Among the 21 of the best European aerobatic pilots who competed in the European Freestyle Aerobatic Championship in Slovakia, air display and competition pilot Gerald Cooper from Lincolnshire was held the champion. Cooper, competing in the new XtremeAir XA41 high performance monoplane, became the first ever Brit to receive a gold medal in Unlimited aerobatics in the history of aerobatic sport flying.
Cooper flew a freestyle routine choreographed to demonstrate the art of precision flying and the impressive capabilities of this new carbon fibre aircraft with its superb power to weight ratio. Performing a combination of high-speed, animated gyroscopic figures that seemingly defy the laws of physics and aerodynamics, Cooper and the XA41 equally impressed the judging panel in the competition.

“Gerald was flying the XA41 in only his second international competition in this radical new, all-carbon, high-performance monoplane among a field of 22 of Europe’s top competition pilots. Gerald’s innovative style, sometimes quirky, sometimes using the XA41′s remarkable control authority at low speed, set him apart from his competitors in a way that gained the approval of the ten International judges,” explains Alan Cassidy MBE, British Aerobatic Association (BAeA) Chairman.

Cooper believes the XA41’s strength and ability to respond faster, turn quicker and climb better than its competitors is largely responsible for his Gold medal.

Testament to the capabilities of the XtremeAir aircraft is the fact that eight other competitors chose the same machine for the competition. XtremeAir’s Designer Philipp Steinbach, representing Germany, competed in the two-seat version XA42 finishing fifth in the Freestyle competition.

The XtremeAir XA41 is a new carbon fibre aircraft that has superior power to weight ratio providing lots of room for a creative pilot’s imagination to invent new figures whilst expanding their own envelope. Cooper describes the XA41 as ‘a fast, good looking and incredibly light to the touch. It is also a capable tourer – with a range in excess of 900 miles – ideal for transit between air displays and aerobatic competitions.’

The XA41 is capable of over 220mph and has a roll rate in excess of 500 degrees per second, which is one and a half times round per second. It has a climb rate of 3,500ft per minute. It is light on the controls and is comparable to a Formula One race car.

Cooper reflected on his win, saying “Winning this event was a real surprise in only my second season flying this new aeroplane. For me, this award is recognition of all the hard work on engineering, management and development by the fantastic team we have at One Sky Aviation without whom competing – and winning – would not be possible.”

“This is a great result for Gerald and for the British Unlimited Aerobatic Team. Gerald’s individual Freestyle Gold, the first ever by a UK pilot in an Unlimited European or World Championship, shows once again that Team GB is able to compete at World level in powered sport aerobatics despite the complete absence, so far, of any backing from the usual sporting lottery funds administered by Sport UK,” adds Cassidy.

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Source: www.key.aero

An outward resemblance to the AgustaWestland A129 Mangusta was widely discussed, no connection was ever made to Kamov until Mikheyev’s announcement at the Heli-Expo convention last March 6. Mikheyev says the decision to reveal the Russian company’s role in the design of the Z-10 followed its unveiling by China at the air show late last year.

Kamov worked on the preliminary design at China’s request in 1995. “Due to understandable reasons this was kept secret, but we made the design and it was accepted by China,” Mikheyev says. The baseline design, known internally as Project 941, “was accepted for development,” he adds. Until today, it was generally believed that the aircraft had been designed in China and the only real foreign input was in the powerplant.

China’s Z-10 development has been highly controversial. Five aircraft were powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C-67C engines fitted with full authority digital engine controls developed by Hamilton Sundstrand. Following investigations by federal agencies, United Technologies Corp., the parent company of the two firms, was fined $75 million for violating the Arms Export Control Act and making false statements in connection with the illegal export to China of U.S.-origin military software in June 2012.

According to evidence heard in the trial, China has sourced the engines under the pretense of producing a civil medium transport. PW&C provided up to 10 engines for the aircraft. It has been suggested that Z-10 manufacturer Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation has had to use a lower-rated indigenous-built engine in the helicopter, forcing it to undertake a significant weight-saving program until a new, more powerful engine becomes available.

Kamov is better known for its co-axial designs such as the Ka-32 transport helicopter and also the Ka-50/52 attack helicopters. The company is producing the Ka-62 utility helicopter. “So I wish success to the helicopter,” Mikheyev adds.

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source: www.aviationweek.com

Scientists have long known the benefits if a wing-shaped aircraft compared to the conventional tube and wing design. The flying wing design came to be known through the B2 Stealth Bomber although the patent for a tailless plane was filed by Hugo Junkers in 1910.

