Vanilla UAV completes record-breaking five-day flight

A Virginia-based start-up has demonstrated that a sub-500kg unmanned air vehicle (UAV) can fly more than five days without refueling with a conventional diesel motor.

Vanilla Aircraft’s VA001 landed at NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on 23 October after flying 121h and 24min — or five days — carrying a small payload, the company announced on 26 October.

The aircraft uses a deceptively simple configuration with a top-mounted, 11m (36ft)-diameter wing and a diesel engine, yet is theoretically capable of non-stop, 10-day endurance. The VA001 completed its most recent test with three days of of fuel on board.

“As exciting as this milestone is, the flight itself was quite boring. The plane did what it was designed to do and landed ready to go right back into the air again,” says Vanilla chief engineer Neil Boertlein.

The five-day excursion is the latest achievement by the relatively young UAV company. Vanilla celebrated a 21h flight by the VA001 in April 2016 and announced a record-breaking, 56h endurance flight last January. The latter was planned to be a five-day mission, but severe icing conditions forced VA001 to land early.

Vanilla Aircraft has now completed 10 test flights of the VA001, with funding support from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Office of Naval Research.

The company now plans to launch production of the aircraft in the “coming months”, targeting commercial and military buyers.

The next series of demonstration flights will focus on carrying classified and unclassified surveillance and communications payloads, according to Vanilla.

“We have begun to fully demonstrate the viability of this ultra-long endurance aircraft system and are anxious to test new payloads and realize capabilities heretofore unimagined,” says Vanilla chief executive Tim Heely.

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Take a holiday on the 'flying bum' World's largest aircraft set to become the ultimate airborne cruise ship

It has been dubbed 'the flying bum' - and could soon be taking holidaymakers for an 'air cruise' around the world's most picturesque areas.

The 20-tonne Airlander 10 is set to be tested by luxury travel firm Henry Cookson Adventures next year.

It says it hopes to take the craft wherever clients want to go, promising passengers will 'experience landscapes that vary as diversely as the North Pole, Bolivian Salt Pans and Namib Desert'.

The ability to stay aloft for days at a time, in virtual silence, with floor-to-ceiling windows and fresh air make Airlander perfect for cruising in exceptional locations, Hybrid Air Vehicles, the firm behind it says.

'I have flown Airlander a number of times now, and am really excited about the possibility of taking the first passengers on board. 

'I can imagine the awe and excitement of seeing the world in luxury, with amazing views, quietly and whilst respecting the environment,' said Dave Burns, Airlander Chief Test Pilot. 

In 2018, Henry Cookson Adventures (HCA) will become the first private excursion company to trial Airlander 10, anticipating her arrival to revolutionise ultra-high-end travel. 

The craft is set to get a luxiry interior as part of the plan, and Hybrid Air Vehicles and Design Q have been awarded a £60,000 grant for an  'Airlander Luxury Tourism Design Development Project'. 

Design Q is one of the leading independent design consultancies with automotive and aviation clients throughout the world, including BAE Systems, Bombardier and Virgin Atlantic. 

'We are excited with the prospect of working on such a unique project, not only is it the largest flying aircraft in the world but it demands an interior that truly breaks new ground and provides an experience that will be unlike anything seen before,' said Howard Guy, C.E.O and joint founder of Design Q.

'This will be something that passengers will treasure all their lives.'

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Supplier delays first G500 delivery to early 2018

A delayed supplier has forced Gulfstream to backtrack on a promise to deliver the first G500 ahead of schedule by the end of this year, says parent company General Dynamics’ chief financial officer.

But the super-large cabin business jet will enter service in the “early part of 2018”, which aligns with Gulfstream’s original development schedule outlined in 2014, says General Dynamics senior vice-president and chief financial officer Jason Aiken, speaking on a third quarter earnings call on 25 October.

Aiken declined to identify the supplier or the component involved, but said the delay was a matter of misjudging the paperwork required by the supplier to comply with European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification requirements. The G500 is the first Gulfstream aircraft that is seeking joint certification by the US Federal Aviation Administration and EASA at entry into service.

This is not any type of risk item to the programme,” Aiken says. “It's strictly a matter of getting paperwork through that certification process.”

