Wings, Wheels and Water

NASA’s “Rocket Women” Talk SLS, Orion and Returning to the Moon

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MEDIA ADVISORY:

NASA’s “Rocket Women” Talk SLS, Orion and Returning to the Moon

Leaders of America’s next-generation space exploration programs to participate in a panel discussion and media availability at Oshkosh Air Show – “Rocket Women”

OSHKOSH, WI, July 20, 2018 – Meet the women leading major spacecraft systems development for NASA, laying the groundwork for humans to go back to deep space for the first time since 1972.

The Rocket Women are part of the leadership team that will return humankind to the Moon – and eventually to Mars. Hear what they have to say about NASA’s human exploration efforts at the Propelling Spaceflight panel discussion, and have the opportunity to ask in-depth questions immediately following the panel.

WHO:

Rocket Women: The female leaders behind NASA’s human space exploration programs

WHAT: 

Panel Discussion and Media Availability

WHEN & WHERE:             

Thursday, July 26 at EAA AirVenture, Oshkosh, WI
1:00 – 2:15 PM: Panel Discussion (Theater in the Woods)
2:15 – 3:00 PM: Media Availability with Panelists

 

PANELISTS:

Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Launch Director for NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

Erica Sandoval, Principal Launch Abort Motor Manufacturing Engineer at Northrop Grumman

Tiffany Williams, Orion Sr. Program Manager at Aerojet Rocketdyne

Heather McKay, Orion Launch Abort System Manager at Lockheed Martin

Amanda Gertjejansen, SLS Program Master Scheduler at Boeing

Marcia Lindstrom, Panel Moderator and SLS Communications Lead at NASA

INDUSTRY BOOTH           Visit us at the NASA Pavilion in Aviation Gateway Park (located at the northwest corner of Waukau Ave. and Knapp St., near the FAA control tower)

D-Day Squadron Fleet Soaring Into AirVenture

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D-Day Squadron

D-Day Squadron Fleet Soaring Into AirVenture

Oxford, Conn. – July 16, 2018 – Representatives from the D-Day Squadron fleet of American C-47 and DC-3 aircraft are making their way to EAA’s AirVenture for the annual “World’s Greatest Aviation Festival.” 11 aircraft that are part of the D-Day Squadron will join forces to wow audiences and commemorate the D-Day invasion of Normandy nearly 75 years ago. The group aims to honor the citizen soldiers who helped liberate Europe and end the War, and build support for their upcoming journey across the Atlantic to commemorate the invasion that changed the course of history.

Get up close and personal with the transport aircraft that carried these citizen soldiers to the frontlines of the fight in World War II. Take a look inside the spaces that once held paratroopers clipped in and waiting for the green light to leap out into darkness over enemy territory.

Keep an eye out for the Squadron flying in formation at the AirVenture Airshow on Friday, July 27 and Saturday, July 28. Find these historic icons on static display in the following locations:

Warbirds

C-47 Virginia Ann of Mission Boston D-Day, LLC

C-47 Placid Lassie of the Tunison Foundation

C47 Miss Virginia of Dynamic Aviation

C-47 Hit or Miss of the Turin Aviation Group

C-47 That’s All, Brother of the Commemorative Air Force Central Texas Wing

C-47 Sky King of the Mid America Flight Museum

C-47 N-99FS of the Liberty Foundation

C-47 Spooky of the American Flight Museum

Vintage

DC-3 Flabob EXPRESS of Flabob Aviation Associates

DC-3 Candler Field Express owned by Jim Sells

DC-3 N-341A of Golden Age Air Tours

Also on Saturday, come down to Warbirds in Review at 10:00 a.m. in Warbird Alley to see Lt Col Richard “Dick” Cole, the last surviving member of the Doolittle Raiders who flew the C-47 in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations in World War II. He will be accompanied by aviator and author Mark Trahan, alongside the D-Day Squadron’s C-47 Placid Lassie and C-47 Spooky.

“The D-Day Squadron fleet will be an amazing sight flying over AirVenture,” said D-Day Squadron Executive Director Moreno Aguiari. “These aircraft represent the best of American bravery and determination. If you have the opportunity to get up close to the aircraft, it’s an experience of profound respect. You can’t help but be in awe of the courage of the troops that once filled those cargo holds. These citizen soldiers answered their country’s call, and risked their lives to parachute from these same aircraft into great danger.”

The D-Day Squadron is preparing to lead a contingent of American C-47 aircraft in a trans-Atlantic trek to participate in the Daks Over Normandy event from June 2-6, 2019, which will include a mass flyover across the English Channel to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day on June 6, 2019. Learn more at DDaySquadron.org.

Members of the media are invited to attend a press conference Thursday, July 26 at 10:00 a.m. at EAA Press Center for the latest news and announcements from the D-Day Squadron.

