Zimbabwe Air Rally 2021 Part two

The following day we were up early to watch the departure air show once again, it is a large amount of razzle-dazzle to be honest.

Taking Flight On Another World

The Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, is a technology demonstration model to test powered, controlled flight on another world for the first time. It hitched a ride to Mars on the Perseverance rover. Once the rover reached a suitable "airfield" location, it released Ingenuity to the surface so it could perform a series of test flights over a 30-Martian-day experimental window.

Thales Completes Successful First Flight Of New UAS With Range Capabilities Of Over 100 Km

• With a hybrid propulsion system for optimum safety, endurance and discretion, Thales's UAS 100 long-range unmanned air system for civil, government and military users will be able to operate at ranges of more than 100 km. • UAS 100 combines world-class flight safety performance with the compact design required for unmanned air systems, and complies with future European regulations for drone flights over populated areas. • The system will meet the requirements of a broad range of missions, including infrastructure inspection, coastal surveillance, border surveillance, event security, search-and-rescue and military operations.

Dutch Squadron Finalises F-16 Operations

The Royal Netherlands Air Force 322 squadron based at Leeuwarden air force base terminated its operations on the F-16 “Fighting Falcon” early July (2021). With the gradual ongoing new deliveries of its successor, the Lockheed Boeing F-35A “Lightning II”, it was time for the squadron to focus only on the embedding of the new jet in the unit.

Dyke Delta Lookalike Fighter Kit Plane

The Dyke JD-2 Delta is an American homebuilt aircraft designed in the United States in the 1960s and marketed for amateur construction. It is a monoplane with retractable tricycle undercarriage and seating for four.

Pilatus Delivers 1800th PC-12

After leading the turbine-powered business aircraft market in 2020, Pilatus passes another fleet milestone with the delivery of the 1800th example of the versatile single-engine turboprop. At 82 deliveries, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s 2020 Year-End Aircraft Shipment Report, the Pilatus PC-12 was the most popular model of all turbine-powered business aircraft.

Italian Navy Maristaeli Luni5° Gruppo Elicotteri

The 5th Helicopter Group was the first operational group at the La Spezia naval base, established on 1 November 1969, together with technical and logistical support for the helicopters.

Airbus A321 Freighter – Synergy Between Costs And Convenience

Probably one of the longest ongoing rivalries in the aviation market is between two aircraft manufacturing giants Airbus and Boeing. For years the companies had been head to head, trying to outsmart the other and take over the lucrative market.

IAI Concludes Independence Day Flyover

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), concluded its first Israel Independence Day flyover in 33 years. As part of the flyover IAI flew two Gulfstream 280 business jets as well as the Boeing 777-300ER “Big Twin” passenger-to-cargo conversion prototype aircraft.

Unmanned Helicopter Crashes Into Navy Ship

An unmanned MQ-8B Fire Scout helicopter crashed into the side of USS Charleston shortly after taking off from the ship on 26 April.

Bye Aerospace Unveils 8-Seat All-Electric eFlyer 800

Bye Aerospace has announced an eight-seat all-electric twin turbo-prop class airplane, the eFlyer 800™, in response to growing demands for regional all-electric airplanes with significantly reduced operating costs, plus increased capacity and utility.

Moscow – A City Of Beauty, Intrigue, Past Fears And History

Moscow stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population greater than that of South Africa as a whole it is among the world's largest cities. The northernmost and coldest megacity in the world, and with a history that dates over eight centuries, Moscow has been ruled by those who revelled in cruelty, oppression, and fear. From Ivan the Great, Ivan the Terrible, Grand Duchess Catherine the Great and her obsession with the mystic Rasputin, Peter the Great and Tzar Nicholas II, last of the tzars and who, with his entire family was executed by the Bolcheviks.

Airbus Takes Off With Private Network From Ericsson

The partnership between Ericsson and international pioneer Airbus opens the door for the digitalisation of aerospace factories.

