Kevin Neal

01/01/2025

12/31/2024

The world's biggest airport set to open in 2030 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. King Salman International Airport will have six massive runways spanning over 57 square kilometers. The airport will include an impressive 12 square kilometers dedicated to retail outlets, allowing travelers to shop while waiting for their flights. KSIA will integrate the existing terminals of King Khalid International Airport, which has been in operation since 1983. The new airport is projected to handle 120 million passengers annually, with expectations to increase capacity to 185 million by 2050. This ambitious project aligns with Saudi Arabia’s vision to boost tourism and transform Riyadh into one of the top ten city economies globally. The goal is to support the growth of Riyadh’s population to 15–20 million people by 2030. With Saudi Arabia set to host the World Expo 2030 and as a frontrunner to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, the country is also banking on a new metro megaproject to help transform its economy and improve its reputation.

12/30/2024

Electric Monday and Anduril Industries and Archer have formed a partnership to jointly develop a hybrid propulsion vertical-take-off-and landing (VTOL) aircraft for critical defense applications targeting a potential program of record from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). With Archer’s advanced VTOL aircraft using existing commercial parts and supply chains and Anduril's expertise in artificial intelligence and systems integration, the partnership hopes to speed to market critical hybrid VTOL capabilities. Archer’s efforts on this project will be part of its new Archer Defense program. To support this initiative Archer raised $430 million in additional equity capital, with participation from Stellantis, United Airlines. Archer will build the aircraft at its Georgia plant, where it’s currently working with Stellantis to start building its Midnight aircraft at scale.

12/29/2024

Celebrating an amazing helicopter pilot. Jennifer Murray made history in 2000 by flying solo around the globe in a Robinson R44 helicopter in just 99 days. Murray, who achieved her 99-day solo Guinness World Record at the age of 60, has a history of record-breaking flights. She learned to at fly at age 54 when her husband bought a half share in a helicopter. A few years later in 1997, she and co-pilot Quentin Smith became the first to fly around the world in a helicopter. Their 97-day journey spanned 28 countries, including Italy, India, Russia, and the USA. After her solo achievement, Murray, with co-pilot Colin Bodill, became the first woman to fly a helicopter to the South Pole. They also hold the record for the fastest circumnavigation via both Poles, at 170 days in 2007. Murray was born in June 1940 in Providence Rhode Island. She is the author of three books - Now Solo, Broken Journey and Polar First. She now combines life as a grandmother and former ultra-marathon runner by still flying today at age 84.

12/28/2024

The Dommsday plane moves. Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) has transferred the “Doomsday” plane meant to protect key national leaders in the event of war or an emergency. SNC recently said it transferred a Boeing 747-8i aircraft from SNC’s Aviation Innovation and Technology Center in Dayton to Wichita State University’s National Institute of Aviation Research in Wichita, Kansas. “Delivery of the aircraft signifies the next phase of SAOC (’Survivable Airborne Operations Center’) engineering and manufacturing development since the contract award in April 2024,” the company said. Under a contract from the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (which is headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base), SNC will modernize planes to replace the Air Force’s aging fleet of E-4B “Nightwatch” aircraft, which first entered service in the mid-1970s. It was that $13 billion contract that made possible two new SNC maintenance and repair operations hangars near Dayton International Airport. This highly modified aircraft are meant to serve as airborne command centers for the president, secretary of defense and chairs of the joint chiefs of staff to ensure continued command, control and communication during national emergencies.

12/27/2024

Another milestone for Gulfstream. The company recently announced its 300th customer delivery of the Gulfstream G500 and Gulfstream G600. These aircraft were purposefully designed to increase manufacturing efficiencies by establishing commonalities throughout Gulfstream’s next-generation fleet, advances which led to incorporating the same award-winning flight deck on the Gulfstream G700, Gulfstream G800 and Gulfstream G400. This announcement follows other recent accomplishments for the G500 and G600 fleet. In June, the G500 and G600 each surpassed 100,000 flight hours, a reflection of strong customer demand. Also, within the past year, both aircraft received FAA certification for steep-approach operations, opening access to even more airports, including some of the world’s most challenging. The G500 can fly 5,300 nautical miles at Mach 0.85 or 4,500 nm at Mach 0.90 and the G600 can fly 6,600 nm at Mach 0.85 or 5,600 nm at Mach 0.90. Both aircraft feature a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.925.

