Airbus UpNext DragonFly Demonstrator enters final three months of testing phase
Taking its inspiration from “the incredible vision and intelligent flight capabilities of the dragonfly,” the Airbus UpNext DragonFly demonstrator has now entered the final phase of testing. Inspired by the “wonderful, natural world” – in this case, the iridescent insect with characteristically large eyes – the DragonFly demonstrator is the latest Airbus design to take its cues from biologically-inspired engineering, or ‘biomimicry’....
Upcoming GASCo Safety Evenings announced
The General Aviation Safety Council – GASCo – has announced a series of five Safety Evenings to be held in the opening months of the new year. The events are part of an annual programme, staged at flying clubs and venues across the UK, which aims to address current GA safety concerns. Although the format was forced to move online via a series of ‘webinars’ during the pandemic, it’s hoped the in-person events – to which guest speakers...
Talk no longer cheap?
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has updated regulations for air-ground radio operators following an incident at a UK airfield when two aircraft collided on landing. The accident report reveals that both the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) and the CAA consider that a lack of traffic information provided by the air-ground radio operator contributed to the accident and that regulations for the provision of an Air Ground...
8.33kHz Radio Concerns
Report Text: This is not an incident report but a general observation in response to a number of reports of 8.33 radios being operated incorrectly. My club has three aircraft and as a result of EU rulemaking we now have five different radios in the fleet and two different transponders. The new radios are significantly more difficult to operate than their predecessors. Some have a system where the rotary knob changes all three...
Sometimes Two Heads are Not Better Than One
Soon after I got my PPL(A), back in the dark ages, flying friends suggested that I pair up with another recently qualified pilot. That way, they said, we could share the cost, and also benefit from each other’s experience. One could fly, while the other did the navigation and radio; then we would swap for the next flight. Half the cost, half the work, twice the fun, they told me. A well tried and tested way of gaining...
