After a few months of success with air force pilots and rear gunners with shotguns taking out Russian drones in a Yak-52, the Ukraine military is now training pilots and gunners to use the rag-and-tube A-22 to do the same. Previously the light sport aircraft (LSA) have been used as single-use flying bombs and have taken out some high-value targets. 

According to Forbes, Russian bloggers say it’s time to do something about the new role and its inspiration.

“The Yak-52 flew over Odessa and with high efficiency shot down our reconnaissance UAVs for a week, causing laughter in some circles,” Forbes quoted a translation of the blogs as saying. “This has not been funny to UAV operators and us for a long time.”

What, exactly, the Russians might do to counteract the low-and-slow platforms wasn’t discussed on the blog. The Yak has reportedly taken out 12 drones that cost about $100,000 each.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

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Becoming a fighter pilot is a dream for many. Military flying has been around since the world wars, but as technology advanced—and media representation in movies such as Top Gun increased—the general public’s fascination with military pilots, especially fighter pilots, has only increased.

One of the most popular questions many have is how to become a military pilot in the first place. It is possible to become a pilot in nearly every branch: the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Army, Marines, Coast Guard, and National Guard. Each branch completes its own training, but there are common requirements that apply across the board to help applicants start their careers.

Most notably, a four-year degree is usually required to have a chance at becoming a military or fighter pilot. Some applicants complete this prerequisite by attending a university run by a military branch, such as the U.S. Military , Air Force, Naval, or Coast Guard academies. Still, others attend a traditional civilian university and complete additional requirements on campus.

In addition, pilot hopefuls must be officers. Besides attending one of the four military academies, applicants can complete training at the Officer Training School or, especially notable if they attend a four-year university, ROTC. ROTC programs for all branches exist at numerous universities across the country, providing access to practically any interested pilot.

Pilots must also meet a variety of physical criteria and fitness tests. The Air Force stipulates that height requirements vary based on the aircraft a pilot will operate, but fitness is still of paramount importance. Uncorrected 20/20 vision, or better, is critical, as is good heart health and acceptable hearing. Pilots must also be in good mental health so they can remain calm and focused even in the most stressful situations.

Finally, there are many demographic criteria that a prospective candidate must meet. Pilots need to be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident at least 18 years old. Maximum ages vary by branch but are generally in the mid-30s.

All these requirements must be met before a pilot even gets in an aircraft. After becoming eligible, a pilot must complete a ground school course on aerodynamics, aircraft systems, and more. The military uses a series of basic trainer aircraft, many based on civilian aircraft models, to start their pilots’ training before moving them to advanced aircraft and, finally, the pilot’s permanent type.

Military pilots have a variety of roles and responsibilities. From refueling other aircraft and searching for threatening targets to providing aerial support to ground troops and even dogfighting, pilots are expected to carry out each mission with professionalism, expertise, and skill.

After settling into their new job, pilots have opportunities to be promoted or change types. These moves can often be competitive, and new positions are based on performance. However, military pilots are nothing if not motivated to meet each new challenge and opportunity head-on.

The post How to Become a Military Pilot appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The OA-1K is based on the AT-802 and is a joint project between Air Tractor and defense contractor L3Harris.

Some observers have questioned the Air Force’s commitment to the Sky Warden program as the military shifts focus away from counter-insurgency operations that match up with the turboprop single’s capabilities. For example, the original plan to buy 75 OA-1Ks has already been scaled back to 62, according to reports.

READ MORE: Recon Crop Duster: Special Ops Selects Modified AT-802U Platform for Armed Overwatch

The OA-1K, as ordered, can carry up to 3 tons of weapons such as precision-guided missiles and bombs. The aircraft can also be equipped with externally mounted sensor pods with electro-optical and infrared video cameras. The airframe can accommodate up to eight underwing pylons.

According to L3Harris, the Sky Warden can fly 200 nm and loiter on-site for as long as six hours with a full combat load.

“The OA-1K is a low-cost, reliable, multirole, small-to-medium-size aircraft system to support geographically isolated special operations personnel,” the Air Force said in a statement. “The aircraft will perform close air support, precision strike, armed intelligence, and surveillance and reconnaissance in austere and permissive environments.”

