With only one more week until the 2016 Red Bull Air Race series kicks off in Abu Dhabi, Matt Hall must be wondering if this is his year. The team made some huge leaps last year, with much of the improvement attributed to the winglets the team didn't have in 2014. Most importantly, two wins and second in the championship to the now-retired Paul Bonhomme have shown the race world that Team Matt Hall Racing have learned how win. But then there are other big improvers who, although they didn't have the impact of Hall last year, will be just as hungry success in the series. 2016 is looking like one of the most even in recent years, and for us Aussies, certainly the most exciting. Go Matt Hall!
Seeker Aviation's move to have the SB7L-360 built in the USA has some in the Australian general aviation market worrying that the end is night for Hervey Bay. Seeker Aviation says the move to US manufacture is because they think the demand for the aeroplane will out-strip the capabilities of the Australian plant. If that's the case, the future for the Seeker must look very bright. But there is also another reason for doing this: US government contracts. The game over there is so heavily skewed towards US manufacturing that getting a contract to supply aeroplanes is well-nigh impossible unless you're building or at least assembling on their soil. GippsAero learnt that in 2012, and promptly appointed Soloy Aviation to assemble Airvans in the USA. Either way, it seems someone somewhere has faith in this Australian-developed aeroplane.
Congratulations to Wings4Kidz and their very first community service flight. Standing behind the new project is former Little Wings boss Kevin Robinson. It's good to see that this man's drive, energy and committment to aviation charities for children has not been lost to either the community or the children.
Cobalt Aviation's order books are looking pretty full after openers for the Co50 Valkyrie were announced last November. With $US 50 million worth of eager customers waiting, the company should have enough confidence that they have a product the world wants. However, they've projected deliveries of the certified version for only two years away. That's one hell of a challenge they've set themselves. Established companies like Honda, Cirrus and Icon have recently found that development and certification generally takes a lot longer than they first thought (and a lot more money). If they can go from concept to delivery in a bit over two years, I reckon it will have to be some kind of record.
Women of Aviation Worldwide Week (WOAWW) starts this Monday and runs through to Sunday 13 March. There are events going on all over Australia to highlight the role of women in aviation and encourage women of all ages to check out aviation as a potential career. One of the more popular events is the Fly it Forward campaign, where women are given the chance to experience what we already know: aviation is brilliant! To find out if there's a local event near you, go onto the WOAWW website.
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch