(soft music)
Coming up, the secret is out
on a remarkable new airplane.
Making the backcountry more safe.
AOPA's you can fly ambassadors on CMT.
And an unmanned Skyhawk takes to the sky.
AOPA live this week begins in just a moment.
(soft music)
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This is AOPA Live This Week,
with Tom Haines and Alyssa Cobb.
We have loads of GA news to share with you this week,
including some amazing technology breakthroughs,
including this...
It looks like a blimp with wings,
but the performance is anything but blimp-like,
according to the designer.
The company says the Otto Aviation Celera 500L
will be the most fuel efficient,
commercially viable passenger aircraft in the world.
The prototype has quietly completed 31 test flights.
The unusual shape yields laminar airflow
across almost all of the aircraft,
that yields very high efficiency.
The aircraft has a standup cabin with six seats
and a lavatory.
The liquid cooled V12 diesel engine runs on Jet A
and can push the Celera to a 400 knots cruise,
and a fuel economy of 18 to 25 miles per gallon,
the company claims.
They also claim that a family or small group of people
will be able to charter the Celera,
for about the same price as airline tickets.
Now that looks cool.
It does, I hope all of those claims come true
in the certified airplanes.
We've seen lots of companies make big claims
and not always able to follow through.
But that's pretty amazing aerodynamics
they've got going there.
So maybe they'll be able to pull that one off.
Meanwhile, another new aircraft design got a lot
of attention this week.
Japanese startup SkyDrive completed a manned test flight
with an urban air mobility concept vehicle.
The electric single seat test aircraft is piloted,
but has additional computer stabilization.
The SkyDrive flew for four minutes
at an indoor testing center in Japan.
SkyDrive has financial backing from Toyota,
and is working to develop technology
for a flying car service.
Meanwhile, a company in California,
sees an autonomous future using the existing fleet
of GA airplanes.
Reliable Robotics just released the video of an unmanned
Cessna 172 flying outside of San Jose, California.
For the flight, a pilot pressed a button
on a remote user interface,
and the unmanned Skyhawk automatically taxied,
took off and then landed.
The company is led by SpaceX and Tesla Veterans,
and they have a bold vision for the future of aviation.
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We only utilize a hundred
or so commercial airports in the U.S.,
when we have over 5,000 airports available for public use.
The future is not going to be large aircraft flying hundreds
of people at a time between a limited number of airports.
(whooshing air)
The future will be smaller,
automated aircraft connecting more cargo,
more people to more places across the world.
We started Reliable Robotics,
because we believe aircraft should fly themselves.
(whooshing air)
Reliable Robotics designed the autonomous platform
for installation on any fixed wing airplane.
System was also tested in a Cessna Caravan.
And details are emerging, as we record this,
that Mooney Aircraft Corporation Factory,
may be opening again,
this time under majority U.S. ownership,
headed by Mooney owners and pilots.
The factory builds new Acclaim and Ovation models
in Kerrville, Texas, and supports Legacy aircraft.
The company's website and key service center personnel
have pitched in with a plan,
to revive the storied GA airplane manufacturer.
The factory has been closed since January 6th.
We'll have a lot more details later this week on aopa.org.
That's right.
Well, even though 172 can now take off by itself,
getting the FAA to launch sometimes requires more
than just pushing a button.
Sometimes the agency has to be prodded a little
to spend money that the Congress has given it.
And two years ago,
Congress authorized the FAA,
to create two workforce grant programs,
to develop the next generation
of pilots and aviation maintenance technicians.
They haven't done it.
So a bipartisan group of both Congressmen
and Senators have just sent letters,
to the department of transportation
and the FAA urging them to do what Congress told them to do.
The grant program for pilot education would support
the creation and delivery of curriculum designed
to provide high school students,
with meaningful science, technology,
engineering, math, and aviation education.
If you remember, AOPA's You Can Fly curriculum is already
in use in more than 400 schools across the nation.
Federal funding would get it to a lot more.
An aviation technicians grant program,
could help address the growing need for trained technicians.
The members of Congress encouraged the FAA
to get moving within the coming weeks.
Now, general aviation is getting some encouragement
from the country music world.
Country music television recently broadcast a story
about Dierks Bentley's flying and his new role
as an AOPA You Can Fly champion.
♪ Got this 737 ♪
♪ Rocking like a G6 ♪
Forget all those high jinks
and the drunk on a plane video.
In real life, Dierks Bentley loves piloting
his own planes so much,
that the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association,
recently named him a You Can Fly Champion.
(soft music)
You see you're above the ground,
your biggest problems are all so small,
and you're just...
