Here at UP.Summit 2024—a private gathering of some 300 movers and shakers in the transportation industry—manufacturer Pivotal on Tuesday said it has delivered 13 of its BlackFly prototype aircraft to customers nationwide. Those users, which include both private owners and the U.S. Air Force, are some of the first in the world to pilot an eVTOL design.

Pivotal considers its first customer, Tim Lum, who received his BlackFly in 2023, to be the first private eVTOL pilot in the world, and the firm has made a point of getting its aircraft in the hands of users early. Through its early access program (EAP), it selected 12 U.S. participants willing to put in the hours required to train to fly it and provide feedback.

Both BlackFly and Helix—its successor and Pivotal’s first production aircraft, unveiled at last year’s UP.Summit—qualify as FAA Part 103 ultralight aircraft because they seat a single pilot and weigh less than 350 pounds when empty. That means no pilot certificate is required to fly it. In lieu of hundreds of flight hours, Pivotal says it can train customers on a simulator at its Palo Alto, California, headquarters in as little as two weeks. That training is included in a $190,000 purchase of Helix, which hit the U.S. market in January.

BlackFly may be a prototype of Helix, but it packs plenty of functionality. The model is a fixed-wing eVTOL design with a twist—while many eVTOLs feature tilting rotors, propellers, or even wings, BlackFly’s entire airframe tilts when transitioning from vertical or hover to forward flight. According to Pivotal, this reduces aircraft weight and complexity.

For hover, BlackFly relies entirely on propulsion from eight motors, four on each wing, but it cruises on fixed wings. The model is controlled by a single pilot using a pair of simple joysticks plus fly-by-wire controls, and all it takes is the push of a button and pull of a joystick to switch flight modes. With no landing gear, it can take off from pavement, dirt, or grass.

The idea of nonpilots taking to the skies freely may sound scary, but as an ultralight category aircraft BlackFly comes with some restrictions. Users can fly it only during daytime within Class G airspace, far from congested skies, and are limited to a range of about 20 sm (17 nm) and cruise speed of 63 mph (55 knots). Safety features include a full-aircraft parachute.

BlackFly’s unique capabilities have garnered attention from the U.S. Air Force, which is evaluating it for missions from surveillance to logistics to emergency response. Pivotal is a partner of Agility Prime, a division of Air Force innovation arm AFWERX dedicated to developing vertical lift technology.

The company’s agreement with AFWERX and Modern Technology Solutions Inc. (MTSI), for example, calls for the delivery of eight BlackFlys and two flight simulators, as well as pilot training and support services. In mid-June, Air Force personnel kicked off an eight-week uncrewed testing campaign to gauge the aircraft’s fit for military use. AFWERX and MTSI also evaluated Beta Technologies’ Alia, Pyka’s Pelican Cargo, and Pipistrel’s Velis Electro as part of the effort.

In May, Pivotal signed a two-year contract with the Air Force and Agility Prime, giving it further access to test facilities, expert resources, and sites under restricted airspace. Officials said they are intrigued by BlackFly’s ability to take off and land with minimal space, juice up using mobile electric power systems, and deploy within 30 minutes, all while being cheaper than a helicopter.

Only eight of Pivotal’s 13 BlackFly deliveries, though, have gone to the Air Force—the rest were shipped to private pilots, who according to the company are already flying. The number of personal eVTOL users could grow with the introduction of Helix, which maintains the same core features of its predecessor but introduces upgrades such as improved power, performance, and payload.

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The National Hurricane Center warned that Helene would likely bring heavy rainfall and “devastating hurricane-force winds” inland to north Florida and Georgia on Friday.

A spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine Tyndall’s 95th Fighter Squadron relocated its F-35s to Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada ahead of the storm warnings, noting that they will remain safe there until conditions improve at Tyndall. Meanwhile, officials at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia also evacuated its HH-60 combat rescue helicopters and A-10 Thunderbolt II attack jets to ensure their safety.

According to reports, Tyndall is still undergoing reconstruction due to damage from Hurricane Michael in 2018, which tore apart hangars and damaged several F-22 Raptors, causing some $5 billion in damage. Fortunately, Tyndall officials do not anticipate major disruptions from Helene.

Tyndall remains closed to non-mission-essential staff.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

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Graduates of T-38 training usually go on to fighters or bombers, but the acute shortage means that there aren’t enough pilots available for the other duty tracks.

According to a memo, the Air Force reported that the service is short by 1,848 pilots, with “1,142 of those being fighter pilots.”

Still, the memo identified a “significant but necessary policy change” opening up other career paths for T-38 graduates.

