Gulfstream G600 Makes Maiden Flight Ahead of Schedule!

Well... ahead of the most recent schedule anyway. Even so, this is pretty rare!

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gulfstream-g600-takes-flight-ahead-of-schedule-300380511.html

Lockheed-Martin F-35s Engage in Multiship Comms Evaluation

This doesn't really sound all that exciting, but those who understand the F-35 concept of operations realize that this kind of test may be more important than weapons clearance, or even performance and flying qualities. Their primary role is more likely to be as nodes in a very robust communications network. If that doesn't work, none of the other stuff really matters. A battle plan is probably right on the money if most F-35s never directly interact with the enemy at all.

http://www.edwards.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1022990/multiple-f-35s-take-to-the-skies-to-test-communication-data-links

Boeing-Saab TX Trainer Entry Scores First Flight

The story at the link below has a lot of the typical chest pounding after a first flight, but it does shae a few details about the envelope cleared and duration of the flight. Looks as though there will be a number of entries for this competition.

http://www.defensenews.com/articles/boeings-t-x-takes-its-first-flight

MUST READ: South African Flight Test CapabiIlity in Jeopardy?

The article at the link below is not about a specific aircraft, but it may represent a "wake up call" for many of us in the flight test world regarding "passing the torch". It is not just about South Africa. A similar dilemma has been facing NASA over recent decades as the ability to do truly complex flight testing of advanced research aircraft has become more and more difficult to maintain.

I would consider this article a "must read".

http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/test-flying-in-south-africa-at-a-critical-crossroads-2016-11-11

Bombardier Global 7000 Makes First Flight?

The article at the following link is a bit cryptic...

http://www.reuters.com/article/bombardier-airplane-idUSL1N1D50ZJ

... but there are a few more details at this one, including a few words about the flight envelope opened so far:

http://www.kansas.com/news/business/aviation/article112535072.html 

 

Uber? Google? Zee.Aero? Flying Car? New Area 51?

(Photo Credit: Steve Eggleston via Aviation Week)

It would appear that there is yet another entrant in the (nearly 100-year-old) race to develop a marketable "Flying Car". The article at the link below implies that the vehicle has been under development for at least 3 years and is already in flight test. The only photos that I have found do not make it appear to be very roadable, so this may be some kind of early concept demonstrator. You can't discern much from the profile, but if you look closely at the shadow, you will see what look like long, unswept wings, each with 2 (perhaps 3?) extensions from both the leading and trailing edges with some kind of pods at the ends of each extension. This is corroborated by what appear to be red propeller tips visible at the rear of the aft pods. The article has no technical details to speak of, but clearly quotes folks who say they have seen it fly.

http://www.montereyherald.com/article/NF/20161023/NEWS/161029863 

Textron Scorpion Jet Displays Weapons Integration

The story at the link below is more about systems demonstration than about systems test, but it does show the state of readiness of a system that has been in development for a while. As I look at the pictures at the link, I am a bit surprised at the shallow dive angle as well as the low angle of attack. Early launches will often tend to have a wider dispersion and higher CEP than proven systems, so a shallow dive angle allows that wider dispersion to spray munitions over a lot of real estate. It also looks as if the aircraft is operating somewhere near its maximum delivery speed, given the low apparent angle of attack implied by the rocket plumes of the weapons.

http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12271191/scorpion-jet-successfully-completes-first-weapons-capability-exercise