According to Salt Lake City’s KUTV, which got a copy of the report, the pilot was a colonel, and he had just 35 minutes of sim time in the Apache before he took off on an orientation flight with a master warrant officer who was qualified in the type.

The investigation found that on the colonel’s fourth attempt to hover and land the Apache at the army facility at South Valley Regional Airport (U42) in West Jordan, Utah, he lost control.

“In a moment of panic and due to his great unfamiliarity with the … helicopter flight controls,” an investigator wrote, “the [colonel] reverted to his fixed-wing…training and applied downward movement…This motion…was not the proper input in a [rotor-wing] aircraft.”

The investigation also found fault with the master warrant officer, saying “overconfidence…led to inadequate aircraft flight control management and inadequate altitude selection with an unqualified person on the helicopter’s flight controls.”

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

The post Report: Air Force Reserves Fighter Pilot Crashed Apache Helicopter appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1968 Beechcraft E95 Travel Air.

It is safe to say that many, if not most, piston-single pilots at some point consider the prospect of flying a light twin. Many decide against it because of the added expense, complexity, training requirements, or because their typical missions would not benefit much from a second engine.

In some cases, though, such as when pilots regularly make long flights over water, mountainous terrain or at night, a light twin offers a significant measure of safety and flexibility. In a word, a twin gives the pilot options.

The Beechcraft Travel Air occupies a sweet spot between more powerful twins like the Cessna 310 and models like the Piper Apache, which can struggle to stay aloft on a single engine.

While burning just a bit more fuel than a high-performance piston single and offering easier single-engine handling than some other twins, the Travel Air makes a good case for people who use their aircraft for serious travel. It is fast enough and carries enough of a load to get a family of four or five to their destination sooner and safer than a single. 

This 1968 Travel Air has 4,099 hours on the airframe, 110 hours on each of its Lycoming IO-360 engines with 101 hours on the right propeller since overhaul and seven hours on the left. The aircraft is equipped with RayJay turbo-normalizing systems and hot props for de-icing. Its fuel capacity is 104 gallons and useful load totals 1,178 pounds. Other features include vortex generators and Brackett air filters. 

The panel includes an Aspen Evolution EFD 1000 PFD, Garmin G5 HSI, Apollo SL 15 audio panel and SL 30 digital Comm radio, Garmin GMX 200 MFD, Garmin GNS 430 WAAS GPS/Nav/Comm, Garmin Gi 208 glide slope/VOR/localizer indicator, King KR 87 ADF, Garmin GTX 330 transponder with traffic, Stormscope, angle of attack indicator, S-Tec 60-2 autopilot, EDM 700 engine monitor, and Collins microline digital DME.

Pilots looking for a light twin with performance, economy and practicality that make it an ideal personal transport, should consider this 1968 Beechcraft E95 Travel Air, which is available for $159,000 on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use their airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Things to Think About When Moving Up to a Light Twin
• FLYING Magazine: Wrong Worry in Twins Versus Singles
• Plane & Pilot: Beech Travel Air
• The Aviation Consumer: Beech 95 Travel Air

The post This 1968 Beechcraft E95 Travel Air Is a Comfortably Redundant ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The news comes days after two soldiers were killed when a Mississippi National Guard (MSNG) AH-64 Apache went down during a training flight near Booneville, Mississippi. The fatal incident was the second AH-64 crash in February. On February 12, a Utah National Guard Apache went down, injuring two on board.

• READ MORE: Probe Underway After Mississippi National Guard AH-64 Apache Crashes, Killing 2

“Two separate crashes of AH-64D Apache helicopters in Utah on February 12 and Mississippi on February 23 drove the decision to ground all [ANG] helicopters for safety reasons,” the service said.

The stand-down went into effect Monday, the Army National Guard said.

• READ MORE: Air Force, Navy Ground V-22 Fleets Amid Crash Probe

“We are a combat force with helicopters training or on mission worldwide every day,” Lieutenant General Jon Jensen, director of the Army National Guard, said in a statement. “Safety is always at the top of our minds. We will stand down to ensure all of our crews are prepared as well as possible for whatever they’re asked to do.”

