Air
Force Tests ‘Attritable’ Weapons 8-26-20:
According to EETIMES: "For military purposes, “attritable” is defined
as a design trait that trades reliability and maintenance for low-cost,
reusable and eventually expendable weapons. The approach is akin to the
destroyer escorts used by the U.S. Navy in World War II to defend heavily
armored capital ships and convoys.
Among the earliest
manifestations of the shift towards attributable weapons is a menacing-looking
unmanned aircraft dubbed the XQ-58A Valkyrie. The long-range, pilotless
aircraft completed is maiden flight at the Yuma Proving Grounds, Ariz.,
in early March." I would translate all this military jargon as saying they
are making throwaway components for a throwaway machine. These throw away
drones can obviously go on the ultimate mission, "one way!" No pilot to
worry about, so why not...
...
Trump
TFR in Manchester
8-25-20: TFR OVER MANCHESTER, NH ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2020. A NOTAM has
been published that will affect flight in the area during President Trump's
planned visit.
....
Trump
TFR in Pa.
8-17-20: VIP TFR OVER OLD FORGE, PA ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020 NOTAM
FDC 0/3356 A NOTAM has been published that will affect flight in the area
during President Trump's planned visit.
...
Trump
TFR Violatons in New York
8-17-20: Trumps frequent visits to Bedminster golf resort is generating
TFR violations. Apparently no body cares anymore. Brief commentaries are
made and the news quickly moves on to covid-19, presidential and racial
discrimination articles. Last Saturday was a more interesting event where
the F-16 fired flares to get the attention of the pilot. The article made
it sound like the pilot couldn't find the emergency frequency but finally
made contact. Some articles made sarcastic comments like the pilot's problem
will continue after he lands. Where are the protests against these unnecessary
TFR's? Let us not forget what psychologist and social justice experts keep
telling us: "Whether you're a group or an individual, if you tolerate something
long enough, it will become accepted. I remember crossing the Mexican border
one time and the Mexican special forces were walking around the border
gates in black military uniforms with machine guns pointing toward the
ground with their fingers on the trigger guard. Mexican families were walking
by them like they were your friendly local traffic cop.
...
Vanadium:
A Green Metal Critical to Aerospace and Clean Energy ext-Generation Adaptive
Propulsion 8-15-20:
According to Aerospace & Defense: "In the 1960s, the world’s
leading aerospace engineers at Lockheed’s Skunk Works facility faced an
extraordinarily difficult engineering challenge: how to design a successor
to the U-2 spy aircraft. The next-generation aircraft they were to design
required an ability to cruise at a sustained speed of Mach 3+, operate
at altitudes exceeding 80,000 feet, and feature as low a radar cross section
as possible. One of the key hurdles was designing and machining components
of the jet’s outer skin such that it could handle temperatures from aerodynamic
friction and continuous engine operation as high as 1,050 °F. The answer:
titanium-based alloys that contained the metal vanadium. When added to
titanium, vanadium helps to create alloys with the best strength-to-weight
ratio of any engineered material on earth.
Half a century later,
there remains no acceptable substitute for vanadium in aerospace titanium
alloys. Vanadium-containing alloys of titanium and aluminum are deployed
in virtually every jet aircraft flying today, from jet engine components
to high-speed airframes."
..
Next-Generation
Adaptive Propulsion 8-7-20:
The schedule and
spending details on the Next-Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP)
appeared for the first time in the Air Force’s budget justification documents
for fiscal 2021 that were submitted to Congress in February, but passed
unnoticed for several months.
...
Targus,
the largest civil drone in Spain 7-29-20:
Being developed
in Spain and based on the Indra MRI Aerial Surveillance System, which is
built using the Tecnam P2006T twin engine aircraft. The particular feature
of OPV platforms, unlike unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), is that they
can be operated in two modes: Manned mode, where an onboard pilot
flies the aircraft like a conventional aircraft. RPAS mode, where the operation
of the aircraft and all its functions are controlled from a base located
on the ground.
...
.
CoronaVirus
Update 7-19-20:
As
mentioned last month, the pandemic continues to affect all aspects
of our lives, businesses are finding that they will
not be returning to normal. Another airshow to bite the dust isthe
famous Greenville International Seaplane Fly-In. Here's
a comment from AOPA: "The forty-seventh iteration of the annual gathering
on Moosehead Lake will have to wait until 2021, the nonprofit International
Seaplane Fly-In Association announced with regret. The fly-in organizers
including Chairman Telford Allen III, son of the founder, will work with
the Seaplane Pilots Association “to ensure that the event comes back bigger
and better in 2021,” the groups announced in an email that also delivered
the bad news about the SPA’s annual Member Adventure planned for Lake Como
in Italy: That has also been called off for this year.
..
EAA
225 July 2020 Newsletter
7-14-20: Hello Everyone, Please read and enjoy the July
issue of EAA 225’s
Newsletter. There is lots of good webinars and news this month! Also,
there will be no EAA 225 meeting for July. Next meeting will be in August,
hope to see you then. Regards, Gerry
..
EAA
225 June 2020 Newsletter
6-5-20: Hello Everyone,
Hope this finds everyone staying healthy with the Covid-19 crisis in our
midst.
Please note that there was no May 2020 Chapter Newsletter due to a computer
crash. As such, I have included Pres. Todd Scruton’s “From the President’s
Hangar" notes for both May and June. Also a member is looking for
some help working on his airplane (see page 5). Enjoy! Regards,
Gerry
..
TFR
OVER GUILFORD, ME ON FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 2020 6-3-20:
VIP
TFR President Donald Trump plans to visit Maine on Friday to tour a nasal
swab manufacturing plant.
.
.