12/26/2024

The most advanced and proven attack helicopter is the Boeing AH-64 Apache. There are now several variants, but the most recent one is the AH-64E Guardian variant. The Guardian features advanced avionics, improved engines, and enhanced weapon systems including the Longbow radar and the capability to fire precision-guided munitions. It is a twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. Nose-mounted sensors help acquire targets and provide night vision. It carries a 30 mm (1.18 in) M230 chain gun under its forward fuselage and four hardpoints on stub-wing pylons for armament and stores, typically AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and Hydra 70 rocket pods. Redundant systems help it survive combat damage. With more than 1,280 aircraft in operation accumulating over five million flight hours, 1.3 million of which have been in combat, the AH-64 Apache represents the backbone of the U.S. Army’s attack helicopter fleet and a growing number of international defense forces.
Boeing delivered the first U.S. Army Apache AH-64A in January 1984. Since then, Boeing’s global customers for the Apache include Egypt, Greece, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. With the AH-64E in production until at least 2028, the Apache will serve the U.S. Army and its partner nations as the world’s primary attack helicopter into the 2060s.

12/25/2024

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

12/24/2024

FAA approves Embry-Riddle program. The FAA has added Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) as part of its Enhanced Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI). Through this initiative, graduates of the program may be placed in an accelerated employment path at FAA facilities for air traffic controller training. "The safety of the National Airspace System and the traveling public is always our number one priority. Working with schools like Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will continue that mission," said Tim Arel, chief operating officer of the FAA's Air Traffic Organization. Embry-Riddle is a private university focused on aviation and aerospace programs. Its main campuses are located in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Prescott, Arizona. It is the largest accredited university system specializing in aviation and aerospace. It has numerous online programs and academic programs offered at satellite locations.

12/23/2024

Electric Monday and will the largest electric aircraft fly in 2025? When Swedish manufacturer Heart Aerospace’s Heart X1 demonstrator lifts off on its maiden voyage from Plattsburgh International Airport in New York in early 2025, it will become the largest fully electric aircraft to ever fly. The demonstrator is a precursor to Heart’s ES-30—a 30-seat, hybrid-electric regional airliner set to hit the market before the end of the decade. According to the company, Plattsburgh International’s location in upstate New York’s Champlain Valley offers plenty of airfield infrastructure and airspace, as well as “strong community support for transportation technology initiatives.” Heart said its X1 demonstrator is undergoing extensive testing ahead of the experimental test flight. The goal of the campaign is to validate the core electric propulsion system that will also be present on the ES-30. The company estimates its flagship production model will have a range of 124 sm (108 nm) at full capacity when flying solely on electric power, doubling when hybrid propulsion kicks in. With a smaller load of 25 passengers, the range stretches to about 497 sm (432 nm). The model is designed for short-haul regional routes and will incorporate Honeywell’s fly-by-wire flight control system, with four electric motors powered by batteries. Heart is backed by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures group, which also includes billionaire business moguls Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Branson, and Mark Benioff, among others. The company last year said it had received 250 firm ES-30 orders with options and purchase rights awarded for 120 more, including large orders from United Airlines, Mesa Airlines, and Air Canada.

12/22/2024

The iconic Westwind business jet. The Westwind was initially produced by Aero Commander and first flew on January 27, 1963, and receiving its type certification on November 4, 1964. The Westwind appearance is unique with a long, slim fuselage and short wings set far back. Israel Aircraft Industries bought the 1121 Jet Commander design in 1968 calling it the Westwind. The ten-passenger Westwind I was produced in 1972 with a stretched fuselage. In 1980, IAI announced a second go-around, the Westwind II, with redesigned wings and the addition of winglets. The Westwind II used advanced technology of the time, while maintaining the price/performance ratio of its predecessor. The Westwind II could carry up to 10 passengers. A total of 442 Westwind were produced until production stopped in 1987 but many are still flying.

12/21/2024

Pilotless helicopters are coming. Rotor Technologies was formed in 2021 to develop unmanned helicopters. Rotor has since built two autonomous Sprayhawks and aims to have as many as 20 ready for market next year. The company also is developing helicopters that would carry cargo in disaster zones and to offshore oil rigs. The helicopter could also be used to fight wildfires. Rotor's nearly $1 million Sprayhawk helicopter is a Robinson R44, but the four seats have been replaced with flight computers and communications systems allowing it be operated remotely. It has five cameras as well as laser-sensing technology and a radar altimeter that make terrain reading more accurate along with GPS and motion sensors. . For now, Rotor is focused on the agriculture sector, which has embraced automation with drones but sees unmanned helicopters as a better way to spray larger areas with pesticides and fertilizers. Because crop dusters fly at around 150 mph and only about 10 feet off the ground, there are dozens of accidents each year when planes collide with power lines, cell towers and other planes. Older, poorly maintained planes and pilot fatigue contribute to accidents.