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

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The South China Morning Post, an independent newspaper in Hong Kong, said the expert, a man named Tang, an executive of Beijing-based antivirus and security company Rising Information Technology, reviewed some of the documents posted on the encrypted forum Telegram by Ivan Ivanof, who claims to be a Russian military pilot.

• READ MORE: China’s Military Catching Up with Western Air Forces, DOD Says

The expert told the Morning Post the documents “appear authentic” and Ivanof, who goes by the Telegram name of Fighterbomber, claims to have 250 gigabytes more of the same.

In his post, Ivanof said he received the documents from an American company. In addition to information on the aircraft, they appear to have data on the Switchblade drone and guided missile systems.

The U.S. has not yet issued a statement on the alleged leak. Tang also told the newspaper only government and military officials can determine whether the documents have any intelligence value.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

The post Chinese Intel Expert: Leaked F-35, F-15 Documents ‘Appear Authentic’ appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

PZL Mielec, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary in Poland, has picked up a contract to deliver a next-generation Black Hawk utility helicopter to be used for emergency services. The contract was awarded by Romania’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, Department of Emergency Situations on Tuesday.

Earlier this year, Lockheed Martin and Aerostar S.A. inaugurated the first certified S-70 Black Hawk helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) service center in Europe.

• READ MORE: Trust Is the Cornerstone for This Alaska Air Rescue Team

According to Lockheed Martin, the aircraft will join Romania’s existing fleet of European Sikorsky S-70M Black Hawks that are used for maritime and land search and rescue, firefighting, transport, and medical emergency support.

In 2023, Romania received seven S-70Ms as part of a framework agreement for up to 12 Polish-built S-70M Black Hawks. This additional aircraft increased the fleet to eight.

• READ MORE: First F-16 Block 70 Fighters Head to Bahrain

“This Polish-built S-70M Black Hawk will further extend the reach of the existing Romanian Black Hawk fleet and supports Romania in its commitment to contribute to strengthening European preparedness for disasters,” said Dennis Goege, vice president of Lockheed Martin in Central and Eastern Europe. “These new-generation aircraft will be a long-standing asset for Romania, offering enhanced features and flight safety to its high-payload role, as demonstrated worldwide, but especially by firefighting forces in the United States.”

According to Lockheed Martin, it has produced more than 5,000 Black Hawks that are operating in 35 countries.

The post Romania Adds Next-Gen Black Hawk to Fleet appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The first-of-its-kind competition, dubbed “Ramstein 1v1,” challenged combat pilots from the U.S., U.K., Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, and Germany.

The meeting was assembled in light of Russian ground gains in Ukraine during the third year of the war that rages at “NATO’s doorstep,” the Air Force Times reported. The allied nations’ air forces envision a need to sharpen air-to-air combat skills as tensions with Russia and China threatened to boil over to a shooting war that would put some of the world’s most advanced air forces head-to-head for the first time in decades.

Aircraft on the ramp at Ramstein included U.S.-built F-35A Lightnings, F-16 Fighting Falcons, F/A-18s, and A-4 Skyhawks, as well as Eurofighter Typhoons and French Dassault Rafales.

“Basic fighter maneuvering is a foundational skill set for fighter pilots,” Lieutenant Colonel Michael Loringer, U.S. Air Force-Europe (USAFE) chief of weapons and tactics, said in a statement. “It tests a pilot’s reaction time, physical stamina, and situational awareness. There is no better way to build trust in a pilot’s aircraft or a pilot’s skills than to engage one-on-one.”

“We don’t want to go to war with Russia, and I don’t think they want to go to war with us, either,” USAFE Commander General James Hecker told the Air Force Times last July. “But we need to make sure that we have the forces capable of deterring them so that nothing bad will happen.”

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

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Although the description of the resulting aircraft is that they have “reduced aircrew capability,” one of the requirements for the contract is that they be able to fly takeoff to touchdown without human intervention.

• READ MORE: Merlin Developing Autonomous Flight Tech With Air Force Pilot Input

“The contract award marks a milestone in the collaboration between USSOCOM and Merlin, accelerating our ability to bring high levels of autonomy to a variety of fixed wing platforms to support the warfighter,” said Merlin CEO Matt George in a news release.