About the D-Day Squadron

The D-Day Squadron is the part of the Tunison Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization. In June 2019, the D-Day Squadron will lead an American fleet of historic, restored C-47 World War II military aircraft in Daks Over Normandy, a flyover of more than 30 international aircraft to drop 250 paratroopers over the original 1944 drop zones in Normandy commemorating the 75th anniversary of D-Day. The event will honor the citizen soldiers of the War, whose bravery led the Allies to the liberation of France, and then to an end of the devastating War in Europe. The Squadron’s education program takes the compelling story of the citizen soldier to audiences at airshows and events off the flight line to honor these brave Americans and ensure their memory and significance is appreciated for generations to come. The group’s efforts are funded through the generous tax-deductible contribution of their supporters. Learn more at DDaySquadron.org.

 

Press Contact

Moreno Aguiari

Executive Director, D-Day Squadron

director@ddaysquadron.org

(404) 202-9348

BlackFly – FIRST USA-QUALIFIED ULTRALIGHT ALL-ELECTRIC PERSONAL VTOL AIRCRAFT

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BlackFly

OPENER UNVEILS FIRST USA-QUALIFIED ULTRALIGHT ALL-ELECTRIC PERSONAL VTOL AIRCRAFT – BlackFly

Palo Alto, July 12, 2018 —  OPENER, Inc., a pioneer of aero vehicles for consumer travel, today revealed BlackFly; the world’s first ultralight all-electric fixed-wing vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. BlackFly is a single-seat Personal Aerial Vehicle (PAV) designed and built for a new world of three-dimensional transportation. BlackFly is simple to master and requires no formal licensing (in USA) or special skills to operate safely. Though BlackFly has full amphibious capabilities, it is primarily designed to easily operate from small grassy areas and travel distances of up to 25 miles at a speed of 62 mph (USA restriction).

“OPENER is re-energizing the art of flight with a safe and affordable flying vehicle that can free its operators from the everyday restrictions of ground transportation,” said Marcus Leng, CEO. “We will offer competitive pricing in an endeavor to democratize three-dimensional personal transportation. Safety has been our primary driving goal in the development of this new technology. OPENER will be introducing this innovation in a controlled and responsible manner.  Even though not required by FAA regulations, BlackFly operators will be required to successfully complete the FAA Private Pilot written examination and also complete company-mandated vehicle familiarization and operator training.”

The OPENER team has spent the last nine years in stealth mode, designing, developing, and testing new innovative technologies which have now evolved into the zero-emission BlackFly vehicles.  Fault-tolerant design and triple modular redundancy reside at the core of these vehicles. Eight propulsion systems, spread across two wings, provide for multiple-failure security. Years of continuous testing, combined with 1,000+ flights and 10,000+ miles flown, form the bedrock of OPENER’s development program.

OPENER’s long-term vision is to integrate these highly-efficient vehicles into a rural/urban commuting network. These networks would be powered by renewable energy sources requiring only a fraction of the transportation energy used currently.

DREAM OF FLIGHT

“The future of Aviation begins today,” said Alan Eustace, Director at Opener and former Senior Vice President of Knowledge at Google.  “The dream of flight, which was so difficult and expensive to obtain, will soon be within the reach of millions.  Opener is putting the fun back into flying and opening up a new world of possibilities.”

MAKING HISTORY

“I just saw the future. Watching BlackFly take flight just blew me away.  I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Darren Pleasance, Director, EAA. “The magnitude of innovation that OPENER has been driving in electric motors, aerodynamics, and VTOL operations is stunning and inspiring. OPENER has made a huge step forward in bringing the Jetson’s world to life.”

CHECK OUT BLACKFLY VEHICLES  AT EAA AIRVENTURE

Opener vehicles will be on display at the 2018 EAA AirVenture Convention in Oshkosh, WI from July 23 to July 29, 2018. The public is invited to view the vehicles in the Innovation Building, booths IC-12A and 13A, and also experience three-dimensional flight by operating the vehicles in a virtual reality simulation.

BLACKFLY – ADDITIONAL FEATURES

  • Manufactured in the USA
  • Super Charging capable (less than 30 mins)
  • Low noise signature
  • Geofence-capable
  • Automatic Return-to-Home button (localized training feature)
  • Ballistic parachute option available

About OPENER

On Oct 5, 2011, history was quietly made near the small town of Warkworth, Ontario, Canada. That day saw the first manned flight of a fixed wing all-electric VTOL aircraft. This event prompted the formation of a stealth company with the sole purpose of pursuing the development of this new unique technology. In September of 2014, the Company reorganized as Opener and relocated the majority of its operations to Silicon Valley in California to pursue an unencumbered and accelerated development timeline.