The G500 will enter service as Gulfstream delivers the last G450 in January and begins to phase out G550 deliveries, Aiken says. The long-range G600 is on track to enter service a year later.

In mid-October, Gulfstream announced that the G500 will be introduced with greater range than expected, allowing the aircraft to fly up to 4,400nm at Mach 0.90 and 5,200nm at M0.85.

The G500 and G600 feature a cockpit with active sidesticks and Pratt & Whitney Canada PW800 turbofan engines.

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ST Aero to smooth VIP work at San Antonio

ST Aerospace expects the recent incorporation of its San Antonio VIP completions business will improve efficiency.

In early October the company announced that the San Antonio unit would be incorporated as a subsidiary, Aeria Luxury Interiors, by ST Aero's VT San Antonio Aerospace unit.

Under the new arrangement, Aeria will operate under its own Part 145 repair station certificate. In an email to FlightGlobal, ST Aero explained the reasoning for the change.

"The VIP completion division used to operate under the same repair station certificate as parent company, VT SAA, which also has businesses in MRO. Operating the two businesses under one repair station certificate was difficult and inefficient due to the different processes and procedures involved."

Aeria's certificate covers single and twin-aisle Boeing types, with Airbus types to be added next year.

ST Aero adds that 70% of the unit's work involves new jet instatllations, and 30% is maintenance, refurbishments, and upgrades.

The company also sounded a bearish note about the VIP completions space: "The demand for VIP completion has softened, while there are too many completion centres chasing a few projects."

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Plane crashes into two cars in crash-landing on street leaving five injured

Five people have been injured when a light plane smashed into two cars on the ground as it made a crash-landing in a residential street.

Video footage showed the damaged twin-engine Cessna on the ground next to an SUV in the street.

A downed power pole near the crash site showed signs of being hit by the plane, it was reported.

Emergency crews rushed to the scene as aviation investigations moved in.

The plane after it crashed in a residential street in St Petersburg, Florida

The injured total include the two people on board the plane.

Three were taken to the hospital but their injuries were not said to be life-threatening, police said.

The crash site was 18th Avenue S and 16th Street S in St Petersburg, Florida, USA, Fox13 reports.

Five people were injured in the crash - including two onboard the plane

According to Flightaware.com, the plane had flown from Opa-Locka to Tallahassee earlier today.

But there was no flight plan record listed for this afternoon, it was reported.

The cause of the crash was also unclear.

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Google Loon internet balloons help restore coverage to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico

After cellphone networks were knocked out by two hurricanes, residents can now access the web from the stratosphere. The service is powered by two helium balloons hovering 18 kilometers (11 miles) above land.

Google's parent company Alphabet Inc on Friday deployed its experimental "Project Loon" balloons, offering internet access to remote areas of Puerto Rico, which is still suffering from the effects of hurricanes Maria and Irma.

Customers of cellphone provider AT&T can now connect to basic text, email and web service with LTE-enabled phones by way of two balloons that are floating some 18,000 meters (60,000 feet) above the Caribbean islands, according to FlightRadar24.com.

Alphabet Inc said several more balloons would be deployed in the coming days to allow better communications in the areas hit the worst by the hurricanes.

Experimental technology

The solar-powered balloons rely on an algorithm for navigation, which takes into consideration wind currents to help them remain in position. The experimental service only provides an internet signal during the day.

"This is the first time we have used our new machine learning powered algorithms to keep balloons clustered over Puerto Rico, so we're still learning how best to do this," said Alastair Westgarth, head of Project Loon.

"As we get more familiar with the constantly shifting winds in this region, we hope to keep the balloons over areas where connectivity is needed for as long as possible."

The balloons can stay in the stratosphere for more than a hundred days and each Loon can provide data transmission over a 100-kilometer range, according to the project's website.

Quickly deployed

The balloons have previously been used in other disaster relief efforts, including following flooding in Peru last year, as well as in Sri Lanka, Brazil, Indonesia and New Zealand. The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) gave permission for Loon to operate in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

Two weeks after Hurricane Irma slammed into the Caribbean islands, a second super-storm, Maria, devastated the US territory on September 20, leaving the population of 3.4 million people without electricity or cellphone reception.