It's a feeling that you can't find anywhere else.
Now, the story has aired
on CMT's hot 20 country countdown.
Dierks talked about why flying is so important to him
and the interviews with Dierks are,
from the pilot's lounge he recorded,
with AOPA's Katie Pribyl,
and aerobatic star, Michael Goulian.
You can find that interview on our website.
Warbirds filling the skies over Hawaii this week.
Arial Parades, they're being called,
to Mark the 75th anniversary of World War II's end.
One of the airplanes participating,
B-25 Old Glory, flew from Florida to California,
then loaded on a ship and taken across the Pacific,
to get there.
Three Legacy of Peace Aerial Parades marked the occasion,
of course, COVID restrictions put a damper on some
of the planned public events,
but the B-25 crew has been out doing publicity flights,
since they got to the Island.
You can see a replay of the closing ceremonies aboard the
USS Missouri on the 75th World War II commemoration website.
Well, last week, hurricane Laura battered the Gulf coast,
leaving a path of destruction.
The storm claimed at least 14 lives,
as it roared to shore with 150 mile per hour winds.
In the path, general aviation airports.
This NOAA satellite imagery shows extensive damage
to several hangers and aircraft
at Lake Charles regional airport.
Southland Field was also severely damaged
with airplanes tossed hundreds of feet in every direction.
As we mentioned in the show last week,
Operation Airdrop was planning to coordinate relief flights
to the affected areas.
However, the roads remained open,
so the organization canceled the flying relief effort.
And general aviation airports are playing a vital role in
continuing to battle against wildfires in California.
This summer fires have engulfed,
more than 1.4 million acres.
Reid-Hillview Airport in San Jose is one key airport.
Firefighting helicopters are using the airport,
as a base to reload fire retardant.
This cuts travel time allowing for a faster response
to save more homes, land and wildlife.
Unfortunately, Reid-Hillview has been continually targeted,
by local officials who are actively planning
to close the airport and develop the land.
In times like these, it is even clear just
how important general aviation airports,
like Reid-Hillview are to the local community.
That's right.
And AOPA is working to make backcountry flying safer.
The rugged niche of aviation has grown in popularity
over the past few years.
AOPA gathered a number of influencers and stakeholders,
at a Flying Lodge at Smiley Creek, Idaho,
for a Backcountry Safety Summit.
AOPA Air Safety Institute, Senior vice president,
Richard McSpadden led that meeting.
And ASI video producer, Tyler Pangborn takes us along
to sit in on the important gathering.
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We are out here at Smiley Creek in Idaho,
talking about backcountry safety.
And with a lot of what we've all been a part of is growing
and sharing our love for aviation,
and backcountry aviation is gonna be a huge part of it.
We talked a lot about safety and how to be prepared
for the backcountry experience and we kind of network
and meet each other, maybe form this informal group.
Cause I think I heard from just about everyone in here
on a different accident that somebody was sending me videos.
Hey, did you see this? Or did you see that?
So the fact that we collaborate on that makes it powerful.
So that's what I'm hoping will come out of this.
Is a way that we can take some actions collectively,
keep in touch and message with each other
and figure out how we can do this longer term.
Gosh, we've got the Idaho Department of Backcountry,
we've got Montana, we've got the Colorado,
we've got the Montana Pilots Association,
a couple of members here from Flying Cowboys.
I think today's meeting was a great opportunity
to take a lot of shared experience
between the different communities
and backcountry aviation, different influencers,
throughout our little niche of general aviation,
and come together to figure out,
how we as backcountry pilots can be better,
and how we can advocate for other pilots
to be better as well.
I've been flying out here,
for 25 years in Super Cubs, Huskies and whatever you find.
It is truly a blessing that we have this access,
and this uniqueness in landscape.
And, you know, I can't think of a better place
to play, you know, with an airplane.
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And one of the many reasons that we want
to improve safety in the backcountry I think,
is all the reasons you guys mentioned,
is bringing the right people in,
we wanna save lives and airplanes.
We also would like to reduce some costs, you know,
and this cracking up airplanes
in the backcountry drives up insurance rates for everybody.
The collective agreement from all of us is that we need
to be more proactive and we need to make sure
that people are prepared when they come
to fly in the backcountry.
Whether they fly in the backcountry in their local airport,
we came to the common denominator,
of power and energy management needs to be practiced.
And we came back with this buzzword of,
"are you prepared for that experience,
that you're about to take".
And really a good experience comes with good preparation.
If you're not prepared,
odds are that experience isn't gonna be,
what you're looking for.
