of GA

Parade Route

Washington has some of the most restricted airspace in the country and includes Prohibited Area P-56, which was created after 9/11. The event required coordination of more than 11 agencies, including the FAA, air traffic control, TSA, and U.S. Secret Service, according to AOPA.

According to AOPA, the flyover route will go past the Lincoln Memorial, down Independence Avenue, and over the Washington Monument.

The aircraft will be expected to fly at 90 knots at an altitude of 1,000 feet, ensuring they are visible from the ground. The flyover will also be broadcast online. 

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The partnership expansion announced Thursday will add 50 DA40s and six DA42s to the Republic Airways training program. 

• READ MORE: UNSW School of Aviation Expands Diamond Fleet

According to Diamond Aircraft, the trainers are slated to bolster programs at new LIFT Academy campuses in Galveston, Texas; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and at Tuskegee University in Alabama.

“These aircraft are chosen for their advanced technology and fuel efficiency, which not only align with our sustainability efforts but also closely mirror the aircraft our pilots will operate at Republic Airways,” said Ed Bagden, director of flight operations and academic programs at LIFT Academy. “This strategic expansion ensures that LIFT Academy continues to offer industry-leading training, preparing our students with a seamless transition to their careers as airline pilots.”

• READ MORE: Purdue, LIFT Academy Partner to Tackle Commercial Pilot Need

The Diamond DA40 piston single is powered by a 180 hp Lycoming IO-360 engine and comes equipped with Garmin G1000 NXi avionics. The aircraft offers a top cruise speed of 152 knots, 934 nm range, and maximum useful load of 900 pounds. The DA42 advanced piston twin is powered by 168 hp Austro Engine AE300 powerplants. It offers a top cruise speed of nearly 200 knots, 1,225 nm range, and maximum useful load of 1,276 pounds.

The post LIFT Academy Makes ‘Significant Fleet Expansion’ with Diamond Aircraft appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

According to NASA, launch of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket and Boeing Starliner spacecraft is targeted for 10:34 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

On Saturday, NASA said the weather looked promising for the event: “Launch weather officers with the U.S. Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predict a 95 percent chance of favorable weather conditions at the launchpad for a liftoff….”

• READ MORE: What to Know About Boeing Starliner’s First Crewed Test Flight 

Following launch, the spacecraft is expected to dock to the forward-facing port of the ISS’ Harmony module shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday.

During the flight test, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will travel to the ISS for about a week, where they will test the Starliner spacecraft and its subsystems before NASA certifies the transportation system for rotational missions to the orbiting laboratory for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, the space agency said.

Should the flight test be successful, rotations to the space outpost will begin with Starliner-1, scheduled for 2025.  

How to Watch

Coverage of the launch will begin at 6:30 p.m. on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and NASA’s website.

Following the 10:34 p.m. launch, NASA Television will provide continuous coverage until the spacecraft docks with the ISS, according to the space agency.

Where will you be when @BoeingSpace #Starliner launches?

Check out the @ULAlaunch visibility map to see if you will be in the historic launch's line of sight! If not, make sure to tune into our broadcast on May 6 at 6:30pm ET (2230 UTC): https://t.co/LDc8N1YYPO pic.twitter.com/Zx9jpvOi88

— NASA (@NASA) May 5, 2024

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The spacecraft’s return marks the commercial space company’s 30th cargo resupply mission of the orbital outpost for the space agency.

Suspended under four deployed parachutes, the capsule landed in the Atlantic Ocean at 1:38 a.m. EST off the coast of Tampa, NASA said.

• READ MORE: NASA SpaceX Crew-8 Mission Successfully Launches After Delays

“Once Dragon has been retrieved by SpaceX’s recovery team, the critical science aboard the spacecraft will be transported via helicopter to [NASA’s Kennedy Space Center] and provided to researchers,”  SpaceX said in an update following the splashdown.

Later this week, the three NASA astronauts and a Roscosmos cosmonaut who comprise SpaceX Crew-8 currently aboard ISS are set to move a Dragon crew spacecraft capsule in order to make way for new crewmembers who could arrive at the space station as soon as next week. 

• READ MORE: NASA Astronauts Detail Daily Life, Firsts Aboard International Space Station

On Thursday, Crew-8 is set to move the Dragon crew spacecraft that is currently docked at the forward port of ISS’s Harmony module to its zenith port, NASA said. The undocking and redocking is expected to take less than an hour.

“That will clear the forward port of Harmony for the arrival of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft with Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard on the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission,” NASA said.