The contract is apparently designed to get these aircraft in USSOCOM’s hands as quickly as possible. Since it’s never been done before, the contract is an indefinite delivery, indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract that presumably frees the contractor to create the end product without a lot of government folks looking over their shoulders.

• READ MORE: Merlin Advances Toward Autonomous Flight Tech STC with Simulator 

“The magnitude of the contract is an important proof point that USSOCOM continues to bring innovative capabilities out of testing and into production track programs,” said George.

Merlin has a similar deal with the Air Force to automate KC-135 tankers.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

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Since the 1980s, the grand lady of the air has been a centerpiece of the museum that was formerly known at the Yankee Air Museum located in Belleville, Michigan, at Willow Run Airport (KYIP).

The museum’s name change and the sale of the aircraft are not related, according to president and CEO Kevin Walsh.

“The new name was rebranding and we thought ‘flight’ [was] more enticing than ‘air’ to the general public,” Walsh said.

Walsh declined to identify Yankee Lady’s new owner or its selling price but did say the decision  was made in the best interest of both the aircraft and museum. 

Over the past 40 years, the museum had come to rely on the ride revenue generated by the airplane, creating an “almost unhealthy relationship,” Walsh said. “Instead, the money from the sale will be invested, and the museum will be supported by those investments.”

Walsh also addressed the sale in a letter to the aviation community.

“After evaluating the future of the aircraft and its role in our organization, the board of directors unanimously has determined the museum is no longer the best option for continuing as its caretaker,” he said in the letter. “Furthermore, it was determined by the board of directors that now is the time to entrust this beautiful aircraft’s future to another caretaker.”

The museum’s flight adventure program features the B-17, the North American B-25D Rosie’s Reply, the Douglas C-47 Skytrain Hairless Joe, and a Bell UH-1 Iroquois “Huey” helicopter. Maintenance on these vintage aircraft can be time-consuming and expensive, and keeping them on the ground interrupts the museum’s revenue stream.

“Simply put, interruptions in its revenue stream due to the aircraft’s inability to participate in our flight program have become hardships for the museum,” Walsh said in the letter. “In other words, we don’t feel the museum can ensure her flying future to the extent we feel is appropriate for an historical artifact of her importance and rarity.

“This was a difficult and emotional decision for all concerned, but it was deemed appropriate to ensure the future well-being of the aircraft and museum. The Yankee Lady (44-85829) is headed to a new home and new owner who has the resources to ensure her preservation and flyability for decades to come.”

Walsh assured museum patrons that the flight program will continue. In addition to the museum’s B-25, C-47, and Huey, in 2025 the museum will be adding a Ford TriMotor nicknamed Tin Goose, which has been undergoing restoration since 2020.

Walsh has been with the museum for about 27 years. He began as a volunteer and is a self-described warbird enthusiast. He noted both he and the museum board are keenly aware of how few airworthy B-17s are left in the world and how the ones remaining need to be cared for.

When there is an accident involving a B-17, the cry goes up to ground them, and the response to keep them flying is equally loud. In the past 10 years, there have been three dramatic and, sadly, deadly events involving B-17s.

In 2014, the B-17 Liberty Belle (44-85734/44-85813) was lost due to an in-flight engine fire. There was no loss of life due to the skill of the crew as it performed an off-airport landing in a cornfield. The aircraft might have been saved had the firetrucks been able to reach it, but the ground was too soft for the heavy trucks to navigate.

In 2019, the Collings Foundation’s B-17 Nine-Oh-Nine (42-31909) crashed on landing, killing both pilots and five passengers. Six passengers and one person on the ground were injured when the aircraft, suffering a loss of power in both engines, landed hard then slid up over a deicing tank and burst into flames. 

In the final accident report, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) cited the pilot’s failure to “properly manage the airplane’s configuration and airspeed following a loss of engine power.” The NTSB also cited “the pilot/maintenance director’s inadequate maintenance while the airplane was on tour, which resulted in the partial loss of power to the Nos. 3 and 4 engines; the Collings Foundation’s ineffective safety management system (SMS), which failed to identify and mitigate safety risks; and the Federal Aviation Administration’s inadequate oversight of the Collings Foundation’s SMS.”