Some of the benefits of the design include reduced structural material resulting in significantly lower overall aircraft weight, and more lift generated by more dramatic wing surface and curvature. The challenge of the design so far is aircraft control during lower speeds. The flatter design has proven to be more challenging to support a pressurized cabin. Conventional tubular designs are easier to manufacture to support extreme temperature differences.

The scientific advancement by NASA is in the manufacturing process, potentially opening the door to commercial manufacture in eight to ten years.

“NASA’s manufacturing process starts with preformed carbon composite rods. The rods are covered with carbon fiber fabric and stitched into place. Fabric is then stitched over foam strips to create cross members. The fabric is impregnated with an epoxy to create a rigid composite structure.” Tech Review

Aside from strength and reduced weight, the carbon fiber stitching process appears to prevent more catastrophic events in flight.  When pressured to the degree of breakage, the stitching prevents cracks from spreading.  With recent failures in the most expensive aircraft ever built, the Boeing 787 “Dreamliner”, a safer design will be welcomed by consumers.

The new design is a result of a $300 million partnership between NASA, Pratt & Whitney and Boeing.  Since Boeing doesn’t convince the powers that be to include a lithium ion battery in the design, everything should work out.

The new engine design will be used in the first commercial manufacturing process next year. It promises to dramatically reduce CO2, NOx emission and manufacture cost.  The ultra-high bypass ratio engine promises to change transportation emissions significantly as it makes its way into the commercial airline fleet.

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It is still unknown if how long OTV-3 will remain in Earth orbit. The mystery space plane mission is officially on Air Force space tracking books as USA-240. “The mission is ongoing,” Air Force Maj. Eric Badger, a spokesman for the X-37B program, told SPACE.com. “As with previous missions, the actual duration will depend on test objectives, on-orbit vehicle performance and conditions at the landing facility.”

The current flight underway has attained the major milestone of reusability. The same vehicle was flown on the maiden voyage in the 2010 X-37B program. The OTV-1 mission lasted nearly 225 days in orbit and then zoomed back to Earth on autopilot over the Pacific Ocean, gliding down onto a specially prepared runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The OTV-2 mission, which used a different X-37B vehicle, also made a Vandenberg touchdown on June 16 of last year after remaining in orbit for 469 days, more than doubling its sister ship’s stay. There’s a possibility that OTV-3 won’t be landing in Vandenberg. There have been discussions about bringing the space plane down at the space shuttle landing strip at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. “The possibility of using the former shuttle infrastructure for future X-37B landing operations is still being investigated,” Badger said.

The X-37B looks like a miniature space shuttle with a length of 29 feet and width of 15 feet, and a payload bay about the size of a pickup truck bed. Officials said that only two X-37B space planes have been constructed for the Air Force by Boeing Government Space Systems. Flights of the space plane are conducted under the auspices of the Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office.

According to an Air Force fact sheet, the Rapid Capabilities Office is working on the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle “to demonstrate a reliable, reusable, unmanned space test platform for the United States Air Force.”
Mission control is handled by the 3rd Space Experimentation Squadron, 21st Space Wing, of the Air Force Space Command in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Little is known bout what OTV-3 is toting in its cargo bay, but amateur skywatchers offer some insight into the mission. “All does seem quiet,” said Ted Molczan of Toronto, a leader in an ever-vigilant, worldwide satellite sleuthing network. “OTV-3 remains in its initial orbit, maintaining altitude with periodic engine firings,” Molczan told SPACE.com. “Unlike the first two missions, its ground track does not closely repeat at the frequent intervals that would suggest an imaging reconnaissance mission.”

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Source: www.foxnews.com

Program manager Fay Collier estimates that the BWB — which lowers the weight of the aircraft’s structure by 25 percent — could help improve conventional commercial aircraft within eight to 10 years.

Bullis notes that while aerospace engineers have long been looking for an alternative to conventional airplanes, tubular bodies on aircraft have persisted because they can withstand outside forces acting on them during flight while maintaining cabin pressure.

The new hybrid design has a flatter, box-like body that blends with the wings. The challenge is to build it in a way so that it’s strong, and light enough to be practical.

Tests have confirmed that sections of the BWB can withstand the forces that would be applied to a finished aircraft. Now Collier’s team is building a 30-foot-wide, two-level pressurized structure (to be finished in 2015) to validate the manufacturing technique.

NASA says that this type of aircraft, which would have a wingspan slightly greater than a Boeing-747, could operate from existing airport terminals.

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Source: www.businessinsider.com

The Taylorcraft L-2, dubbed “the Grasshopper” by pilots during the war, was only used for enemy reconnaissance. Its slow top speed (93 mph) and inability to fly very high (top altitude, 10,000 feet) made its use limited. The plane hasn’t been flown since the 1980s, when Simmonds had to give up his pilot’s license due to a medical condition.