While a majority of residents remain without power, AT&T has set up 14 temporary mobile towers - including the balloons, allowing more than 60 percent of the population to connect their cellphones.

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TBM Convention Sees Record Number of Aircraft

For a few days last week, San Antonio International airport became home to more TBM aircraft than any other place on Earth when the TBM Owners and Pilots Association opened its 2017 convention. The TBMOPA said 117 aircraft of all the versions produced, including the TBM 700, TBM 850 and TBM 900-series, were counted, more than at any previous event. Along with the record number of aircraft, 325 people joined the fun during the convention’s three-day run that focused on airmanship and safety, with an emphasis on low-level loss of control and pilot situational awareness.

With airframe production numbers surpassing 860 units to date, Nicolas Chabbert, senior vice president of the Daher Airplane Business Unit, said a new TBM is delivered just about every week. The TBMOPA convention also coincided with Daher’s handover of the 200th aircraft in the TBM 900-series, a TBM 910 that went to Cutter Aviation, the Texas-based TBM Authorized Distributor. Daher introduced new retrofit options for earlier TBM versions as well, such as the G1000 NXi avionics update, an integrated angle-of-attack (AoA) indicator, installation of a gaseous oxygen system and the addition of landing gear doors.

Event Chairman Howard Janzen said, “The 2017 TBMOPA convention marked another step in meeting our association’s goal of promoting safety and providing opportunities to maximize both the pleasure and utility of the TBM ownership experience." Janzen said the association was grateful for Daher’s efforts in supporting safety-based enhancements to existing aircraft as well as their commitment to new production aircraft and support.

Member attendance in the academic forums offer additional value to TBM owners. “Participating underwriters recognize the value of the TBMOPA safety enhancement program and offer owners a credit for as much as 10 percent of the hull premium after a claim-free year,” Janzen said. “Insurance savings, plus the added safety awareness and operational knowledge gained at the technical seminars, are compelling reasons to attend the TBMOPA annual convention.” Next year’s event runs September 12-15, 2018 at Greenbrier Valley, West Virginia.

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FAA Expects 2017 to be Safest Year on Record

There was good news at the FAA’s General Aviation Safety Summit held this week in Washington, D.C. “We’re still finalizing the numbers, but it looks like 2017 will end up being our safest year yet,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta in a speech at the Summit. The fatal accident rate has declined below one per 100,000 flight hours.

Huerta credited safety measures implemented through the General Aviation Joint Steering Committee (GAJSC) for the decrease in accidents. The GAJSC’s Fly Safe campaign targeted millions of social media followers with information designed to help pilots avoid accidents related to loss of control. The modified Part 23 rule was finalized, making it easier for manufacturers to implement safety-enhancing technologies, such as angle-of-attack indicators, into general aviation aircraft. The committee also worked with industry experts to update pilot training directives to include risk management through the Airman Certification Standards.

Despite the success in decreasing general aviation accidents, Huerta feels there is more that can be done. “As long as general aviation accidents keep occurring, we must stay vigilant and keep finding new ways to advance our shared safety mission, he said.

The focus now turns to developing consensus standards for the new Part 23 certification rule in collaboration with industry leaders. The FAA is using data from the Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) to learn more about what areas could need help in making flying more safe. Finally, Huerta pointed to the mandated implementation of ADS-B, which he referred to as a “life-saving” technology.

The GASJC includes a long list of aviation alphabet groups, such as the NTSB, AOPA, NBAA, EAA, LAMA and more. It was formed in the mid-1990s to combat fatal accidents. This week’s General Aviation Safety Summit is the fifth of its kind.

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35 Aircraft Introduced in 19 General Aviation Enterprises

According to the data from General Aviation Resource Net of China (GARNOC), 19 general aviation enterprises in mainland China have introduced 35 new aircraft in total in September this year.

Capital Helicopter introduced 5 aircraft to be the first on the list followed by Shanghai X-Aviation, which introduced 4 aircraft. Others like Beijing Xiangyu General Aviation, Wanfeng General Aviation, AVIC Hebei General Aviation, Shanghai Deer Jet and so on introduced 2 aircraft respectively.

