The government funding will go toward installing Sikorsky’s ALIAS/MATRIX (Aircrew Labor In-cockpit Automation System) in a U.S. Army experimental fly-by-wire Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter designated MX.

• READ MORE: A UH-60A Black Hawk Just Flew With No Pilot On Board

In July, U.S. military personnel and senior Department of Defense officials watched as Sikorsky and DARPA demonstrated how an “optionally piloted” Black Hawk could be “piloted” by an operator in the cabin or on the ground “by entering high level mission goals via a tablet.”

The goal of the program is to enable U.S. Army Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) to “test and evaluate a wide range of autonomy capabilities, from single-pilot operation to fully uninhabited flight,” according to Sikorsky.

• READ MORE: Sikorsky Partners with Startup Rain to Remove Pilots from Firefighting Helicopters

“Autonomy-enabled aircraft will reduce pilot workload, dramatically improve flight safety, and give battle commanders the flexibility to perform complex missions in contested and congested battlespace, day or night in all weather conditions,” said Rich Benton, Sikorsky’s vice president and general manager. “Soldiers will rely on Black Hawk helicopters into the 2070s, and modernizing the aircraft today will pay dividends for decades across Army Aviation’s current and future aircraft.”

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

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The second in command and a relief pilot took over and Flight TK204 diverted to John F. Kennedy International Airport (KJFK), where it landed safely.

Captain Ilcehin Pehlivan, 59, collapsed over the Canadian territory of Nanuvut, according to Turkish Airlines spokesman Yayah Ustun, who said, “When first aid to our captain on the plane was unsuccessful, the cockpit crew decided to make an emergency landing, but he died before landing.” The Airbus A350 landed at KJFK eight hours after departing from Seattle.

• READ MORE: Associations Urge Airbus to Reconsider Single-Pilot Cockpit Proposal

Having joined Turkish Airlines in 2007, Pehlivan’s medical exams were up to date and no health problems were reported at his last exam, according to the airline. The cause of death has not yet been determined.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has been exploring technology to enable single-pilot operation of large passenger aircraft, at least initially with an eye toward allowing crew members to rest and eliminating the need for relief pilots on long flights. EASA has cited the need for further measures when it comes to responding to an incapacitated pilot.

But perhaps in anticipation of a “slippery slope,” European and U.S. pilot groups have challenged the initiative.

The U.S. Airline Pilots Association (ALPA), the European Cockpit Association (ECA), the Oneworld Cockpit Crew Coalition (OCCC) and the Skyteam Pilots Association have joined to oppose reduced-crew operations, saying, “We are engaging in a worldwide campaign to ensure the current standards that have helped make aviation the safest form of transportation won’t be eroded.”

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

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Miyazaki Airport (RJFM), which served as a launch base for Japanese World War II “kamikaze” attacks, was damaged when what is believed to be a 500-pound bomb exploded Wednesday. No one was injured nor was there any damage to aircraft when the long-buried bomb went off under a taxiway. Eighty-seven flights were canceled.

The explosion left a crater roughly 3 feet deep, according to a Reuters report. A local television broadcast reported that surveillance video shows an aircraft taxiing near the site two minutes before the explosion. The Wall Street Journal YouTube channel posted the surveillance video from the Civil Aviation College and the Miyazaki Prefecture showing the explosion and the aircraft taxiing by minutes before.

According to the Japanese transport ministry, multiple unexploded bombs have been found on the airport property, which was heavily targeted as a Japanese naval base during the war.

Japan’s Self-Defense Forces reported that unexploded bombs continue to be found throughout the country, with 2,348 having been discovered and disposed of during 2023.

Repairs on the taxiway were scheduled to be completed Friday.

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

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Notably, under the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, the final rule amends the operating regulations for “experimental aircraft to permit certain flight training, testing, and checking in these aircraft without a letter of deviation authority.”

• READ MORE: FAA Drops Expiration Date on CFI Certificate

Also, under the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, the “same relief will be extended to certain flight training, testing, and checking in limited category, primary category, and experimental light sport aircraft.” That ruling also revises certain amendments related to logging recent flight experience, flight instructor privileges, flight training in aircraft holding special airworthiness certificates, and the “related prohibitions on conducting these activities for compensation or hire.”

The new ruling also allows pilots conducting public aircraft operations to log that time toward their civil regulatory requirements, consistent with the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018.

Effective dates for the changes are specified as 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.

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

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Though close to 34,000 Messerschmitt Me-109s were produced, only a handful are currently flying. The Military Aviation Museum’s Me-109G-4 is one of the very few flying to be powered by its original Daimler Benz DB 605 inverted V-12 engine.

Ironically, postwar Spanish-built Buchon versions of the German fighter were powered by the same Rolls-Royce Merlin that was installed on British fighters during WWII.

The Virginia museum features a stable of three dozen WWII vintage aircraft, including Me-109 stablemate Focke Wulf Fw-190 and its adversaries, the P-51 Mustang, Supermarine Spitfire, and Hawker Hurricane.

