Good day all
After a very hectic, yet very enjoyable week in Middelburg we are in for a relatively quiet weekend as far as general aviation goes, we are not aware of any events planned for this weekend.
The Saudi Airshow is currently underway at Thumamah Airport in Riyadh
The aim of Saudi Airshow is to further connect the Aviation and Aerospace industry to Saudi Arabia. This event will provide the perfect platform to connect professionals across all areas of the industry and promote successful worldwide trade.
The SAAF Museum have announced that their annual Airshow will be postponed to a later date in the year as the elections are being held a few days after the planned date. We will keep everyone informed of the new date as soon as it is released.
The Airshow Machine will be moving to Cape Town next for FASHKOSH, Stellenbosch will come alive on the 23 March something the Capetonian aviation Enthusiasts have been craving for a very long time.
Boeing 737 Max 8’s and 9’s Grounded
After days of resistance, the United States on Wednesday followed its counterparts around the world in grounding the Boeing 737 Max 8, the aircraft involved in a deadly crash in Ethiopia on Sunday and another several months ago in Indonesia.
Federal Aviation Administration officials said that airplane tracking data they viewed Wednesday and new evidence from the wreckage of the crash in Ethiopia showed similarities to the crash in Indonesia, leading the agency to ground both the 737 Max 8 and the Max 9.
President Trump announced the abrupt about-face Wednesday, after U.S. officials found themselves nearly alone in allowing the planes to remain in the air.
As recently as Wednesday morning, both Boeing and the FAA had continued to say it was safe for the planes to fly.
“Any plane currently in the air will go to its destination and thereafter be grounded until further notice,” Trump said at an afternoon news conference. “The safety of the American people, and all people, is our paramount concern.”
But there were growing questions about the slow response to the crisis and whether the nation’s top air-safety officials acted quickly enough to protect the flying public. Trump took the unusual step of consulting personally with Boeing’s chief executive earlier this week.
Aviation Needs More Women on the Flight Deck and in Aviation in general
The aviation industry faces a worldwide shortage of qualified pilots. Numerous agencies cite the need to hire thousands of new pilots over the next two decades. In fact, some air carriers are already reducing or cancelling flight schedules as a result of these pilot shortages.
Given this need to hire new pilots, the industry has recognized that it needs to tap the entire potential talent pool; employers are actively seeking pilots from historically under-represented demographics. One of these under-represented demographics is female pilots, who currently make up only about 6% of commercial pilots, according to the Airline Pilots Association. This is partly due to the historical pipeline of military pilots, where for many decades female pilots were not allowed to participate.
Misogyny is real, and it affects not only the way men think about women pilots, but also the way women think about the career opportunities available to them.
Too many young women might think, “I didn't even know, as a female, you could be a pilot. I thought that was a man's job.” If young women can’t see it, through role models in industry, or in their own minds they’re less likely to be it someday. They need to see more examples of successful women throughout the aviation industry, flying aircraft, working on airplanes as aviation maintenance technicians and leading global airline operations from the C suite.
Lightweight night-vision goggles for commercial aircraft pilots introduced by ASU
Aviation Specialties Unlimited (ASU), is introducing the E3 Lightweight Night Vision Goggle for aircraft pilots who fly helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft at night.
The night-vision goggles weigh less than 400 grams to lower total helmet weight and reduce neck strain and are made of military-grade aluminium and titanium metals.
They goggles are intuitive to focus and adjust, and offer collimation set for life. They are backward-compatible with legacy night-vision goggle mounts and battery packs, and are relatively easy to maintain, company officials say.
The night-vision goggles have shielding from electromagnetic interference, good depth perception and peripheral field of view for unaided look-under and look-around. Image tubes are available in white or green phosphor.
ASU is offering a special rate for the goggles of $11,995 for those who commit to pre-order the first 100 E3 goggles. This rate offers the Aeronox mount and battery pack for free and a one-year warranty. This limited offer is only for commercial aviation pilots, not federal or military organizations.
With flight testing complete and environmental testing in progress, ASU is working to have the E3 goggles in production by this summer. ASU will continue to sell and service existing night-vision goggles, and remains authorized to repair and service L-3 and Harris goggles.