There are 20 types in all for these 35 newly-introduced aircraft, top three of which are Eurocopter AS350B3 with 7 aircraft, Guimbal Cabri G2 with 4 aircraft and Tefei A2C-L, Rq7-3, Alto 912 TG, Kaman K-max, Quest Kodiak 100, Beech King Air 300, Evektor SportStar with 2 aircraft respectively, provided by 17 manufacturers: including Airbus accounting for 22%, Guimbal accounting for 11%, followed by Beech and Kaman accounting for 6% respectively.

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Paragliding world champion Horacio Llorens fulfills his dream of 'flying...

These States Top the Charts for Private Aviation

More Californians, Floridians, and Texans own private aircraft than residents in the other 47 states. Data gathered by the Federal Aviation Administration and published by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) show that California, Texas, and Florida are by far the most active states for private flights. In fact, No. 3 Florida had more than twice as many hours in the air as No. 4 Oklahoma. What makes these three states so private-flight friendly?

Favorable flying weather might be one reason; an abundance of airports could be another (Texas ranks second in the country in that category, and California third). Or maybe it’s simply because they are the country’s three most populous states. “When you compare the states’ activity, do so in the context of population,” says Jens Hennig, GAMA’s vice president of operations.

California, he points out, accounts for about 12 percent of the country’s population and, with nearly 21,000 aircraft, 10 percent of the country’s private-aviation fleet. Florida makes up about 6.4 percent of the country’s population, and its residents own about 6.9 percent of the collective private fleet in the States. Those correlations make sense, especially when combined with shared friendly-sky statistics such as plentiful airstrips and sunny days.

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New Wave of Cyber Attacks Hits Russia, Other Nations

Cyber attacks using malware called "BadRabbit" hit Russia and other nations on Tuesday, affecting Russian Interfax news agency and causing flight delays at Ukraine's Odessa airport.

While no major outages were reported, the U.S. government issued a warning on the attack, which followed campaigns in May and June that used similar malware and resulted in what some economists estimated are billions of dollars in losses.

The attacks are disturbing because attackers quickly infected critical infrastructure, including transportation operators, indicating it was a "well-coordinated" campaign, said Robert Lipovsky, a researcher with cyber firm ESET.

More than half the victims were in Russia, followed by Ukraine, Bulgaria, Turkey and Japan, according to ESET.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a warning on the BadRabbit ransomware, a type of virus that locks up infected computers and asks victims to pay a ransom to restore access. It did not identify any U.S. victims but advised the public to refrain from paying ransoms and report any infections to the Federal Bureau of Investigation through the government's Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Ransomware infections have the potential to halt activity at targeted organizations. The May "WannaCry" ransomware shuttered hospitals, factories and other facilities around the globe for days.

Interfax, one of Russia's largest news agencies, said some of its services were hit by the attack but expected them to be back online by the end of Tuesday.

An Odessa airport spokesman said a few flights were delayed because workers had to process passenger data manually. Kiev's metro system reported a hack on its payment system but said trains were running normally.

Ukraine's cyber police chief told Reuters the country was "barely affected."

Russian cyber-security firm Kaspersky Lab said BadRabbit appeared to spread through a mechanism similar to June's destructive NotPetya virus, which took down many Ukrainian government agencies and businesses. It then spread across corporate networks of multinationals with operations or suppliers in eastern Europe.

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Hurricane relief takes flight at VNY

VAN NUYS, California —Van Nuys Airport (VNY), Pegasus Elite Aviation, Van Nuys Airport Association and Operation Gratitude recently concluded a relief drive for victims of hurricane-affected areas in Florida.

The collection drive, which ran from Sept. 26 to Oct. 9, 2017, received items desperately needed by the communities in hard-hit areas. More than 8,000 items were collected for Foundation 37, a non-profit group out of Port Orange, Florida, which worked to identify the needs of the community.

Donations covered a wide variety of essential items, water, and more than 1,000 articles of clothing.

On Oct. 24, the donations were loaded onto an aircraft donated by Pegasus Elite Aviation and flown to Daytona Beach International Airport, where Foundation 37 coordinated transport to communities surrounding Port Orange and areas within the Florida Keys.