CoronaVirus
Update 6-1-20:
As
the pandemic continues to affect all aspects of our lives, businesses are
finding that they will not be returning to normal. Unfortunately, some
of the won't be returning at all. One example in the marine industry is
the famous Evinrude outboard motor. The company was founded by Ole Evinrude
back in 1907. In 1935 OMC took over but then filed for bankruptcy in 2001.
Since then, Evinrude has been a subsidiary of BRP. As of a few days ago
BRP announced that Evinrude no longer exist and will purchase Mercury outboard
motors for its line of boat. In Aviation some airlines are retiring whole
fleets of aircraft to readjust to the new demand, or lack of. As the saying
goes, "All good things must come to an end.".
..
SkyDome
Defense System 5-26-20:
A recent article in AviationnDefensetech.com
talked about a new AI drone system that can fly in swarms and perform various
types of defense options to protect a designated airspace from other
drones from intruding the airspace. The article makes references to drones
as capable to detect and mitigate. In this case, mitigate means attack
and nullify or destroy. It has the ability to catch interfering drones
with a net, or blast it out of the sky with an arsenal of military weapons.
more...
..
B-52
Re-Engine Competition 5-20-20:
According to Aviation Week, the U.S. Air Force is sending out RFP's to
re-engine the current fleet of 76-aircraft B-52's. Yes, B-52's are still
flying. "The Cold War jet, meanwhile, is expected to continue operating
beyond 2050, outliving the B-2 and B-1B fleets scheduled for retirement
in the 2030s." The first flight of the B-52 was in 1958.
...
Affordable
Flying 5-19-20:
Want to learn how to fly? You just haven't had time to get
a round tuit? A
round number for a private pilot license is around $10,000. A typical price
to rent the aircraft is around $160/hr. This does not include pilot insurance
that is not mandatory by law but if you damage the aircraft you are totally
responsible for all expense. So, yes, you need pilot insurance (look up
"subrogation") and you need to get coverage that covers the cost of the
airplane which for a typical Skyhawk at a flight school could be around
$300,000. (How much is your house worth?). That could be around $2,000
per year.
Is flying available
for people not making high salaries? Yes, usually through a flying club.
But the best price I've seen is to go partnership with around 5 pilots.
You can buy in for around $5,000 and fly the aircraft for $20 per hour,
yes, that's what Kelby said. And the Cherokee 140 is a fun aircraft to
fly and it carries 4 people.
.
Maintenance
Work At Skyhaven 5-16-20:
Although many businesses and workers were stopped during the coronavirus
pandemic, essential business and work activities are keeping our vital
resources maintained and ready to go to provide services for emergency
and medical support for the community. I recently met up with the Matrix
Concrete workers that are putting the finishing touches on a drainage update
around the hangars.
..
CoronaVirus
Update 5-14-20: In a recent email
to customers, SMA says they will be open May 18, 2020 and will open up
airplane rentals, to Maine Residents ONLY, for SOLO Flights.
June 1, 2020 - Dual
instruction will resume, for Maine Residents ONLY. Everyone will
be required to provide their own headset and wear a protective face covering.
They are looking ahead for the Governor to lift the 14 day quarantine for
out-of-state residents so they can have students and/or renters go to the
FBO in July.
..
Restoring
U.S. Human Orbital Spaceflight 5-14-20:
The U.S. has not
had the capability to bring astronauts to the space station since 2011.
At that time there was a level of cooperation between countries that fostered
a global community of friendship that resulted in the U.S. joining with
Russia in a program where Russia became the main (and only) way to send
astronauts to the space station. But now, change is in the air. Here's
an excerpt from Aviation
Week:
"On May 27, NASA
astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are scheduled to lift off from Kennedy
Space Center, Florida, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9/Crew Dragon vehicle, making
them the first human space travelers to lift off from U.S. soil since the
final shuttle launch in July 2011, ending the longest gap in indigenous
U.S. human spaceflight capability since the 1960s."
...
Issues
with the KC-46A Pegasus refueling tankers 5-12-20:
According to the Union
Leader "Tough questions about how long it will take to resolve issues
with the KC-46A Pegasus refueling tankers were asked last week in Washington,
D.C., as officials at Pease Air National Guard Base in Newington received
two more of the $147M aircraft." "U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, said
there is a real concern about the refueling tankers in New Hampshire because
the last KC-135R Stratotanker left Pease last year."
...
CoronaVirusUpdate
Operation
America Strong
5-8-20: "The US Navy Blue
Angels and US Air Force Thunderbirds performed a very rare joint flyover
above New York City, Trenton, Newark, and Philadelphia on April 28, 2020
to honor health care and essential workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
The teams departed from NAS Pensacola in Florida and were refueling mid-flight
by four KC-10 Extenders before returning back to Pensacola. Flyovers will
continue around the country under the name Operation America Strong.."
So, what did you do yesterday? Oh, I flew in formation with the Blue Angels
and did a rare fly-over on New York city. What did you do? Oh, I went for
a boat ride by myself and did social distancing...
..
CoronaVirus
Update 5-4-20: The
COVID-19 pandemic is reshaping aerospace
and, about two months into the sector’s worst crisis ever, its future shape
is becoming clearer. The industry is becoming much smaller than it was
just a short while ago.
Unfortunately for
the aerospace side of the business, the
full effect of the declines is only beginning to
filter through and will dominate industry activity for the foreseeable
future, with analysts generally not expecting
traffic to recover to precrisis levels before 2023. The novel coronavirus
continues to wreak havoc on the industry.
ill
not be returning to normal. Another airshow to bite the dust is
25’s
Newsletter. There is lots of good webinars and news this month! Also,
there will be no EAA 225 meeting for July. Next meeting will be in August,
hope to see you then. Regards, Gerry