Embraer successfully concludes aerial refuelling qualification between two KC-390 Millennium aircraft

The twin-turbo fan powered KC-390 can be refuelled in flight and can be used for in-flight or on-ground refuelling of other aircraft.

Aircraft On The Edge Of Safety

Over the last couple of years there have been a number of accidents that have cost hundred of lives but are there aircraft that are inherently unsafe? Aircraft have been involved in accidents since the time of the Wright brothers. As from this month we will be taking a look at some of the aircraft types that are regarded as unsafe.

Contrails And Climate Change

Five years ago I wrote an article in this magazine saying that science was starting to suggest that contrails, which we’re all used to seeing in clear skies anywhere in the world, are a significant player in climate change.

Space Planes: The Return Of The Reusable Spacecraft?

A spaceplane is a vehicle that can fly/ glide like an aircraft in Earth's atmosphere and manoeuvre like a spacecraft in outer space.

How To Be Eco-Friendly In The Aviation Industry!

Each year airlines begin new sustainability initiatives, experiment with biofuels, and offset their carbon emissions on selected flights; yet, sustainability should not only be a topic of discussion when an aircraft is in the air but also when it’s on the ground.

The Magical Place

As a young boy our holiday destinations were fairly limited owing to a war that was raging and of course because Dad spent lots of time away from home fighting. Growing up on the farm meant that I had plenty of space to roam and discover and then of course, the concept of bigger territory by being a small kid.

HAL Hands Over ALHs To The Indian Navy And Indian Coast Guard

During early February HAL handed over three Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH Mk III) to the Indian Navy and two ALHs to Indian Coast Guard as part of its 16 ALHs contract at the ongoing Aero India 2021.

Russia's State-of-the-art Armaments

JSC Rosoboronexport demonstrated newly-designed products of Russia’s defence industry and some military equipment that is most in demand on the world arms market.

Rare white-out training at home

With a changing global climate, the winters in The Netherlands have also become more moderate with hardly any freezing days and associated winter circumstances.

IT'S RAINING AIRCRAFT PARTS

Boeing’s problems with its aircraft is continuing with not one but two planes losing metal parts in the space of just a couple of days.

Maldives - More Popular Than Ever

Ravaged by a tsunami the islands took eight years to recover but are now more popular than ever.

Extreme Flight Hooked By A Stall

Patrick McAlee, airline pilot, airshow pilot extraordinaire and owner of Extreme Flight, experienced his first flight at the tender age of five years old when his father rented an Aeronca Champ to fly to the EAA AirVenture Fly-in at OshKosh. He did a stall, which Patrick says he still remembers vividly! It both scared and hooked him at the same time!

Volocopter launches campaign to bring electric air taxi services to U.S. cities

Volocopter, the German air taxi start-up and “Pioneer of Urban Air Mobility (UAM),” announced in early January this year that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had positively accepted their application for concurrent Type Certificate validation on 22 December 2020.

Husky battles Cub

For years my home airport was the domain of the Piper Cub. This is, until recently when two similar Husky's joined the fleets of two separate rental companies. If, like me, you've become quite addicted to the Piper Cub you simply cannot escape any comparative research. A trained spotter has to do his best to distinguish between the two types, so how big a difference can it be for a pilot?

DHL Global Forwarding is investing R127-million in a new facility in Johannesburg

Aimed at cementing its position in South Africa, the new 13 000 m2 facility will be located within the bonded zone at Skyparks Business Estate, next to the OR Tambo International Airport.

CH-53K completes first sea trials

The CH-53K King Stallion was seen working in a modern naval environment for the first time in early January when it completed a two-week period of sea trials in the Atlantic.

Lockheed Martin Flies Mission-enabling Kubernetes Onboard U-2

The U-2 flew a Kubernetes cloud that connected in-flight to a ground node, extending the U-2’s network-of-networks connectivity.