Joby Bay Area Demo Starts a Tour

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A Bay Area Feat Joby Aviation flew its “FAA conforming” JAS4-1 N547JX in the Bay Area and beyond this week, the first of many demonstration flights it will perform nationwide as part of its Electric Skies Tour. “Conforming,” according to Flying magazine, “Means that the model aligns with Joby’s agency-approved airworthiness criteria and test plans. In other words, it is representative of the aircraft the company intends to certify and operate.” Flying around San Francisco brought out the local news crews, but Joby had a sentimental journey to reward its workers with a view of their long-term achievement. Landing at a quarry near the original Woodpeacker Ridge compound that was JoeBen Bevirt’s home and workshop, N545JX was welcomed by a crowd of workers and their families, alsways prominent in company events.  The Woodpecker Ridge site held probably less than three dozen workers in 2012, many of them grounds keepers and gardeners.  The blog has reported on personnel growth since then …

Pulitzer Trophy Race 2025 Results

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For the first time in 100 years, the Pulitzer Trophy was awarded to a flight team, and for the first time to a team flying an electric aircraft. Since the Air Race itself was spread over a 50 mile course, spectators could only view the participating aircraft when they departed, passed overhead at the end of one lap of the course, and landed at the end of the race.  This is similar to a longer run for Green Flight Challenge aircraft in 2011.  Spectotors at the Pulitzer Trophy Race would have seen the aircraft a similar number of times, allowing for time to visit the static displays, which included an Opener Blackfly (now called a Pivotal Helix) and a Beta Alia. The event seen in this video was bigger than the small crowd shown, with different groups competing a worldwide series of simulated flights on personal computers.  Middle and high school students, “along with aviation-focused youth organizations,” participated, using X-Plane  …

Piper Germany and the MDA1 Electric Commuter

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Flieger magazine reports, “Piper Deutschland AG has announced a strategic investment in MD Aircraft GmbH . The goal of the collaboration is to advance the development and production of the all-electric regional aircraft MDA1 eViator.” (Note: based on later reporting, the power bays may be incorporated into the lower part of the fuselage.  The blog will attempt to gain verification of this.) Signed on September 19, 2025, the agreement “is intended to mark the start of a new chapter in aviation for Piper – with a focus on innovation and environmental sustainabilit,” according to Flieger. Providing MD the financial stability of Piper’s funding and for Piper the planned design for a twin-motored commuter liner in the size and performance range familiar to established Piper customers, the compact should be beneficial to both companies. The MDA1 Aircraft An “all-electric short-haul aircraft with a range of up to 400 kilometers (248 miles),” The MDA1 should suit the needs of most regional commuter lines internationally. We wrote …

An Aerial Pulitzer Prize

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Win a Pulitzer Without Writing a Word There hasn’t been a Pulitzer Air Race or Prize (Trophy) for 100 years, the last competition taking place in 1925.  The revived Pulitzer Trophy Races will differ considerably from the original events.  Those races were all flown with military aircraft flown by experienced military pilots.  Differing greatly in engines, the earlier contestants all burned fossil fuels: the current competitors will fly on electricity. The Original Pulitzer Air Races The Pulitzer Trophy Races ran only five years, and were also knonw as the National Air Races.  Winners during those five years included: 1920: Corliss Champion Moseley, flying a Verville-Packard 600, 156.54 mph, Nov. 25, Mitchel Field, N.Y. 1921: Bert Acosta, flying a Curtiss, 176.76 mph, Nov. 3, Omaha, Neb. 1922: Russell L. Maughan, flying a Curtiss, 205.80 mph, Oct. 14, Detroit, Mich. 1923: Alford J. Williams, flying a Curtiss R2C1, 243.68 mph, Oct. 6, St. Louis, Mo. 1924: H.H. Mills, flying a Verville-Sperry, 216.55 mph, Oct. 4, Dayton, Ohio …

Dr. Seeley Makes the Chronicle

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Dr. Seeley Hits the Front Page Dr. Brien Seeley’s editorial on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle’s opinion section July 14, is a well-reasoned appeal to try a radical new approach to fighting wildfires. It impressed an editorial board enough to make it their featured Op-ed leading their Sunday coverage.  It’s the product of Dr. Seeley’s decades-long research into short-take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft and his drive to make small airplanes emissions-free.  It’s also a challenge to American ingenuity and technology to help save us from the current plague of pollution and resulting wildfires.  These don’t take place only in remote backwaters like Paradise, California, but now even in once-protected enclaves such as Pacific Palisades and Beverly Hills. Dr. Seeley makes three big points in his editorial.  One, we have the technology to fight wildfires today, products of the high-tech industries in which California abounds.  Two, carbon dioxide emissions from wildfires are more than twice those from our …

