Global Near Space Services and Bye Engineering Partners have completed phase two of their solar-electric high-altitude, long-endurance airship unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) dubbed Star2Flight. The UAV is being developed as an intelligence and surveillance platform. The “lighter than air” ship includes a “recoverable solar electric lower stage flying vehicle (see rendering below).
Aircraft
UAS – friend or foe?
“Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) are the future,” according to the September 2011 European Aviation Safety Agency newsletter. Three pages of the eight-page newsletter are dedicated to UAS, which includes some quotable nuggets: “to fully achieve the UAS industry’s vision, UAS will come in all shapes and sizes and operational constraints will have to be relaxed […]
Pilots Flock to Willapa Harbor Fly-in
By Dave Gauger Pilots from throughout the northwest flocked to the Willapa Harbor Airport Saturday (August 6). The promise of famous Ekone Oysters brought 22 aircraft into the Raymond airport from throughout Washington State, California, Nevada and Canada. The hungry pilots consumed more than 300 oysters while swapping tales, showing off their proud flying machines […]
Midwest LSA Expo set for Sept. 9-11
The Plane & Pilot Midwest LSA Expo expects more than 40 Light Sport Aircraft, including Part 103, Motorgliders, and Gyroplanes on the flightline at Mr. Vernon, Illinois’s Outland Airport (KMVN) September 9-11. See the program book for the Expo online for information about the exhibit hall, forums and general schedule of events. The show will […]
10-hour flight for EnergyOr UAV
MONTREAL — EnergyOr Technologies, a fuel cell energy developer, announced its fuel cell powered Faucon H2 UAV completed a 10-hour, 4-minute flight. From the press release, the Faucon H2 has a 3-meter (9.84 foot) wingspan, a 1.2-meter (3.93 foot) length and 9-kg (19.84 pound) mass and cruises at 65-100 km/h (40.38-62.13 mph). After reading the […]
Drone tests… coming to airspace above you?
AOL Defense is reporting the FAA and Pentagon are “carving out between four to 10 “bubbles” in civilian airspace above the United States to test UAS [unmanned aerial systems]”. These bubbles will be located are the U.S. “to show that UAS can fly in heavily-traveled commercial airspace in all conditions across the United States.”
#OSH11 sales good for Kitfox, Wicks
“We expanded our booth this year, increased our inventory, and it sure paid off” said Scott Wicks, owner of Wicks Aircraft Supply of their presence at AirVenture Oshkosh. As a result, “sales were up 60% [measured in dollars] from 2010, which was also a record year.” John McBean from Kitfox Aircraft reported that deliveries for […]
Arlington odds ‘n ends
The Arlington Fly-In (July 7-10) was fun. While the vendor area shrunk from prior years, the show line appeared about 95+% full of show planes on Saturday. A nice number of beautiful aircraft (see some uploaded to Twitter and Facebook). As I walked about on Saturday, I met and spoke with a great many people. […]
DOT grants Terrafugia exemption requests
Woburn, MA — Terrafugia has received a grant of all of the special exemptions it had requested for the Transition from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Transition is the first combined flying-driving vehicle to receive such special consideration. These exemptions pave the way for Terrafugia to begin deliveries once Terrafugia’s rigorous Transition […]