“Private aviation is the fastest way to deliver much needed supplies across country for impacted areas,” said Curt Castagna, president of the Van Nuys Airport Association. “The aircraft is traveling over 2,000 miles in less than four hours, so Foundation 37 will have these items in their hands by morning.”

“When tragedy strikes, we know that our airport community will step up and help out, and that is just what they did for this recent donation drive to help those impacted by the Florida hurricanes,” said Diana Sanchez, Van Nuys Airport Public & Community Relations Director. “Van Nuys Airport, Pegasus Elite Aviation, Van Nuys Airport Association, and Operation Gratitude have each given back in their own unique way, drawing from their resources and engaging their people to make this drive a success. We are so thankful to all who donated to help those in need.”

One of the world’s busiest general aviation airports, VNY had over 220,000 operations in 2016. More than 100 businesses are located on the 730-acre airport, including four FBOs and numerous aviation service companies.

Annually, the airport contributes approximately $2 billion to the Southern California economy and supports more than 10,000 jobs.

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First A320neo Assembled in Tianjin Delivered to Air Asia

AirAsia has taken delivery of the first A320neo assembled at the Airbus Final Assembly Line Asia (FALA) at a dedicated ceremony in Tianjin, China. The aircraft, powered by CFM LEAP-1A engines, seats comfortably 186 passengers and is equipped with the innovative Space-Flex cabin.

AirAsia is the largest airline customer of the A320 Family with orders for 578 aircraft. These include 404 A320neo Family aircraft.

Aireen Omar, AirAsia Berhad Chief Executive Officer said: "We are very proud to receive the first Airbus A320neo fully assembled in Tianjin, China and we would like to congratulate Airbus for achieving yet another milestone. This is also a milestone for us at AirAsia; we connect 19 cities with 59 routes into Greater China and have flown over 40 million passengers in and out of China since April 2005, making us China's largest foreign airline by capacity. We are certainly proud to have this historic aircraft as part of our fleet."

"We received our first A320neo last year and this is our thirteenth Airbus A320neo that we are receiving for the group, which is also the 184th aircraft delivered to AirAsia by Airbus. As we expand our network and grow our fleet, it is important for us to stay at the forefront of our business. AirAsia operates one of the world's youngest and most modern fleets with the Airbus A320 family. We are very pleased with the A320neo, which provides up to 15 percent fuel savings and an additional range of 500 nautical miles, which translates to a lower fares for our guests." she added.

"I am very pleased to hand over the first A320neo to be assembled in Tianjin to AirAsia. AirAsia will continue to benefit from the unique commonality between all variants of the Airbus Family and enjoy efficiencies throughout its existing fleet." said Eric Chen, President of Airbus Commercial Aircraft China. "The delivery of the NEO is a milestone for our Asia Final Assembly Line, which will help to meet the robust demand of our customers in China and the Asia-Pacific region."

The FALA in Tianjin, inaugurated in 2008 became the third single-aisle aircraft final assembly line location of Airbus worldwide, following Toulouse and Hamburg. It was also the first Airbus Final Assembly Line outside Europe. Today, some 340 aircraft have been assembled and delivered from Tianjin, China.

The A320neo Family incorporates the very latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklets, which together deliver at least 15 percent fuel savings at delivery and 20 percent by 2020. With more than 5,200 orders received from 95 customers since its launch in 2010, the A320neo Family has captured some 60 percent share of the market.

About Airbus

Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2016 it generated revenues of EUR 67 billion and employed a workforce of around 134,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats and business aviation products. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as one of the world's leading space companies. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.

About AirAsia

AirAsia, the world's leading low-cost carrier, services an extensive network of over 120 destinations across Asia Pacific. Since starting operations in 2001, AirAsia has carried more than 400 million guests and grown its fleet from just two aircraft to over 200. The airline is proud to be a truly Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) airline with established operations based in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines as well as India and Japan, servicing a network stretching across Asia, Australia and New Zealand, the Middle East and the U.S.. AirAsia has been named the World's Best Low-Cost Airline at the annual Skytrax World Airline Awards nine times in a row from 2009 to 2017. AirAsia was also awarded World's Leading Low-Cost Airline for the fourth consecutive year at the 2016 World Travel Awards, where it beat a field of full-service carriers to become the first ever low-cost carrier to win World's Leading Inflight Service.