The Me-109 was restored from the remains of WkNr (Production Number) 19257 flown by Feldwebel Viktor Peterman on a mission over the Eastern Front. Russian fighters damaged his cooling system. He force-landed and walked four days to get back to his base. From the remains, Meier Motors in Eschbach, Germany, performed the restoration.

The Me-109 is just now emerging from more than a year of heavy maintenance. It made its first post-maintenance flight on September 9. Last week, Military Aviation Museum chief pilot Mike Spalding flew the Messerschmitt again and declared it ready for this weekend’s show.

WATCH: Flying the Bf-109

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

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A total of 1,811 new hires have signed on, 11 more than the target figure of 1,800. The agency said in a statement that the figure was the highest in nearly 10 years and represents “important progress” toward stemming a decades-long decline in ATC staffing numbers.

“I’m thrilled to announce that we hit this major hiring milestone and have so many talented professionals entering our training program,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said. “It’s a testament to the hard work of everyone involved and part of our ongoing work to rebuild the controller workforce.”

Requirements for the job include a commitment to work day, evening and night shifts, as well as weekends and holidays “depending on assigned schedules.” As far as geographical facility assignments, staffing needs will determine placement, which could be anywhere in the U.S., following graduation from the training program in Oklahoma City.

In addition, applicants need to be U.S. citizens, able to speak English clearly, be younger than 31 years old, have at least a year’s work experience or work/education combination, and pass a medical examination, security screening, and a pre-employment skills assessment.

“Being recruiter in chief is one of the most important roles I play at the FAA.” Whitaker said. “We will not rest on the success of this hiring push. We are already thinking about how to meet our goals next year and into the future.”

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

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SpaceX CEO Elon Musk responded on social media platform X that he plans to push back in court.

• READ MORE: SpaceX Takes Aim at FAA After Latest Starship Launch Delay

“SpaceX will be filing suit against the FAA for regulatory overreach,” Musk wrote.

Musk’s company is also under FAA scrutiny for failing to get approvals for changes to two rocket launches last year and using an unapproved rocket propellent farm prior to a July 2023 launch.

According to a Reuters report, the FAA said SpaceX did not receive approval to add a new launch control room and remove the T-2 hour readiness poll from its communications procedures related to its license to launch from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

• READ MORE: SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Grounded Amid Upcoming Human Spaceflight Mission

“Safety drives everything we do at the FAA, including a legal responsibility for the safety oversight of companies with commercial space transportation licenses,” FAA chief counsel Marc Nichols said. “Failure of a company to comply with the safety requirements will result in consequences.”

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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Deliveries of piston aircraft totaled 761 units, an increase of 7.3 percent over Q2 of 2023, according to GAMA. Bizjet deliveries were up 8.8 percent to 322 units, and the value of all airplane deliveries through the second quarter was up 24.2 percent to $11.3 billion. Among the fixed-wing segment, only turboprops lagged with a decrease in shippings of 3.4 percent to 280 units.

Piston helicopters increased 2.7 percent to 115 units, while turbine rotorcraft sagged to 313 units, a decrease of 7.7 percent from 2023. Overall value of helicopter deliveries was $1.7 billion.

“Through the first half of 2024, we continue to see robust demand for new aircraft, as indicated by the impressive backlogs and plans for facility expansion by many of our OEMs,” said GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce.

Bunce cited as constraints ongoing supply chain and workforce recapitalization issues that are “routinely compounded by unacceptable turn times in terms of responsiveness and lack of decision making by the FAA specialists on such things as issue papers, certification plans and regular correspondence.”

“Our industry is the incubator of safety enhancing and aviation sustainability technology, which in turn serves as a catalyst for economic growth and exemplary employment for millions around the globe,” added Bunce. “It is vital that our regulators continue to improve effectiveness and efficiency of certification and validation processes, appropriately apply the safety continuum across the spectrum of general aviation products and respond to applicants in a timely manner. For the continued vitality of our industry and to facilitate all the great innovations that are taking place, it is imperative that we tackle these ongoing challenges.”

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

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Northeast was founded by the late Jeffrey Mallia, a former naval aviator and builder of an EAA AirVenture award-winning Cozy Mark III canard homebuilt. His father founded the insurance firm Sykes-Mallia in 1956.

Following in the family business, Jack Mallia joined Northeast 15 years ago and will join the SHAIG management team. He brings his expertise in aviation insurance, ranging from renter’s policies to owner-flown jets, warbirds, charter operations, flight schools, FBOs, aircraft management, quota shares, and even weather balloons.

• READ MORE: Aircraft Insurance Market Has Stabilized—Somewhat

“We are deeply honored to carry forward the legacy of Jeffrey Mallia through the acquisition of Northeast Aviation & Marine,” said David Hampson, SHAIG president. “The legacy of personalized client-focused service aligns perfectly with our own values. We are also thrilled to welcome Jack Mallia to our team.”

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

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