“While we would prefer to send every qualified T-38 graduate to a fighter [formal training unit], circumstances dictate that we utilize available capacity to maximize pilot production,” the memo said. “In the near term, in addition to traditional fighter/bomber assignments, T-38 graduates will be matched to additional T-6 First Assignment Instructor Pilot assignments and opted for non-fighter/bomber aircraft.”

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

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According to base officials, the storm produced wind gusts in excess of 50 mph. It came through early in the morning before the crowds had arrived, bringing with it lightning and rain.

The airshow held the day before had attracted more than 65,000 visitors, according to an U.S. Air Force spokesperson.

Of those injured, six were military medical personnel and four were civilian vendors. All were outside on the flight line when the damaging winds occurred. 

“Due to the timing of the inclement weather, spectators had not entered the event area,” the spokesperson said.

Additionally, some vendors reported damage to booths and the wind relocated many portable toilets. One building on base was struck by lightning, but there was no reported damage to the structure.

Because of damages to services, Sunday’s airshow was canceled.

Video of the show area during the storm showed flattened tents and chairs, and aircraft blowing across a water-logged ramp. There were no reports of significant damage to the larger aircraft on display. 

Airmen made several foreign object debris (FOD) walks looking for trash and parts of aircraft deposited on the ramp by the storm.

“Safety is always our first priority at McConnell, especially when it comes to hosting the community for an airshow,” the spokesman told FLYING.

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The stealth strike bomber was unveiled in December 2022 and officially moved into low-rate production earlier this year. In January, Northrop Grumman said six B-21 bombers are in various stages of final assembly and testing at its facility in Palmdale, California.

On Wednesday, the Air Force released a new image of the aircraft it calls the “backbone of the  U.S. Air Force bomber fleet.”

Northrop Grumman on Thursday released an additional image of the bomber in flight, saying the test campaign at Edwards AFB was led by a Combined Test Force (CTF) composed of personnel representing the Air Force and the manufacturer.

“CTF test pilots indicate the jet is performing as expected with the aircraft flying like the simulator, reflecting the precision of the digital environment on B-21,” Northrop Grumman said in a statement.

• READ MORE: Pentagon Greenlights B-21 Production

Andrew Hunter, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics, addressed the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this month on the B-21’s progress.

“We are in the flight test program, [and] the flight test program is proceeding well,” said Hunter. “It is doing what flight test programs are designed to do, which is helping us learn about the unique characteristics of this platform, but in a very effective way.” 

Designed to carry out long-range conventional and nuclear missions, the B-21 is set to eventually replace aging B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit fleets. The B-21 is scheduled to hit full operational status in the mid-2020s.

• READ MORE: B-21 Raider Takes First Flight

The Air Force has said it intends to purchase at least 100 of the aircraft. Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, has been designated as the first main operating facility for the B-21 and its formal training unit. 

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Since 2020, the U.S. Air Force has had a program called Agility Prime to look at electric aviation’s potential uses, but now legislators want the effort to be ramped up. As part of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, the bill would “set up a working group made up of top-ranking defense officials” to kick-start Agility Prime, and it’s throwing some major brass at it.

The new committee, if approved, would be run by the Secretary of the Air Force and would include the Army and Navy secretaries and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Air Force Secretary would have to submit a first report by September 2025 and annually until 2027.

The Air Force already has contracts with several companies developing eVTOLs, including Beta Technologies, which delivered a test article of its Alia aircraft to Florida’s Eglin Air Force Base, where it did its first test flight in November.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

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The incident occurred Monday at the 82nd Training Wing at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas, but the pilot was attached to the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program that instructs new military pilots from Canada and various European countries.

The pilot was taken to a hospital but died about 12 hours after the incident, which the Air Force is currently investigating.

There have been issues with the ejection seats in Texan IIs, which have been in service for 17 years and are based on the Pilatus PC-9 built under license by Beechcraft. The airplanes were grounded in 2022 after a potential defect was discovered in the Martin-Baker seats’ explosive cartridge, and some were replaced.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

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It fulfilled primary trainer duties for more than 20 years and was modified to serve as a light ground attack aircraft in the form of the A-37 Dragonfly. However, as the 1980s approached, so did the end of the T-37’s projected life cycle, and military leaders determined a more modern replacement was needed.

Among the items on the Air Force’s wish list were cabin pressurization, increased range, lower fuel consumption, increased power, and updated avionics. In 1981, a request for proposal (RFP) was issued for a replacement. Several companies responded, but ultimately, Fairchild was chosen, and its proposed aircraft was given the designation T-46.

• READ MORE: The Bold, Bulbous Douglas Cloudster II

Compared to the T-37, the T-46 was nearly identical in external dimensions with similar empty and maximum weights. The most significant visual differences were the T-46’s high wing and the “H” tail, with twin vertical stabilizers mounted to the ends of the horizontal stabilizer that strongly resembled those of the company’s previous jet, the A-10 Thunderbolt II.