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XTI’s TriFan 600 Finds More Buyers

Building on the success of its appearance at the 2017 Paris Air Show, XTI Aircraft brought its revolutionary TriFan 600 prototype to Las Vegas for this year’s NBAA-BACE. According to the company, hundreds of visitors made their way to the XTI booth at the exhibition, resulting in new pre-orders for “the world’s first vertical takeoff airplane.”

“We’re pleased with the strong interest that we received at NBAA’s 2017 Business Aviation Convention,” XTI CEO Robert LaBelle said. “These are serious buyers who reserved a priority number for the eventual commercial production of the TriFan 600. We’re focused on that goal.”

XTI announced the first three Aircraft Reservation Deposit Agreements for the TriFan 600 at the Paris Air Show in June, as LaBelle added that the company expected those orders “to be followed by many more over the next few months and years.” While the number of pre-orders taken at NBAA-BACE is unknown, the company also announced that attorney Rajiv Luthra became the first TriFan investor from India.

“With these new orders at NBAA, it’s clear that the market continues to recognize the value proposition of our unique and revolutionary airplane and its patented technology,” LaBelle said. “Vertical takeoff combined with long-range, the speed and comfort of a business aircraft, and our quieter and cleaner state-of-the-art hybrid-electric propulsion system.”

Powered by three ducted fans and a “quieter and cleaner state-of-the-art hybrid-electric propulsion system,” the TriFan 600 would travel at a max cruise speed of 345 mph and a max cruise altitude of 29,000 feet. Five passengers (plus a pilot) would be able to enjoy “business class comfort” and luxury at a range of 1,200 nm.

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uAvionix Begins Shipping Wingtip ADS-B Solution

The ticking clock toward the FAA’s ADS-B Out compliance date hasn’t slowed one iota. Come January 1, 2020, aircraft that today require a Mode C transponder, but do not by that date have ADS-B Out installed are no longer legal to fly in that same airspace. The avionics industry is of course bracing for a flurry of activity from operators who waited until the last minute to make the update.

Just in time, uAvionix has released the first of its skyBeacon wing-tip ADS-B Out solutions to help pilots meet the compliance date. At $1,499, the unit is not just affordable, it’s also simple to install. Think a screwdriver, a pair of wire cutters and perhaps a few bits of electrical tape simple … and oh yes, maybe 10 minutes of installation time. The secret to the skyBeacon’s ease of installation is that it’s a direct replacement for the teardrop shaped red position light already attached to thousands of U.S. aircraft. The skyBeacon system only works here in the states.

The uAvionix skyBeacon’s wingtip unit is available now for experimental aircraft. The company says certified aircraft can expect the product by spring of next year through an STC uAvionix is finalizing with the FAA. The skyBeacon makes the aircraft not only UAT ADS-B Out compliant, but includes an integrated WAAS GPS, a wireless connection to any Mode C transponder, support for autonomous mode and of course, an LED nav-light replacement. A version of skyBeacon with an integrated strobe light is also planned.

SkyBeacon’s mobile application for a smartphone simplifies setting the unit up once it’s installed by automatically configuring the ICAO address, emitter type, aircraft length, width and GPS offsets, as well as accessing the aircraft registration information stored online.

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U.S. Exploration Company in Talks to Resume Search for MH370

The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 was called off in January this year, after the governments of China, Australia and Malaysia had spent as much as $200 million on efforts to solve the incredible mystery, coming up with very few answers as to what happened to the Boeing 777-200ER that vanished on March 8, 2014. Since then, some new evidence has been identified through satellite imagery analysis, but the families of the 227 passengers and 12 crew members are still left with questions.

Now, Houston-based Ocean Infinity hopes to answer them once and for all.

Last week, Malaysia’s Department of Civil Aviation announced that it has received and considered proposals from “interested parties” that would like to continue the search for MH370, and Ocean Infinity’s “No Cure No Fee” offer — meaning the company will only collect payment upon discovery of the missing aircraft — has been approved by officials for negotiation. That does not mean, as media outlets previously reported, that the deal is done, which officials were quick to point out.

