This is a long video (48+ Minutes), but well worth viewing.  It is by an outstanding professional airline pilot who posts excellent, high-quality YouTube videos about his trade.  His YouTube Channel is “Mentour Pilot.” The story details the extraordinary emergency event that was suddenly encountered by UAL Flight 1175 several years ago on a flight to Hawaii. The result was that the flight’s Captain,  Here’s the dramatic story:

Many, many thanks to our San Diego Aviation News Scout, Gene Savino, who just shared this impressive experience of flying a brand-spanking new Pilatus PC024 Executive jet through the magnificent Swiss Alps.

Your webmaster has always considered Switzerland to be the most compactly beautiful nation in all of Europe, which is of course well provided with many other gorgeous scenic panoramas, but Switzerland has them stacked one mountain seemingly right up on another to the extent that their small nation lets one stand still and simply turn around on any spot and never be without a fabulous new scenic wonderland of breathtaking mountain views.

It’s not hard to envision why it would be virtually impossible to ever conquer this tiny country, because it seems to be entirely without any flat land – – – at all.  Not to mention that every household’s adult males are required to be well-armed, while also being required to take a stint in the military.  That same military also honors any females who would like to join up.

Enough of these side remarks, on with this impressive video, which is 29:42 long. Remember:  Just open to full-screen and watch this video right here at the FASF!

It is called the RISEN 915 and, although lightweight by design, it is so advanced in technology that it outperforms almost every other Experimental Aircraft now being sold. In fact it is a Risen Model that holds the World Performance Record in its class.  On December 16th, 2015 Risen set a new world speed record for this aircraft category reaching over 323 Km/h with the standard Rotax ULS 100hp engine. The record was set by the Risen designer Alberto Porto.  In American terms, that means that notwithstanding its small engine, the ship went over 200 MPH!

The “Ultralight” RISEN Aircraft in flight.

A view inside the RISEN all ‘glass’ cockpit

The Swiss Excellence Risen is a Swiss two-seat side-by-side configuration, low-wing ultralight aircraft, designed by Italian-Argentine aeronautical engineer, Alberto Porto, and it is produced by Swiss Excellence Airplanes. The aircraft was introduced at the 2015 AERO Airshow in Friedrichshafen, Germany.  It is supplied ready-to-fly.  The airplane, although called an ‘Ultralight,’ is anything but such a category here in the USA.  It has many features that are no less than extraordinary in terms of its highly advanced technology.  One example is that rather than a simple engine throttle, it has a Power-Lever that automatically controls the pitch of the propeller!

Here are some short (under 15 minutes) videos of the ship, two of which are now flying in the USA.

This past week awards were presented to some of the top Las Cruces, NM Composite CAP Squadron 24 members.  Each certificate of accomplishment was presented by the Squadron Commander, prior FASF Trustee, and now FASF Advisor, Colonel John Orton. Among the recipients was one of the FASF’s original and now longest continuously active members, Colonel Alan Fisher.

The two awards were given to the recipients based on their outstanding performance during CAP Training exercises with both the Army National Guard and other Armed Forces units.  As an official auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF), this is a typical sort of interagency or inter-Forces Training engagements by the CAP.

The SAGE EAGLE exercise entails air surveillance and the providing of intel to Ground Air Defense Units.  Here is a full explanation of the exercise.

Recipients of the SAGE EAGLE Award stand L to R after Col. John Orton, CO of the Squadron: Lt. Rick Marshall, Lt. Peter Bogardus, Capt. James MacConnell, Maj. Mark Vieth, and the FASF’s Col. Alan Fisher.

Col. John Orton (L) presented an Achievement Award to Maj. Walter Dutton, for his work in the Falcon Virgo Operation.

To learn more about this CAP Joint-force training exercise, click right here.

WORLD´S LARGEST ELECTRIC RC MODEL AIRCRAFT FROM TYLER PERRY / 149KG C-17 GLOBEMASTER FLIGHT DEMO TAKES PLACE AT GERMAN AIR SHOW.

You don’t need to watch it on YouTube, you can start it and watch it right here because it is embedded at the FASF.  Please go to full-screen so you can appreciate its full high-resolution videography.  The video is only 6:45 minutes long. And, YES, this is the Hollywood Actor.  Enjoy.

Faced with serious internal problems of late, America’s famous BOEING AIRPLANE COMPANY, which has dominated the international airline industry since the end of World War II, it now, for the first time, faces a fledgling new potential Russian competitor.

In June of 2017, the MC-21 airliner, Russia’s potential new competitor to the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737, took to the skies on its maiden flight (see immediately below).  There are two variants of the MC-21 in testing now, the -300 and a shorter -200. The -300 is to seat 211 passengers in a single-class configuration and will have 3240 nautical miles of range (6000 kilometers). The -200 can seat 165 maximum and can fly further: 3500 nautical miles.

The MC-21 is designed and built by the Irkut Corporation, which is part of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC). In the early 2000s, Russia combined many of its aerospace companies into one large company: UAC. Irkut was part of this big reorganization alongside other better known Russian aerospace names like Ilyushin and Sukhoi.

Irkut was designated as the division that would oversee commercial airliner production, and for that reason it also now manages the Sukhoi Superjet project.  Russia has previously not been recognized as a serious airliner contributor, however, they have an excellent record for producing high-quality and top-performance military aircraft.

The MC-21-300 on its maiden flight.

Thanks for the “SCIENCE” Channel, we can see the story in their video, which is only about 23:30 in length.  You can watch this video right here (below).  Remember to open it to full-screen in order to see it in its full resolution.

For those of you who are not familiar with International Aviation, you might wonder why the video shows the cockpit instrument panel displaying all of its information in English.  That is because, since WWII, English was agreed to be the official language for all aviation.  No matter what the country in which you might fly, the air traffic controllers must all speak – and understand – spoken English.