In November 2022, Texas Raiders (44-83872) was lost in a midair collision with a Bell P-63 Kingcobra during the Wings Over Dallas Airshow. According to widely published video, the P-63 comes from behind the B-17 as if to overtake it, but as the smaller airplane’s belly was facing the B-17, it was physically impossible for the pilot to see the larger airplane. The P-63 collided with the B-17, slicing it in half just behind the wing. Six men—five on board the B-17, the other in the P-63, were killed. The accident is still under investigation.

Walsh noted that although none of these events are related, they are triggering to many people and drive home the point of how rare these aircraft—which once numbered more than 12,000—are now that only a handful remain airworthy.

“There are just five that could fire up the engines and taxi down to the end of the runway for takeoff,” he said. “They are Yankee Lady, Ye Olde Pub (44-8453), belonging to Erickson Aircraft, Sentimental Journey (44-85314), belonging to the Commemorative Air Force, the movie [version of the] Memphis Belle (44-83546) in Southern California, and Sally B (44-85784) over in Europe.”

The Experimental Aircraft Association’s B-17 Aluminum Overcast (44-85740) and the Mid America Flight Museum’s Thunderbird (44-83718) have been down for maintenance for several months for issues related to a spar inspection.

Yankee Lady will be leaving Michigan in a few weeks to head to its new home. In the meantime, the Michigan Flight Museum is preparing for the annual Thunder Over Michigan airshow. This year the event is scheduled for July 20-21, the weekend before EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

The post Michigan Flight Museum Sells Centerpiece B-17 ‘Yankee Lady’ appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Answer: When the U.S. entered WWII, the nation’s aircraft manufacturers realized that for the good of the war effort, they needed to set aside profits and competition. So, the designs of aircraft were shared so that they could be mass-produced. 

• READ MORE: Can Student Pilots Perform Preventative Maintenance on Aircraft?

Although it was a Boeing design, B-17s were also built in California by Douglas Aircraft, which produced 3,000 aircraft in Long Beach, and Vega Aircraft, which built 2,750 in Burbank. Meanwhile, Boeing’s Plant 2 in Seattle rolled out 6,981. 

Fun fact: Despite a total of 12,731 B-17s being built, it was not the most mass-produced bomber during WWII. That distinction goes to the B-24 with 18,493 aircraft.

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A great many B-24s were turned out by the Henry Ford Aircraft Factory, which built 8,685 bombers in three years in Willow Run, Michigan. At the peak, the factory produced a B-24 every hour. The Willow Run facility was also the factory where cultural icon “Rosie the Riveter” worked. On the West Coast, female factory workers were known as “Janes who made the planes.”

The post Which WWII Bomber Was the Most Mass-Produced? appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

SkyAlyne, which is a partnership of simulator training company CAE and MRO KF Aerospace, will buy 71 new aircraft to be used by RCAF instructors to train new pilots for almost all of its frontline platforms. The Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) program will also support the training of air combat systems officers and airborne electronic sensor operators. Both companies are involved in the current training program.

SkyAlyne will buy 23 Grob G 120TP turboprop singles for basic flight training and seven Beechcraft King Air 260s for multi-IFR training, and helicopter pilots will get 19 Airbus H135s. There will also be three de Havilland Dash-8 Q400s with mission training systems aboard.

Future F-35 fighter pilots will take advanced training on 19 Pilatus PC-21s but will be sent to Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas for the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot training program and to the International Flying Training School at Decimomannu, Italy, for actual jet time. The company will buy its own advanced jet trainers by 2028.

Most of the fixed-wing training will happen at Canadian Forces Base Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, but the Dash-8s will be based at CFB Winnipeg. All helicopter training will occur at Southport, Manitoba.

The RCAF is undergoing a fleetwide renewal with tens of billions in new equipment, including 85 F-35s, 16 P-8s and nine A330 tanker/transports. It’s also standing up a squadron of 11 MQ-9B Reaper drones.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

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