The asking price for the plane during the estate sale was $22,000. Several individuals inquired about it but none offered up the cash immediately according to the salesman for the Sacramento-area estate sale company.

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Source: www.upi.com

According to a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense ”Taranis is a trailblazing project that reflects the very best of our nation’s advanced design and technology skills and is a leading program on the global stage.” Forthcoming Taranis trials will provide further information about the potential capabilities of Unmanned Combat Air Systems. “Unmanned Aerial Vehicles play an important role in operations, helping reduce the risks faced by military personnel.”

British armed forces currently operate drones only against suspected Taliban militants in Afghanistan. But advances in US military technology have sparked a global arms race for drones, and the Ministry of Defense is now committed to developing a new generation of pilot less aircraft with a range of more than 2,000 miles.
The Taranis, manufactured by BAE, supersedes US models by incorporating a customized Rolls-Royce jet engine rather than a propeller.

Britain’s fleet of armed drones are currently piloted by crews of ground control units. But Taranis will incorporate technology allowing it to use on-board computers to perform airborne manoeuvres, avoid threats and identify targets. Ground crews will only be consulted to gain authorisation for an attack.

Controversy surrounding the use of aerial drones has been highlighted by the UN, which began an investigation last week into deaths caused by drone attacks.

A spokesman for BAE said: “Taranis is a joint BAE-MoD programme and we are not at liberty to confirm any details of the forthcoming flight, including the location, timing or who may be present.”
BAE unveiled Taranis in a glossy presentation two years ago.

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Source: www.ibtimes.co.uk

The enhanced MOP features tail-fin modifications to fix bugs identified in testings as well as as a second fuse to effectively prosecute hardened underground targets. The modifications were tested with five bomb drops from a B-2 stealth bomber on the White Sands Missile Range, conducted between June and October, and two ground tests. The B-2 is the only platform in the U.S. Air Force inventory currently capable to carry and release the heaviest U.S. bomb, even if B-52s were used in previous tests.

With the furtherly improved “bunker buster”, the U.S. have finally obtained the weapon they needed to destroy nuclear facilities as well as bunkers that protect chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.

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source: theaviationist.com

The facility is state-of-the-art environmentally, fully equipped and able to fulfill paint requirements on any regional or narrow-body and most large wide-body aircraft. The central location in New York reduces indirect costs related to ferry flights. Cost saving combined with Premier’s airframe heavy maintenance capabilities and competitive pricing, provides a great solution for customers.

With facilities in both Canada and the USA, Premier can accommodate any customer’s schedule at short notice. Further, strong maintenance capabilities in all Premier paint facilities make the paint process a low risk event.

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Source: www.aviationpros.com

The 10th Annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards, presented by Bell Helicopter and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which will be held on January 18, 2013 at the Beverly Hilton, announced some of this year’s honorees.

The 10th annual awards will be hosted by John Travolta , “The Official Ambassador of Aviation”®, and will celebrate a decade of recognition during aviation’s second hundred years.

The program starts with Morgan Freeman narrating the “Flown West” tribute to four Legends that took their last flight West in 2012 – Neil Armstrong , Carroll Shelby , George McGovern , and AL Ueltschi, followed by the inductions of new “Living Legends of Aviation.” Harrison Ford will present the Harrison Ford Aviation Legacy Award to Greg Anderson , founder of the “Young Eagles” and CEO of Wings Over the Rockies.

James Albaugh will be inducted into the “Living Legends of Aviation” and will receive the Lifetime Aviation Industry Leader Award for his remarkable contributions and career at Boeing Aircraft Company. Inductees include Eren and Fatih Ozmen , the dynamic leaders of Sierra Nevada Corporation, who have taken their company from 20 to 2100 employees. Additionally, the Ozmen’s will present this year’s Aviation Industry Entrepreneur of the Year Award to John Uzcekaj, CEO of Aspen Avionics.

David Neeleman will be honored with the Lifetime Aviation Entrepreneur Award. A true entrepreneur, Mr. Neeleman, founded Jet Blue Airlines in 1998, and Azul Airlines in 2008,revolutionizing travel for millions of people in both North and South America. Actor, producer and aerobatic pilot David Ellison will be presented with the 2013 “Aviation Inspiration and Patriotism Award.”

Meet Legend Sully Sullenberger and the new inductees, including the legendary test pilot Randy Gaston . Bob Hoover will present his Freedom of Flight Award to the first and the last man to walk on the moon. Accepting are Carol Armstrong and Gene Cernan . Join over 50 “Living Legends of Aviation” including many celebrity Legends, and be part of the most important and prestigious recognition event in aviation.

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