
Future Flight
Bristow Group - secures early deliveries of five Elroy Air Chaparral cargo drones
Houston-based Bristow Group, which achieved its start as an international operator of helicopters but now bills itself as a vertical flight solutions provider, is looking to speed up the introduction of new vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft to its fleet.
3 min |
September 2023

Future Flight
The US Army's LIDS: A sure shot against drones
Raytheon's KURFS radars and Coyote® effectors have teamed up to defeat evolving, proliferating unmanned aircraft systems threat. The KuRFS radar and Coyote® effector deliver essential detect and defeat capabilities in the defence against unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, also known as drones.
3 min |
September 2023

Future Flight
AMPAIRE FLIES hybrid-electric Cessna to Alaska in milestone flight
On 13 August Ampaire revealed that following a 3,400-mile series of flights from Southern California, its hybrid-electric aircraft successfully landed at the Fairbanks International Airport (FAI). The EEL is a platform for the development of scalable technology and certification processes.
2 min |
September 2023

Future Flight
EHang unmanned aircraft cloud system approved by CAA
EHang, an autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) technology platform company, announced that its EHang Unmanned Aircraft Cloud System (UACS) has been officially approved by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for UACS trial operations.
2 min |
September 2023

Future Flight
uAvionix and Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma complete first US flights
Operating at the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) Emerging Aviation Technology Center, uAvionix completed the first true Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flight in non-segregated airspace using aviation protected C-Band in the United States.
3 min |
September 2023

Future Flight
FAA approves - BVLOS operations for three UAS companies
Recently three United States companies received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorisation to fly unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) where their operators cannot see them.
4 min |
September 2023

African Pilot
AIRLINE DEMANDS ARE SQUEEZING THE SUPPLY OF BUSINESS AVIATION PILOTS
The ability of airlines to attract pilots away from business aviation with lucrative contracts continues to have a deleterious effect on corporate flight department rosters. At the same time, industry experts agree the costs of pilot training remain a serious impediment to addressing the supply shortage, but clearly, this is a good time to be a pilot.
6 min |
September 2023

African Pilot
AIR INDIA UNVEILS NEW GLOBAL BRAND IDENTITY AND AIRCRAFT LIVERY
Air India, a Tata Group-owned airline, has unveiled a modern new brand identity and new aircraft livery that capture the essence of a bold new India. The new look reimagines the iconic Indian window shape, historically used by Air India, into a gold window frame that becomes central to the new brand design system, symbolising a 'Window of Possibilities'.
2 min |
September 2023

African Pilot
BLACKHAWK AEROSPACE'S CARAVAN UPGRADE
Blackhawk Aerospace's Caravan Engine+ Upgrade multiplies your power and revenue generation capability and delivers serious return on investment.
1 min |
September 2023

African Pilot
AVISYS AVIATION SYSTEMS
As an established Aircraft Maintenance Organization (AMO1089) with SACAA and other African Countries CAA accreditation to perform component maintenance and overhaul capabilities under its Category B rating, AviSys Aviation Systems is equipped to cater for its customer's needs as per the SACAA approved capability list and operational specifications on the following:
1 min |
September 2023

African Pilot
HALO AVIATION
Halo Aviation is headquartered at the Ultimate Helipad near Johannesburg, South Africa. Halo's ICU air ambulance fleet consists of Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) and fixed-wing aircraft, which are among the most technologically advanced on the continent and are equipped with advanced lifesaving equipment.
3 min |
September 2023

African Pilot
TITANIUM HOW WAR HAS RESHUFFLED SUPPLY OF A KEY AEROSPACE MATERIAL
An essential component of modern aircraft manufacture is the element Titanium, chemical symbol Ti. From sections of the fuselage frame and engine blades to landing gear and the numerous bolts and fasteners that hold sections of the aircraft together, the list of aircraft components containing titanium alloys is extensive.
5 min |
September 2023

African Pilot
IS ACCIDENT REPORTING MAKING US ALL CRAZY?
If an aviation accident happens, say, 1000 times a year or about three times a day, is it worth reporting as news? This is the calculus on aviation accidents, which we report on within AFRICAN PILOT.
4 min |
September 2023

African Pilot
B-25 RESTORATION SPANS 40 YEARS
On 06 June 1944, a date that ought mean a great deal to all the world's free-ish people some 150,000 US, British and Canadian troops stormed the beaches of Normandy as Operation Overlord roared into action and the great Allied campaign to retake Western Europe from the Nazi aggressor got underway.
2 min |
September 2023

African Pilot
LUXAVIATION AFRICA SETTING NEW HEIGHTS WITH A GROWING FLEET
Luxaviation Africa, a subsidiary of the renowned Luxaviation Group, is taking the African private aviation industry by storm. With a commitment to safety, luxury and innovation, Luxaviation has recently expanded its fleet, solidifying its position as a leading player in the continent's private aviation landscape.
2 min |
September 2023