Hopefully through all this,
we're gonna be able to come up with a plan,
or some sort of strategy of how
to integrate good experiences,
and in doing that a lot more safety,
or a little bit more safety to try to keep growing the love
of the backcountry and keep protecting
our backcountry strips and do it in a safe manner.
(soft music)
(plane engine roaring)
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You could read more about the gathering on our website.
Look for more coverage on the issue,
as the Air Safety Institute leads this industry effort
to raise the level of safety in the backcountry.
And just a reminder, you can access free safety content
anytime, on the AOPA Air Safety Institute website.
(soft music)
Well, coming up after the break,
is a deep dive into a new Garmin box.
And an update to the Epic Egle versus Eagle drama.
Don't want to miss that, we'll be right back.
(whooshing air)
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Get your stuff delivered within 30 minutes
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that toaster this fast.
That's Amazon's goal and the online giant,
has taken another step toward achieving that goal.
The FAA just issued Amazon a Part 135 air carrier
certificate
for its fleet of prime air drones.
Now that's an important step toward using drones to deliver
packages right to your doorstep.
Amazon is now the third company to get a 135 certificate
for drone delivery,
but nobody is yet doing deliveries except,
for very small test areas.
And new developments in the EGLE versus eagle saga,
The EGLE drone downed by a bald eagle,
in Michigan has been recovered.
This is like a Titanic sort of effort folks.
You may remember a few weeks ago,
we told you about the now viral story,
of a bald eagle attacking and destroying
the Michigan department of Environment,
Great Lakes and Energy or EGLE drone.
The drone had been documenting shoreline erosion
along Lake Michigan.
A bald eagle meanwhile dropped it right into the water,
and now a special team dubbed WETTER,
or the Willful EGLE Trauma Team Engaged in Retrieval,
has found and pulled up
the fallen Unmanned Aerial System,
that's UAS, if you like your acronyms. We certainly do.
And look at the file photo of the UAS.
All we can say is OMG,
LOL, R.I.P. drone, Alyssa top that.
(Alyssa laughs)
I'm just gonna leave that right there.(laughs)
Well, AOPA has a new podcast answering
your aircraft maintenance questions.
It's kind of like car talk for airplanes.
Now listeners can submit their questions,
and then they'll be answered by three expert A&Ps.
It's a Podcast featuring you.
So what can I do beyond
the usual inspection tasks to get
some confidence in the structure, integrity of the bat?
Here's the deal,
I have a really highly experienced GA friend,
who's got a lot of time and a lot of different airplanes.
I'd say these are some good tips.
Thanks very much.
Hi, I'm Mike Busch I'm Paul New,
and I'm Colleen Sterling.
Welcome to ask the A&Ps from AOPA.
Well, submit your questions to podcast at aopa.org,
for a chance to get on the show.
You can find Ask the A&Ps on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,
or Google Podcasts.
The FA has issued an Emergency or worthiness directive
for certain Sandia and BendixKing Attitude Indicators.
The AD applies to the Sandia SAI-340A
and the BendixKing KI-300.
Under the AD, operators relying on the unit,
cannot fly IFR, night VFR, or with an
autopilot coupled to the altitude indicator.
The action comes after reports,
that 54 altitude indicators failed
and displayed erroneous information.
And you uAvionix just received FAA approval
for their AV-30-C display for certificated aircraft.
The mini digital display will replace
the Legacy vacuum-driven atitude
or heading indicator mounted in a three inch panel slot.
It will display data like primary atitude,
angle of attack, density altitude,
GPS navigation data, and more.
Actually has 14 functions.
The display can be installed in over 635 airplane models.
The AV-30-C cost $1,995.
Cirrus just got approval of the Garmin's Autoland system
on the SF50 Vision Jet.
Cirrus is calling at the HomeSafe automatic landing system.
With HomeSafe, a passenger can hit
the Autoland activation button,
if the pilot becomes incapacitated,
then the airplane automatically takes over
and lands at the closest safe airport.
The Vision Jet is the third airplane to get certification,
to use Autoland after the Daher TBM 940,
and the Piper M600 SLS.
So Alyssa, as you'll recall,
I had a chance to fly the Cirrus Vision Jet,
with the Autoland system last year.
And what's amazing is not just that it lands itself,
but the decision making the system goes through,
as it makes the decision, what runway to go to.
It's not necessarily the closest one.
It could be distant runway,
but it has all the right attributes,
from a weather standpoint, runway length,
crosswind component and all that.
So it's pretty amazing.