• READ MORE: NASA Is Asking for Help to Return Samples That Could Uncover Life on Mars

Launch of the Boeing Crew Flight Test is planned for 10:34 p.m. Monday at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. It is expected to reach the ISS shortly before 1 a.m. EST May 8.

In preparation for the arrival of @NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, four crew members will relocate the @SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the space-facing port of the Harmony module on Thursday, May 2.

Live coverage of the relocation will begin at 7:30am ET. https://t.co/JmNvsHSYGu

— International Space Station (@Space_Station) April 29, 2024

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According to Electra, the aircraft is able to operate with ground rolls of 150 feet, capable of carrying up to nine passengers or 2,500 pounds of cargo, and sports a range of 500 nm.

The company did not announce the contract amount that was awarded under the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) but said it is expected to continue through the end of the year.

“The contract allows Electra to partner with the U.S. Navy and its stakeholders to explore the use cases for Electra’s eSTOL technology, as well as potential aircraft configuration extensions, to enhance the efficiency of delivering military logistics services in environments with minimal infrastructure or other operational challenges,” Electra spokesperson Barbara Zadina told FLYING.

• READ MORE: Electra.aero Nabs $1.9M Army Contract for Electric Aircraft Testing

The contract announcement comes days after the company reported the U.S. Army had issued a $1.9 million contract to experiment with the hybrid-electric aircraft to perform powered wind tunnel testing.

“With our differentiated combination of hybrid-electric propulsion and a blown fixed wing, we can offer Pacific theater-relevant payloads and ranges, and the ability to operate from rough, soccer-field-sized spaces as well as many naval vessels and adjacent assets, all from day one,”  Ben Marchionna, Electra’s director of technology and innovation, said in a statement. 

• READ MORE: Electra.aero Surpasses 2000 Orders for Hybrid-Electric Aircraft

In addition to logistic utility, the company said the eSTOL aircraft could also enable expeditionary power generation, mesh networking, and potentially serve as an essential node for Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) employment.

“These are all game changers for force modernization initiatives within the Navy and Marine Corps,” Marchionna said.

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“Don’t worry. There will definitely be airplanes for Ukraine,” Ole Egberg Mikkelsen, Denmark’s ambassador to Ukraine, told Ukrainian news outlet Mi-Ukraina on Sunday, according to Newsweek.

The confirmation comes days after the Nordic country marked the sale of two dozen of its F-16s to Argentina. Last month, Denmark announced it planned to divest its F-16 fleet as it modernizes with F-35s.

“In Denmark, we are about to change the generation of our fleet of combat aircraft with new F-35 aircraft,” Troels Lund Poulsen, Danish minister of defense, said April 16. “Therefore, I am very pleased that the Danish F-16 aircraft, which have served us well over the years and have been thoroughly maintained and technologically updated, are now being used in the Argentine Air Force. With the deal, we are strengthening the Danish-Argentinian defense cooperation, at the same time as Argentina becomes part of the global F-16 family.”

In late March, Poulsen outlined that Denmark would be donating 19 F-16s to Ukraine, where officials have long sought access to the fighter jet in order to modernize its air force and improve its defense ability following Russia’s invasion in 2022.

The first F-16 aircraft are expected to be delivered to Ukraine this summer.

“It is difficult to set a fixed timetable for the donation of F-16 fighter jets, because there are several conditions that must be met in order for Ukraine to use the donated aircraft,” Poulsen said in late February. 

• READ MORE: Norway to Send F-16s to Denmark for Ukrainian Pilot Training

Last week, the Netherlands delivered three F-16s to the European F-16 Training Center (EFTC) in Romania for Ukrainian pilot training, Reuters reported.

Russia President Vladimir Putin contends that the F-16 “would not change the situation in Ukraine” and has vowed that the aircraft will be shot down by Russian military forces.

The post Official: Denmark to Send F-16s to Ukraine appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The powerplant manufacturer, which is a subsidiary of Continental Aerospace Technologies, has submitted its certification package to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and  expects certification by the end of the year.

• READ MORE: AERO Friedrichshafen Encourages Pilots to Arrive in Their Own Aircraft

According to Continental, the CD-170R variant is “an evolution” of its CD-170 for advanced fixed-wing, single-engine aircraft and will feature similar characteristics. The CD-170R, however, does not have a gearbox, shaving its weight by 37 pounds.