“The Malaysian Government has yet to ink an agreement with Ocean Infinity for the search of MH370 as widely reported in the media recently,” the DCA clarified in a statement. “Once the negotiation is completed and the terms and conditions have been agreed on with Ocean Infinity, the Malaysian Government will seek agreement from the Governments of Australia and China to proceed with the search of MH370 in the spirit of tripartite cooperation.”

According to a report, Aziz Kaprawi, Malaysia’s deputy transport minister, said Australia already “informally agreed” to the selection of Ocean Infinity’s deal, while “It is still under discussion with China.”

In August, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization provided optimism for resolution with satellite imagery revealing “at least 70 identifiable objects,” 12 of which are “probably man made,” in an area reportedly defined as having a “high probability” as being the location of MH370. That area (as large as 25,000 sq. km) is presumably where Ocean Infinity will pick up.

The company boasts “The world’s most advanced fleet of autonomous vehicles,” or specifically six HUGIN autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) that “are capable of operating in 6,000 m water depth collecting high resolution data at record breaking speeds.” The AUV have the capability to explore deeper areas of the ocean, which could provide a long-awaited breakthrough.

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Exciting Finish in Red Bull Air Race World Championship

After the last Red Bull Air Race competition for the year ended in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the last one of the Air Gates was deflated, Yoshihide “Yoshi” Muroya stood at the top of the podium as the Masters Class World Champion. Muroya had dropped back in the ranks in the middle of the season with several tough races. But after winning the last two competitions of the season, the Japanese air racer totaled up 74 points, only four points more than second place contestant Martin Sonka from the Czech Republic.

“The race in Indy was very tough,” said Muroya. “With the wind conditions it was so close, anybody could’ve won the World Championship, but we came out on top.” Muroya had a perfect last run, finishing in 1:03:026, beating the Indianapolis track record by more than a second.

American racer Kirby Chambliss had a chance to take home the trophy with two wins in the middle of the race season — Budapest and Kazan. But weak results in the last two competitions put Chambliss barely off the podium, finishing in fourth place with 53 points, three points behind Canadian pilot Pete McLeod. Chambliss had the misfortune of being matched with Muroya in the Round of 8 in Indianapolis, a loss that gave him only one point. Had he been able to get through to the next round, he would have taken home the bronze medal.

Low ceilings and rain ended up canceling the final race in the Challenger Class, which was won by German pilot Florian Bergér, closely followed by Daniel Ryfa from Sweden and Luke Czepiela from Poland. The first female pilot to race in the Red Bull AirRace, Mélanie Astles from France, stood at the top of the podium in the final race, the results of which were based on the times in the qualifying races. Astles finished fifth overall.

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Textron Aviation records Q3 revenue slide

Sluggish demand across the business aircraft sector contributed to a $44 million fall in revenues for Textron Aviation to $1.15 billion for the three months ended 30 September.

Third-quarter financial results, issued by parent company Textron on 19 October, show that the Wichita-headquartered airframer delivered 24 King Air turboprops, down from 29 during the same period last year; Cessna Citation business jet shipments remained flat over the same period at 41 units.

Speaking during an earnings call, Textron chief executive Scott Donnelly described the output as “a little bit light”. While turboprops were the worst performers over the period, he suggests the deliveries were “considerably stronger than they were in the first couple of quarters”, thanks to growing international demand.

“While it’s not what we delivered a year ago, [there was] a lot more sales and order activity than we’ve seen for a while. So that bodes well,” says Donnelly.

He insists the company will stick to its firm line on pricing, to maintain the profitability of Citation, King Air and Caravan lines – even if this results in lower production output. “It’s a tough line to hold in this market,” he admits.

The order backlog climbed by $142 million in the quarter to $1.2 billion, while the book-to-bill ratio – or the number of orders against deliveries – stood at 1.1:1.

For the nine months ended 30 September, King Air and Citation output totalled 54 and 81 units respectively. This compares with 78 King Airs and 120 Citations delivered during the same period in 2016.

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