The post Crashes Prompt Army National Guard to Ground Helicopter Units appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The aircraft were returned to Dutch soil by a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, Boeing said Thursday.

The overhaul, completed by Boeing in Mesa, Arizona, is part of a 2019 RNAF contract with the company to remanufacture 28 of the service’s AH-64 D-model Apaches to the more advanced AH-64E v6.

“This is an important milestone for the [RNAF] and the Boeing team,” said Steve Hazen, director of international attack programs at Boeing. “The E-model Apache will bring advanced attack and reconnaissance capabilities and improve combat power to the Netherlands and its warfighters.”

• READ MORE: Upgraded Boeing AH-64E Apache Takes First Flight

RNAF said it expects to receive back another 18 Apache AH-64Es by mid-2025. Six of RNAF’s remanufactured AH-64Es are based at Fort Cavazos, Texas, near Killeen for pilot training.

Last month, General Onno Eichelsheim, Netherlands chief of defense, visited the Apache training squadron in Texas, where he flew the “Echo” model. 

“Nearly [30] years after my training on the Apache AH-64A, I flew the Apache Difference Course for the new AH-64E. Flying has barely changed, but the combat power of the ‘Echo’ has been greatly enhanced,” Eichelsheim said at the time on X (formerly Twitter). “This makes this machine ready for modern conflict.”

• READ MORE: Poland to Buy 96 AH-64E Apache Attack Helicopters

According to the military, the overhaul was necessary to “future-proof” its fleet of combat helicopters that it began operating in 1997 for nearly another three decades.

“After 20 years of intensive use, with interim maintenance and upgrades, a major modernization was necessary. This must ensure that the Apache remains operationally relevant in the coming decades,” the Dutch Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

Following the delivery to Woensdrecht, the aircraft will undergo a process of system implementations and checks before being issued an airworthiness certificate. The aircraft will then undergo flight tests before they are assigned to the Defense Helicopter Command at Gilze-Rijen Air Base (EHGR).

Gisteren kwamen de eerste twee gemoderniseerde Apache Echo’s aan in Nederland, op vliegbasis Woensdrecht. Kijk mee hoe de gevechtshelikopters uit de C-17 werden geladen. Lees het artikel https://t.co/rNeATGPaLQ #ApacheEchoNL #AH64eNL pic.twitter.com/NendLDbtU7

— DHC Luchtmacht (@dhcluchtmacht) December 8, 2023

The post Royal Netherlands Air Force Receives First Batch of Modernized Apache AH-64Es appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

1975 Piper PA-23-250 Aztec E.

When the first PA-23s rolled out of the factory, they marked a departure for Piper. In contrast to the company’s long line of high-wing, tube-and-fabric singles, the new model, called the Apache, was all metal with a low wing and two engines. While it represented “a lot of airplane” compared with the Cubs, Cruisers, and Pacers in which many pilots had trained, some considered it underpowered with a pair of Lycoming O-320s rated at 150 hp each. Single-engine performance was marginal.

Piper made many improvements, but the tide truly turned when the Aztec appeared in 1960. Even though it was still labeled as a PA-23, the Aztec performed like a completely different aircraft. With 250 hp engines, six seats, and a baggage compartment in the nose, it developed a reputation as a strong load carrier and comfortable traveling airplane.

This 1975 Piper Aztec E has 7,640 hours on the airframe, 249 hours on each of its Lycoming IO-540 engines, and 119 hours on its propellers since overhaul. The panel includes a Garmin GMA 340 audio panel, GNS 430 GPS, GNS 150 GPS, MX 20 MFD, King KX 155 nav/com, KN 64 DME, KT 76A transponder, KR 85 ADF, S-Tec 50 autopilot, and JPI EDM 760 engine monitor. The aircraft also has de-ice boots and long-range tanks.