“The 170 hp turbocharged engine combines the state-of-the-art, full authority digital engine control (FADEC), resulting in lower fuel consumption and dual redundancy,” Continental said in a statement. “While fuel consumption is application based, this 4-cylinder model is expected to conservatively burn approximately 7.9 gallons of jet-A-1 per hour when in cruise. Similar to its predecessors, the CD-170R will debut with a time between replacement (TBR) of 1,200 hours and will increase with time in service.”

According to David Dörner, vice president of global research and development for Continental Aerospace Technologies, the engine was engineered with pilot needs at the forefront.

“This is a major innovation milestone in Continental’s history that will allow us to serve even more pilots and operators in the [GA] industry,” said Dörner. “Controlled via FADEC with rotorcraft-specific software mapping, pilots can now direct their focus toward the critical phases of flight and mission, alleviating the need to manage both the throttle and the collective simultaneously.”

The post Continental Unveils CD-170R Rotorcraft-Specific Heavy Fuel Engine appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The Pearl 10X has been selected by French aircraft manufacturer Dassault for its new Falcon 10X, the company’s ultralong-range flagship.

“We are excited to enter into this important next phase of the engine development program with the start of our flight test campaign,”  Philipp Zeller, senior vice president of Dassault’s business aviation division at Rolls-Royce, said in a statement. “All the tests completed to date confirm the reliability of the engine and show it will meet the performance requirements to power Dassault’s flagship, the Falcon 10X.”

• READ MORE: Rolls-Royce Tests Pearl Engines with 100 Percent Sustainable Aviation Fuel 

As part of the test campaign, the engines are fitted to a Boeing 747-200, which serves as Rolls-Royce’s flying test bed (FTB). 

The Tucson, Arizona-based FTB is capable of having a variety of engines fitted to it “to give them a real-life test run in the air, providing valuable performance data,” the company said. “As the aircraft usually has four engines, we can ensure safety at all times by having one test engine operating alongside three other engines that are already established in service.” 

During the latest round of engine tests, the FTB has five engines, according to the company: the Pearl 10X, a Trent 1000, and three RB211s.

Over the course of the coming months, flight testing will include engine performance and handling checks at various speeds and altitudes, in-flight relights, tests of the nacelle’s anti-icing system, as well as fan vibration tests at various altitudes, Rolls-Royce said.

• READ MORE: Rolls-Royce Confirms All of Its Current Engines Can Run On 100 Percent SAF

In October, Rolls-Royce announced it had successfully completed a series of tests for the Pearl 10X, and its Pearl 15 engines using 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The tests, which took place in Germany, “play a leading role in the journey to achieve net-zero flight by 2050,” the company said at the time.

The post Rolls-Royce Launches Flight Testing of Pearl 10X Engine appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Formerly known as the Carolinas Aviation Museum, the Sullenberger Aviation Museum is scheduled to open June 1 at 10 a.m. EDT.

“When it opens, Sullenberger Aviation Museum will be one of the world’s leading institutions honoring and exploring the wonder of flight,” the museum said in a statement. “But it’s more than just a collection of historic aircraft. Through its expanded mission, the museum will serve as a vehicle of opportunity to inspire, educate, and elevate the next generation of innovators. “

• READ MORE: Museum Spotlight: Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum

A primary museum focus, according to its officials, is to provide opportunities for communities traditionally underrepresented in aviation, such as women and people of color.

‘Miracle on the Hudson’

On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 was en route from New York La Guardia Airport (KLGA) to Charlotte Douglas International Airport (KCLT) when the aircraft encountered a flock of birds while at low altitude, leading to a dual loss of engine power. Sullenberger, along with copilot Jeff Skiles, put the Airbus 320 down in the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 on board.

• READ MORE: Sully Hangs Up His Epaulets

The aircraft was recovered from the river and later installed in the museum location near KCLT, as many of the passengers on board the aircraft that day were en route to Charlotte.

The museum will feature three thematic areas that focus on innovation, people who have contributed to aviation, as well as the economic and cultural development of Charlotte. Aircraft on display include replicas of the Wright  Flyer and glider planes, a McDonnell F-4S Phantom II, a Douglas D-558-1 Skystreak used to test breaking the sound barrier, a Grumman F-14 Tomcat, an ERCO Ercoupe, an American Champion Citabria, and a Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star. The A320 from Flight 1549 will also be on exhibit.

“Our reimagined galleries and immersive storytelling encompass much more than a new facility, as we now have the privilege to serve as a convener of opportunity, advancing equity and access to careers in aviation throughout the Carolinas and beyond,” said Stephen Saucier, president of the museum. “We look forward to welcoming curious lifelong learners of all ages through our doors in just a few short months.”

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