Scales and Tailwinds: Alligator Mistakes Air Base for Swamp Resort

Scales and Tailwinds: Alligator Mistakes Air Base for Swamp Resort

April 23, 2024Posted inAviation, Florida News, Florida Wildlife
A large alligator rests near the landing gear of a KC-135 at Macdill AFB, Florida on Monday.
A large alligator rests near the landing gear of a KC-135 at MacDill AFB, Florida on Monday. Photo: MacDill AFB

TAMPA, Fla. – An unexpected visitor found his way onto the tarmac at MacDill Air Force Base yesterday, prompting a swift response from Florida Fish and Wildlife authorities. After crawling out of a nearby marsh, the nearly 10-foot alligator promptly did what gators do…. found a nice cool spot to get out of the hot Florida sun. Unfortunately for the busy airmen at the base, the gator apparently claimed “squatter’s rights” in front of the landing gear of a huge KC-135 tanker aircraft.

NASA and Lockheed Resurrect Supersonic Commercial Flight … Maybe

January 16, 2024Posted inAviation
NASA’s X-59 aircraft was rolled out on January 12, 2024 at 4 PM EST as part of NASA’s Quesst mission. The X-59 is an experimental aircraft designed to reduce the sonic boom to a small thump. It’s hoped that the X-59 could fly at 1.4 times the speed of sound, or 925 miles per hour. Photo: NASA

It’s been a quarter of a century since commercial passengers could fly to American destinations at beyond the speed of sound.  That was on the iconic Concorde, a joint French and English venture initiated in 1954 with first commercial flight in 1976.

NASA Unveils the X-59 Supersonic Test Aircraft

January 12, 2024Posted inAviation, Aviation and Space News, NASA
Lockheed Martin X-59
Photography By Garry Tice 1011 Lockheed Way, Palmdale, Ca. 93599 Date: 12/12/2023

NASA unveiled America’s new X-59 aircraft today at LMs Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California. The experimental aircraft is designed as an experimental test-bed for “quiet supersonic” air travel and it is hoped that it will serve as a serious starting point for commercial aircraft that can travel faster than the speed of sound, this time in a quieter, more efficient manner than previous airplanes like the Concorde.

SpaceX Alumni Have Collectively Formed More Than 100 New Startups

December 18, 2023Posted inAviation, Aviation and Space News, Space News, SpaceX
Falcon 9 lifiting off from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center in 2023.
SpaceX Falcon Heavy carrying the NASA Psyche mission to orbit in 2023.
Photo: ©2023 TJ Waller / Florida Media Now.

Innovation is foundational at SpaceX, the California-based company founded by Elon Musk in 2002. Not only has the company written a veritable laundry list of firsts, bests and mosts, it has also served as a cradle for former employees to start their own high-tech firms. Several SpaceX alumni startups are prospering, while others are still developing products and preparing to enter the marketplace.

B-21 Raider, The U.S. Air Force’s Newest Bomber. What do we know so far?

December 12, 2023Posted inAviation
Artist's Rendering B-21
Developed with the next generation of stealth technology and an open systems architecture, the B-21 Raider will serve as the backbone of America’s bomber fleet. (Photo Credit: Northrop Grumman)

The first test flight of the Air Force’s newest bomber, the B-21 Raider, took place on Friday November 10, 2023, and was witnessed by a group of amatuer photographers, according to a story carried by Reuters News Service.

Electric Air Taxi Takes Flight at Tampa International Airport

November 4, 2023Posted inAviation, Aviation and Space News, Florida News
New Aircraft Could Revolutionize Bay Area Travel
Volocopter completes flight test
The Volocopter performs a slight dip in an acknowledgement to spectators during Thursday’s
test flight at TPA. Photo: TJ Waller/FMN

The advancement of urban mobility has taken a significant stride forward with Tampa International Airport’s landmark demonstration of the Volocopter electric air taxi. This flight test, representing the first of its kind at a major U.S. airport, heralds a potential paradigm shift in the transportation network within the Tampa Bay region.

Major Kristin “Beo” Wolfe’s Farewell Flight Demo Wows Audiences at Orlando Air Show

November 2, 2023Posted inAviation, Aviation and Space News, Florida News, Things to Do and See in Florida
Major Kristen “Beo” Wolfe Photo: TJ Waller / FMN

The skies above Sanford, Florida roared with excitement as Commander Kristin “Beo” Wolfe, a veteran United States Air Force pilot, bid an emotional farewell to her illustrious career with a spectacular flight demonstration at the Orlando Air Show on October 29, 2023.