A six-seat Cessna 337 twin-engine with an electric motor dubbed the Electric EEL took off from Camarillo Airport (KCMA) on October 12 at 12:20 pm. Ampaire was quoted as saying that they have “accomplished the longest flight to date for any commercially relevant aircraft employing electric propulsion, in this case, a hybrid-electric propulsion system.”
Flown by test pilot Justin Gillen and Flight Test Engineer Russell Newman, the plane landed at Hayward Executive Airport (KHWD) at 2:52 pm. The straight line distance was 292 statute miles, and the route as flown was 341 statute miles, according to Ampaire officials.
Cruising speed averaged about 135 mph during the flight.
“The mission was a quite normal
Like many industries, aviation is one that tends to be dominated by men. That’s why the new documentary “Fly Like a Girl” was created, to showcase some amazing female aviators and inspire others to pursue their passions even when the odds are against them.
“If you ask someone to name as many female aviators as they can think of, most would only be able to say Amelia Earhart. There are so many women beyond Amelia, both modern and historical, that have played an important role in the aviation and STEM world. Fly Like a Girl brings some of these women’s stories to light,” said director Katie McEntire Wiatt.
In a prepared release, the producers tell us “Fly Like A Girl is more than just a film. It’s a movement of young girls and women relentlessly pursuing their passion for aviation, a field currently dominated by men. Hear first-hand stories from girls and women who dared
There’s been discussion as of late on the most effective methods of avoiding risk, which has been growing more and more relevant as the year goes on. Risk management has been a tricky subject to tackle, however, it is not at all uncommon in the world of aviation to be very familiar with the fundamentals. Pilots face many trials when using an aircraft, and these skills can easily be applied to many other situations! We have 50 years of history regarding the importance of risk management, so considering how integral it is to pilots, we can find ways to make our inflight and grounded lives safer in return.
Everyone is familiar with using GPS, or Global Positioning System. It’s all but completely replaced the use of traditional maps, and everyone uses it- especially pilots. What’s interesting to note, however, is that despite how widely used it is, the signal itself may be in jeopardy due to a decision made by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
To supply context, Ligado, formally known as LightSquared, is attempting to make a network plan to “build a terrestrial-based communication network that will accelerate 5G and the emerging Industrial Internet of Things”. Which essentially means that it will try to utilize the 5G mobile network to make use of smart features like seeing if the
Sometimes, you have a hyperaware situation where despite your knowledge in something, you realize upon a single second of thought, that you don’t actually know what you thought you knew. I’m sure many people understand the definition of the word cockpit. Simply being that a compartment for the pilot which contains controls, instrument panel, etc. However, why is it called cockpit? Aviation has many technical phrases when defining something, yet regardless of slang, it’s not compartment, cabin, or quarters, but simply cockpit. Where did this eccentric phrase come from, and how did it become common today?
There are a few popular theories as to where the phrase itself came from, however, it’s good
Have you been curious about autothrottles and what they do? To most, probably not since a few years ago, fully integrated automatic flight control systems with autothrottle were exclusively for transport aircraft and heavy iron business jets. However, AFCS with AT are recently being included on single engine turboprops, and soon even piston aircraft! So, to those uninitiated, here’s a simple breakdown on what exactly AFCS with autothrottle is, and why it can be beneficial for pilots.
Some may be skeptical about the inclusions of automation, thinking that it would reduce the amount of control a pilot has over their aircraft. This is untrue, the main purpose of cockpit automation is to reduce physical workload and improve the safety of flight. It essentially provides extra
The market has shifted drastically for aircraft displays over the past couple of years. Not too long ago, aircraft owners had to decide whether to purchase fairly antiquated technology for an inordinate amount of money. So much so that despite the benefits these technologies would grant, some aircraft owners just went by without them. However, all of that changed around 2018 when prices for these have managed to reach a low-budget market.
The cut prices were influential enough that owners were managing to get aging piston airplanes like a Cessna Skylane or Piper Archer with glass displays and functions that could rival jets releasing today! The market for retrofit
Garmin released its Autonomi suite, namely including Autoland that is designed to help with a potentially dangerous situation in the sky and assist a pilot to a safer landing.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen an automated aircraft landing. Previously, we wrote about a completely automated Diamond DA42 modified with a computer system that was able to fully function without the pilot having to touch the controls at all. You can read all about that here.
What makes this new Garmin feature important is that it has the option to be retrofitted into an existing aircraft or built into the controls in manufacturing.
Research for this new technology began in 2011 with
1955, or more specifically, June 12, 1955, was when Cessna’s most popular and best-selling aircraft, the Skyhawk 172, first took flight. Cessna Skyhawk has lead the way for piston innovation for sixty-five years, and to this day it’s still an invaluable aircraft that not only had more than a thousand models built within it’s first year of production, but is an important method of training as well, especially within flight training schools.
To note a few accomplishments of the C172; to start, its design is one of the few lasting designs of a post-war trend that would lead to revolutionize aircraft with metal
For the past several weeks, most of us have only been seeing doom and gloom in the news. For those of us in our home of Norfolk, Virginia, we’re under a stay-at-home order with news coverage notifying us with new information constantly. We’re seeing COVID-19 cases rise, healthcare and other essential worker at risk, and commentary about how we don’t know what’s going to happen.
Which is why we’re bringing you some good news. The Corporate Angel Network (CAN) is a charity organization who coordinates with empty seats on business aircraft to fly cancer patients two or from treatment. This is an essential and life-saving service that so many depend on.
As a
Hearing a lot about COVID-19 and the pandemic and many other events can be tiring, especially because of the limitations being put in place and the restrictions being implemented as we try to figure out the best way to move forward. There are many days when it’s better to stay home, or not do much, but it can admittingly get boring. It’s not all doom and gloom for those who are lacking in things to do however, especially for pilots who only want to think about flying! If you’re having trouble figuring out what to do in a safe way, the Aircraft Electronics Association has launched a “Pilot’s Guide Showcase”, which is a new digital stage featuring everything avionics!