Regent Viceroy Seaglider: Foiling Above the Waves

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The Regent Viceroy Seaglider completed its first lift-off on its hydrofoil lifting surfaces, gliding as its name suggests above the (placid) waves of Kingston, Rhode Island.  Of course, that lift is helped by the 65-foot wing, making this a commercially feasible WIG (Wing In Ground Effect) machine.  We have reported on earlier versions of the machine three years ago and late last year.  The configuration has changed from eight motors to twelve, but the overal concept has remeained the same. This configuration has many advantages.  The hydrofoils elevate the craft out of the water and lessen any hull drag on it significantly, enabling it to glide above, rather than plough through the water.  Operatoing in three different modes, the craft can go from navigating crowded harbors to skimming oceans along seacoasts. Simplicity of Operation In full flight mode, the wing operates in ground effect, a cushion of air roughly equivalent to the craft’s 65-foot span.  Flying at this altitude enables …

Beta CX300 at the Paris Air Show

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Beta CEO Kyle Clark piloted The Beta CX300 from Ireland to France for the 2025 Paris Air Show.  A self-imposed demand, Clark insists on flying the aircraft or having it flown to air shows at which the aircraft is to be displayed – proof of the pudding.   “We arrived at Paris Le Bourget Airport for the 2025 Paris Air Show, joining one of the most iconic aviation events in the world. ALIA took to the skies each day, flying presentation flights in front of more than 600,000 attendees while our team showcased our business and technology at The Gallery, our spot on the static display area.” Clark explains the detailed engineering in the Beta CX300 CTOL (Conventional Take Off and Landing) version in an interview with Aviation International News (AIN).  We learn why Beta Aircraft are so roomy.  Clark is six-foot, five-inches and 250 pounds – surprisingly only at the 88th percentile for American males according to the Centers for …

Beta Does New York, and Ireland Too

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Beta Technologies, having flown its Alia from coast-to-coast and back, extebds its reach to New York City and even Shannon, Ireland. Beta Lands in New York Having completed an epic cross-country tour of the United States, a Beta Alia made a triumphant return to its Vermont home accompanied by two of its stable-mates.  Flying magazine pointed out some significant features of the long cross-country trip that preceded this homecoming.  “The trip was more than a public relations exercise, though. N916LF flew in VFR (Visual Flight Rules), IFR (Instrument Flight Rules), day, and night conditions through snowstorms and scorching heat—an impressive validation of its systems considering Beta registered the model with the FAA less than six months ago.” The First Electric Aircraft Landing at JFK A little more than two months after that return, Beta staged its next demonstration of Alia’s versatility. by performing the first all-electric aircraft landing at John F. Kennedy airport in New York City. Reuters reported, “Beta Technologies …

Beta from Norway to New Zealand

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Beta Technologies, Kyle Clark’s electric flight dream, is making inroads promoting clean aviation.  It’s impressive enough an effort the Today Show called.  Beta is not only capturing the attention of mainstream media in the U.S., but overseas with projects in Norway and New Zealand. The two countries are at extreme ends of the earth, but both share often cold climates, supposedly anethema to battery-powered vehicles. Electric Flight in a Country Courting EVs Despite its frigid northern latitude, Norway is on an electric roll.  CNBC headlines, “Norway is set to become the first country to fully transition to electric vehicles.”  The report shows a dramatic increase in EV acceptance.  “The country’s electric vehicle sales have increased from less than 1% of total auto sales in 2010 to a whopping 88.9% last year.”   CNBC notes, “Despite its vast oil and gas reserves, the Nordic country has long been recognized as a global leader in sustainable transportation.” Christina Bu, secretary general of the Norwegian …

Electra Aero Announces Nine-Seat uSTOL

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Moving from a technology demonstrator to a full-scale nine-seat uSTOL (ultra Short Take Off and Landing) prototype, Electra Aero is showing significant progress in flight that can take advantage of unprepared fields, and pocket airparks that could conceivably serve neighborhoods. Since its introduction, the Electra Aero Goldfinch has demonstrated on a small scale what Electra hopes to achieve with its blown-wing technology on a nine-seat commuter craft.  The Goldfinch has drawn the attention of the military.  It repeatedly demonstrated its ability to take off and land within 150 feet, and its overall arrival and departure flight path emulates that of helicopters. Test pilot Cody Allee has shown the craft’s ability to land and take off on unprepared surfaces and to maintain control in 150-foot diameter turns before both the Air Force’s AFWERX  program and Navy audiences.  That maneuverability speaks well for its potential combat use. The video overview below of Electra’s history gives a good idea of the company’s design …