The selection of twin vertical stabilizers for the T-46 is an interesting one. Historically, this tail configuration was intended to provide a clear area for jet exhaust, add redundancy to aircraft anticipated to sustain battle damage, or increase yaw authority by placing the rudders within the prop wash of wing-mounted engines. None of these concerns applied to the T-46, and one wonders whether Fairchild simply aimed to save money by repurposing its former engineering efforts in the A-10 program for its new aircraft.

Before any conforming examples took flight, Fairchild contracted with a third party to fabricate a smaller, 62 percent scale proof of concept. The concept, called the Model 73 NGT, was then flown by Burt Rutan’s company in Mojave, California, for the initial test flights. The NGT served its purpose and is on display at the Cradle of Aviation Museum on Long Island, New York.

• READ MORE: Cessna 407: Full Steam Ahead, Right Up Until the End

When the initial, full-scale T-46 prototypes took flight, a number of problems arose. As outlined in a U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) report, the aircraft’s drag was too high, it did not provide adequate stall warning, the primary flight controls had trim problems that affected stability, and the speedbrakes created unacceptable buffet levels. Additionally, the T-46’s weight ballooned to a figure of 900 pounds higher than projected. 

While the Air Force observed that many of these problems were common among new types and could likely be remedied, Fairchild was also found to be struggling with cost, schedule, and contract difficulties. At least one source suggested that the rising development costs of the Saab-Fairchild SF340 commuter turboprop were eating into Fairchild’s budget for other projects and stretching its resources thin. 

In March 1987, with three prototypes flying and 10 additional examples in various stages of assembly and some 17 months after the first flight, the T-46 program was canceled. Most attribute the decision to a combination of the aforementioned internal struggles at Fairchild as well as a strong motivation for the U.S. Congress to cut costs across the board. 

• READ MORE: The One, Brief Life of the Twin Cat

For an aircraft type that generally showed promise, it was unfortunate. The T-46 stood to follow in the T-37’s footsteps, with potential armed export versions on the horizon that could have kept Fairchild in business for many years. In theory, the company could have even modified the cabin to accommodate passengers, as Cessna did with its full-scale mock-up of the model 407.

Today, all three T-46 prototypes survive. One is in storage at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Arizona, one is on display at the Air Force Flight Test Museum at Edwards Air Force Base in California, and one is undergoing restoration at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

The post The Unfulfilled Promise of the Fairchild T-46 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The single-seat F-16 assigned to the 49th Wing based at Holloman AFB went down around 11:50 a.m. MDT, according to the Air Force.

The crash occurred near White Sands National Park about 7 miles from the base, near the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range.

According to a report in Air Force Times, Holloman is a training hub for F-16 pilots, graduating an average of 180 candidates per year. Tuesday’s crash marks the fourth involving Air Force F-16s within the past 12 months, with the other three occurring in South Korea.

The news source cited an average of three F-16 losses per year over the past 10 years. The service operates 841 Fighting Falcons, with plans to reduce that to 830 during fiscal year 2025, according to the report.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

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According to the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA), the event will feature performances of both U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, along with the U.S. Air Force F-16 Viper Demo Team. A list of other planned performances may be found here. 

• READ MORE: Taking in the Reno Air Races’ Final Lap

The event, which is sponsored by the RARA, will begin with an airshow Friday night (October 4), and there will be many static displays of both civilian and military aircraft, and a STEM discovery zone.

“This year’s airshow celebrates our aviation heritage and the boundless potential for the future ahead,” said Fred Telling, RARA CEO and chairman. “We are honored to have made Reno the home of air racing over the last six decades. While we look forward to our organization’s future in air racing. This year, we welcome fans to enjoy an airshow that draws from experiences at the National Championship Air Races to create a one-of-a-kind event.”

• READ MORE: Early Analysis of Fatal Reno Accident Offers Lessons

This year marks the first time in the annual Reno aviation event’s history that air racing will not be featured. In September, the last Reno Air Race took place at KRTS, as community leaders had determined that encroachment by homes and other non-race entities were creating too much of a risk. The last races of that event were canceled after two pilots died in a midair collision.

RARA is reviewing proposals from six cities interested in hosting the National Championship Air Races next year. The organization expects to announce the new location later this spring.

• READ MORE: Three Locations Vie for National Championship Air Races

“We are so thankful for our fans and community that have supported us over the decades,” said Tony Logoteta, RARA chief operating officer. “And we are excited to produce our 60th aviation event in Reno. We will miss racing this year but have been blessed with an incredible performer lineup and are hard at work to ensure the Reno Air Show provides a unique and exhilarating experience that also celebrates our history.”

More information about the 2024 event and ticket sales may be found here.

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