U.S. Navy T2-C Buckeye Finally Retires

What does the retirement of an airplane that was nearly 60 years old have to do with flight test today. What doesn't stand out very much in the article at the link below is that this airplane was used to prepare nearly every USN/USMC flight test aviator for the work that test teams are doing today. The plane was used for departure and spin training at USNTPS, and I can testify first-hand that it could turn the pilots "every which way but loose" in the amazing gyrations that it would enter, survive, and reliably recover from during that training.

http://www.warbirdsnews.com/warbirds-news/t-2c-buckeye-ends-56-year-navy-career.html

Want to see it in action? Visit the link below. Not shown is my favorite, the roll-coupled inverted departure ...definitely an "E-Ticket" ride.  The puffs of smoke? The engines would cough, but virtually never quit, no matter what you did with the plane.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3XnBFDE_vQ

Mitsubishi's MRJ Inching Closer to First Flight

The story at this link shares a bit about ground tests that are leading up to first flight. More recent information is that a problem with certain cockpit controls has delayed the planned first flight for a couple more weeks.

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201510080043

Lockheed-Martin F-35Cs Start Next Round of Sea Trials

External carriage for a stealthy platform usually negates the majority of the stealth advantage, but in order to add flexibility to the force, the plane needs to be able to carry whatever, wherever. One interesting item in the story at the link below relates to the significant changes that have to be made to the carrier to deal with the F-35. I also found the pictures to be a bit confusing. I'm no expert at how the plane has evolved during development, but the lift fan housing I would have expected to see on C-models was nowhere to be found. Are these C-models, or just stock shots of F-35s?

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/lockheed-f-35c-begins-second-round-of-sea-trials-as-417412/

Flight Test in Times of Consolidation: KC-46 as a Case Study

Not a very catchy title for a post, but the subject is very emblematic of the times.  The story at the link below shares how two military bases, two services, and even the Air National Guard, are all working together to get a very high-profile flight test accomplished. Flight test today can be very costly, so innovative approaches to getting it done efficiently will have to be the norm.

http://www.mcchord.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123459849

Airbus Perlan II Glider Maiden Flight Today?

This isn't just another glider. (In fact, "Glider" is probably not even the right term to describe it.) According to the article at the link below, it was scheduled for its maiden flight today.  It isn't clear whether or not the flight took place, but the goals for this aircraft - a 90,000 foot ceiling, without an engine - are pretty ambitious. The project web site says 350 KTAS at that altitude. Not sure if that is supersonic or not, since air temp actually begins to increase at those altitudes.

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/techflash/2015/09/engineless-airplane-built-to-reach-edge-of-space.html

Chinese Caihong-5 UAV Testing Underway

UAV work is becoming more and more typical in today's flight test environment. Also typical with work in China, the report at the link below gives few details regarding the test objectives or results. It is interesting to note that with the same wingspan, basic appearance, and endurance as the MQ-9, the aircraft somehow boasts nearly three times the payload.  I'm thinking that the numbers quoted in the CH-5 article are "useful load" (which includes fuel) rather than "payload" (which does not). Another potential disconnect is the difference between internal vs external payload, so right now it is difficult to make a clear comparison. The plane will almost certainly carry externals, since its mission seems to include ground attack.

http://sputniknews.com/military/20150831/1026398738/china-drone-reconaissance-mission.html

Dassault Neuron UCAV Moves on to Next Phase

The item at the link below is brief, but the story implies that basic flight characteristics have already been verified, and that the most recent focus was on observables. Other crucial capabilities like data links and networking were probably also checked out. The next phase appears to have a more operational focus.

http://www.aviationtoday.com/the-checklist/Neuron-UCAV-Concludes-Flight-Test-Campaign-in-Italy_85911.html#.VfZCRX2Ov48