African Pilot
LYCOMING LECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEM (EIS)
For many years motor vehicles have been using trouble free, electronic ignition systems. Why not Aircraft you say? Well just imagine if this were to change and after simply pressing the start button the engine surges into life. This and much more, is what the Lycoming Certified Electronic Ignition System offers.
3 min |
September 2023

African Pilot
FLYING LEGENDS 2023
After three years Flying Legends made a successful return to the skies over Northern England on 15 and 16 July 2023. Enthusiasts were drawn from all over the UK, and Europe to the former Royal Air Force airfield of Church Fenton, Yorkshire, United Kingdom, in July to witness an exhilarating weekend at the new home of Flying Legends.
5 min |
September 2023

African Pilot
BOEING STRETCHES THE 777X-8
Boeing has changed the technical specifications of the 777X-8, stretching the aircraft, which has in turn increased its passenger capacity and range.
2 min |
September 2023

African Pilot
FOURTH SAPFA SPEED RALLY STAGED AT GROBLERSDAL
Christine and I drove to Groblersdal on Saturday morning 19 August to report on the final SAPFA Speed Rally for this year that attracted 20 entries. The day was sunny with fine weather and only a slight breeze from the north-west, but rather hazy due to the many veld fires that are burning at this time of the year.
2 min |
September 2023

African Pilot
Universal Air Evac 10th ANNIVERSARY
Choosing the correct air ambulance provider is critical to the patient, as well as everyone close to the patient due to the fact that they are being affected by the medical emergency.
3 min |
September 2023

African Pilot
US AIR FORCE SELECTS STARTUP JETZERO
TO BUILD BLENDED WING BODY DEMONSTRATOR
4 min |
September 2023

African Pilot
US NAVY CONTRACTS SIKORSKY TO BUILD 35 CH-53K HELICOPTERS
The US Navy has awarded Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, a US$2.7 billion contract to build and deliver 35 additional CH-53K helicopters, the largest procurement to date for this multi-mission aircraft.
4 min |
September 2023

African Pilot
NORTH-WEST REGIONAL AEROBATIC CHAMPIONSHIP KLERKSDORP
The most recent aerobatic competition on the Sport Aerobatic Club calendar took place in Klerksdorp on 18 and 19 August was the north-west regional aerobatic championship.
2 min |
September 2023

African Pilot
CASSIE DE LA ROCHE FLIES AT 99
It is not every day in life that someone calls me to with a proposal to undertake a really good news story and this happened in August when Andreas Siebold contacted me to record the flight of Cassie La Rouche (born 15 October 1923) and who at 99 years of age was an amazing person to meet.
2 min |
September 2023

African Pilot
Fireblade Aviation EMPOWERS YOUNG WOMEN WITH 'GIRLS IN AVIATION DAY' EVENT
On 10 August 2023 Fireblade Aviation hosted a successful Girls in Aviation Day event in partnership with the Netherlands Airport Consultants (NACO), a division of international consulting engineers, Royal HaskoningDHV, with the aim of promoting aviation as a viable and exciting profession for young female students.
2 min |
September 2023

African Pilot
Charter Broker Vertis says AFRICA IS NOW 'ON THE MAP'
Last week at EBACE Swiss charter broker Vertis Aviation CEO Jeffrey Emmenis said Africa remains an important part of the business of, which saw its best-ever year in 2022. Several factors drove the company's increased business, he said, including the number of customers traveling for leisure. \"That was very big for us,\" Emmenis noted \"Customers on the business side, particularly in Africa, flying to more remote locations. We look after a number of heads of state and there was a lot of travel as governments started opening up and doing business. I see a little bit of softening in 2023, but it will still be quite impressive.\"
4 min |
September 2023

Future Flight
Joby Q2 net loss widens as eVTOL manufacturer gears up for certification
Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer Joby Aviation is still losing millions in its pursuit of becoming the United States first eVTOL air taxi route, but its investments are beginning to pay off.
4 min |
August 2023

Future Flight
SKYPORTS infrastructure's design for VERTIPORTS approved in DUBAI
The vision for Dubai's future air mobility infrastructure network was jointly presented by Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Skyports Infrastructure and Joby Aviation at a closed presentation ahead of the start of the World Government Summit, an annual three-day event which brings together international government officials and business leaders.
2 min |
August 2023

Future Flight
NASA and DARPA partner with industry on Mars rocket engine
On Wednesday 2 August NASA and the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced Lockheed Martin of Littleton, Colorado, as the prime contractor for the design, build and testing of NASA and DARPA's nuclear-powered rocket demonstration, in collaboration with other industry partners. The Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations. (DRACO) programme will test a nuclearpowered rocket in space as soon as 2027.
1 min |
August 2023

Future Flight
WEBB celebrates first year of science with close-up on birth of sun-like stars
From our cosmic backyard in the solar system to distant galaxies James Space delivered on its promise of revealing the universe like never before in its first year of science operations. To celebrate the completion of a successful first year, NASA has released Webb's image of a small star-forming region in the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex.
4 min |