Pilots seeking a light twin that handles well, is relatively easy to fly, and has the power to haul big loads should take a look at this 1975 Piper PA-23-250, which is available for $200,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: MT-Propeller Receives STCs for Composite Props on Piper, Cessna Twins
• FLYING Magazine: Hartzell Has Top Prop Available for Aztec Operators
• The Aviation Consumer: Used Aircraft Guide: Piper Aztec

The post This 1975 Piper PA-23-250 Aztec Is a Roomy ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick for Travelers appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The decision for the aircraft slated to replace the service’s aging fleet of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters marks the largest rotorcraft buy for the Army in about four decades.

The initial $232 million contract will cover the design and manufacture of a virtual prototype of the tiltrotor aircraft, Army Brig. Gen. Robert Barrie told reporters recently.

Sikorsky-Boeing Defiant X, a coaxial rotorblade aircraft,  had also been a contender for the contract.

Under the contract announced Monday, which is valued up to $1.3 billion should the service exercise options, the Army will replace about 2,000 Black Hawks, providing battlefield troop transport, as well as about 1,200 Apache attack helicopters, Defense News reported. 

Bell is expected to deliver FLRAA prototypes to the Army in 2025, with the aircraft entering the fleet within five years—around the same time the Army is expected to field the separate Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft in development for scouting missions, Defense News said.

“Bell has a long history supporting Army Aviation and we are ready to equip Soldiers with the speed and range they need to compete and win using the most mature, reliable, and affordable high-performance long-range assault weapon system in the world,” said Mitch Snyder, president and CEO of Bell.

The V-280 Valor, an innovation which was nominated last year for the coveted National Aeronautic Association Collier Trophy, is a tiltrotor aircraft with vertical lift that has more than twice the speed and range of current weapons systems, according to Bell. The purpose-built aircraft is designed for the U.S. Army’s multi-domain operations, including special ops, attack, medevac, and other utility missions. It can  go from a hover to a top speed of around 280 knots, while covering a range of up to 500 nm.

The aircraft combines the speed and range of a turboprop with an advanced agility that surpasses a traditional helicopter, all while offering improved flight performance and lifecycle sustainability, according to Bell.

“We are honored that the U.S. Army has selected the Bell V-280 Valor as its next-generation assault aircraft,” Scott Donnelly, Textron’s chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “We intend to honor that trust by building a truly remarkable and transformational weapon system to meet the Army’s mission requirements. We are excited to play an important role in the future of Army Aviation.”

The post U.S. Army Chooses Bell V-280 for Black Hawk Replacement appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

• Boeing delivered 84 of its 737s in the fourth quarter, more than 31 percent of those sold in 2021.

• Across its entire commercial fleet, which includes the 737, 747, 767, 777, and 787, a total of 99 single-aisle and widebody deliveries comprised nearly a third of the commercial deliveries for all of 2021.

• Across the military and defense operations segment, 14 re-manufactured AH-64 Apache helicopters were delivered. The newer version of that helicopter also demonstrated strong demand, with nearly a third of all 2021 deliveries happening in the fourth quarter.

• Six KC-46 tankers were delivered in the fourth quarter, nearly half of the 13 given to customers in all of 2021. 

For the year, Boeing delivered 340 transport category airplanes, up from 157 in 2020. The company will release its fourth quarter and full-year financial results on January 26. 

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The public markets reacted positively to Boeing’s update, bumping the share price as much as 3 percent to $215 as of 2:34 p.m. Boeing is coming off successive years of challenges following the 737 Max controversy and disruptions from the pandemic.

Boeing’s update comes on the heels of an announcement Monday by Airbus (EURONEXT FR:AIR.FP) that it reached its 2021 target of delivering more than 600 transport category aircraft—nearly twice that of Boeing’s. For context, Airbus’ A320 equipment—a competitor for Boeing’s 737—by itself outsold Boeing’s entire 2021 sheet with 483 deliveries.

Airbus is scheduled to report its fourth quarter and full-year financial results on February 17.

The post Strong Demand for 737 Max Leads Q4 Deliveries for Boeing appeared first on FLYING Magazine.