Combine that on the SF50 particularly with the parachute
and it really provides a very high level
of safety for that airplane.
Yeah, it's just amazing what's been done with technology.
And advancements like Autoland,
just show how quickly avionics are getting better
and more affordable.
One example is the Garmin's GPS 175.
It is the simplest and cheapest way to equip your airplane
for the IFR use using Garmin avionics.
The GPS 175 offers WAAS GPS navigation with LPV approaches.
AOPA editor Large Dave Hirschman recently installed one,
in his RV4 and took it out for an IFR flight.
(plane engine roaring)
Frederick Airport information charlie
Charlie 1247 zulu, wind calm, visibility five, mist,
ceiling 600 overcast, temperature, 21
Dewpoint 19, altimeter 3009.
So at 600 feet, good visibility underneath,
not the typical day a person would be flying a sport plane,
but well, within the capabilities of this airplane,
with the new IFR GPS, you know,
I'm really enjoying the process of getting
to know this tremendously capable,
tiny little IFR certified WAAS GPS 175,
entering the flight plan,
and it's a touch screen.
Also one thing I like about this,
it's touchscreen or knobs.
And so when I'm flying in the bumps especially,
I really kind of prefer the knobs,
but for right now,
this is gonna work really well.
(airplane engine roaring)
(air whooshing)
Let's go ahead and turn the autopilot on.
We'll do it in heading mode.
0BZ radar contact 2 east of Frederick at 3,000
Altimeter 3007, you said you want the
RNAV Zulu to a full stop?
430BZ affirmative.
Okay you can expect that.
Okay, the flight plan is loaded and activated.
I tend to use the flight plan page on the GPS,
and the moving map on the MFD PFD,
0BZ turn left heading 050.
We've being vectored for the approach.
I'm gonna go ahead and activate the approach.
We're just kind of on a big left downwind for the runway.
Outside air temperature is 20 degrees Celsius.
So no concerns about icing this morning.
0BZ turn left heading 320.
So this is kinda like a big base turn,
to intercept the final approach course,
0BZ turn left heading 260 you are two miles
From the GISGE maintain 3,000 until established on the final
approach course cleared for RNAV Zulu to runway 23.
Okay. So we're clear to join the approach.
I can see the highway in the sky boxes,
laid out right in front of us.
We're just gonna make a 30 degree left turn
to join those boxes.
And then we'll start down.
And Frederick Tower experimental 430BZ,
seven miles out on the RNAV Zulu approach
to runway 23 full-stop.
430BZ report Shuey for runway 23.
We're in the descent now,
autopilot flying the airplane,
and it's following the GPS inbound guidance just perfectly.
And the vertical navigation is just rock solid too.
It's just set.
One mile from the final approach fix.
430 bravo Zulu is Shuey inbound.
N430BZ clear to land 23.
Tops are still at 2000,
just breaking out of the bottoms, rugged bottoms here.
Almost out, the landing checklist complete.
So here's the minimums.
We're just gonna continue with the approach
to a full stop landing.
(air whooshing)
Okay. So this IFR GPS,
this tiny little GPS,
it's a, you know...
It fits in this minimalist panel,
and yet it just transforms the utility of the airplane.
It makes it into a real traveler instead
of just a local area flyer,
with a few big trips on nice days.
Dave Hirschman, AOPA Live.
The GPS 175 costs just under $5,000.
It uses a similar interface,
to the popular Garmin GTN series,
but uses solely GPS navigation.
(soft music)
Well, that's it for our show this week, thanks for watching.
And don't forget to like, comment and subscribe,
if you're watching on YouTube.
Or you can let us know what you think
at the email address there on your screen,
tell all your friends.
See you back here next week for another AOPA live this week.
(music)
(lively funky music)
My name's Tom Rau.
I've got about 18,000 hours total time as a pilot.
(lively music)
There are certain things that you can see
with an onboard radar,
and there's certain things you can't see.
And the nice thing about SiriusXM weather product is that,
it adds another layer of safety,
which, you know, really plays into
the aeronautical decision making process for me.
It allows me to get a more strategic big picture,
when I'm gonna go 700 or 800 miles, you know,
just facilitates decision making on a long range spectrum.
The SiriusXM weather features,
that I engage in the airplane,
of course, there's a selection.
The wind feature, and the ability
to work out route changes were centered
to take advantage of the wind is sort of a carry-over
from my airline days or in the Navy,
when we always felt like we didn't have enough gas.
Being able to make gas literally by shortening
the signal length with the wind feature is invaluable.
The number of dollars saved as a result,
I just don't think I can calculate it.
