Wally Funk, at the age of 82, is set to take a ride on the Blue Origin rocket ship bound for space on July 20th. Funk, who was among the Mercury 13 aviators who passed the same screening as NASA candidates but never got the opportunity to venture into space, is a highly experienced pilot with a resume that rivals that of anyone in aviation. Congratulations, Wally Funk!
Aviation personality Brad “Launchpad” Marzari passed away in the crash of a 1960 Focke-Wulf FWP-149D single-engine plane near Killeen, Texas. Reports indicated that Marzari reported engine trouble before crashing short of his destination, Killeen’s Skylark Airport.
The FAA’s Federal Air Surgeon Dr. Susan Northrup, in a safety letter, cautioned pilots who had contracted COVID-19 to disclose any lasting effects of the disease to their Aviation Medical Examiners. Northrup stated that any cases that required hospitalization would require documentation.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will utilize virtual reality, among other tools, to help reduce training costs and the time invested for its students. The university said the plan would significantly accelerate the progress of its first-year students towards obtaining their Private Pilot certificate while also cutting costs for them and enabling more students to complete the program.
The NTSB announced that it will dismantle the remains of the reconstructed wreckage of TWA Flight 800, a TWA Boeing 747 that exploded over the Atlantic Ocean in 1996, resulting in the deaths of all 230 on board. Relatives of the victims are being given the chance to see the wreckage one last time, though a spokesperson said that very few have taken up the offer.
The FAA stated that it will adopt a case-by-case approach in granting certification to Urban Air Mobility vehicles, according to an article in Aviation International News Future Flight news site by Kerry Lynch. The agency expressed concern that having rigid certification standards might inadvertently prevent safety advancements from reaching the market.
Two pilots were killed when the Beechcraft Bonanza they were flying (it was unclear who was at the controls) crashed into high terrain after taking off from Aspen-Pitkin Airport in Colorado. Flight tracking revealed that the Bonanza, having climbed above the airport, departed towards terrain that was higher than the recommended departure procedure.
In other NTSB news, the Board said that it will use sonar to locate the black boxes (for possible recovery in the future) that were aboard the Transair Boeing 737-200 that ditched in the Pacific Ocean over the weekend. Both pilots (the only occupants) survived the ordeal, and the NTSB aims to find out why a twin-engine jet was unable to make it back to a sea-level airport.
Gulfstream delivered the final G550 wide-body business jet, one of over 600 Gulfstreams produced. With a maximum operating speed of.885 Mach and a maximum range of nearly 6,750 nautical miles, the $62 million (for the later versions) twinjet was a one-of-a-kind when it was launched in 2003.
The EAA’s popular Pilot Proficiency Center will have a virtual component this year. Pilots who wish to participate will need to have access to a Redbird flight simulator and Zoom. The Center will also, of course, be operating as usual at the Show Center during this year’s AirVenture, which takes place from July 26 to August 1 at Wittman Regional in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
