Aviation Week reports, “Airbus Helicopters has achieved its speed target with its Racer compound rotorcraft, successfully flying the experimental aircraft at 240 kt. (276 mph) in April. The aircraft reached the speed with power margin to spare, test pilots say, and after only 25 flying hours—one-eighth of the flying hours that have been “justified” for the flight-test program—which points to the maturity of the aircraft’s design.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Tag: breaks
NASA High-Altitude Balloon Sets New Flight Record
SPACE reports that NASA’s GUSTO mission, which launched from Antarctica on Dec. 31, set a new agency record for a heavy-lift, long-duration scientific balloon flight. The balloon remained “aloft for a total of 57 days, 7 hours and 38 minutes, representing the longest flight of any NASA heavy-lift, long-duration balloon mission, according to a statement from the space agency.”
Full Story (SPACE)