Elsa Aircraft

Elsa Aircraft - In fairness, we have fully built SLSA that offer lower price tags, too, even while kits may offer more deluxe aircraft at reduced cost. Low-cost, ready-to-fly SLSA includes: Aerotrek's A220 at about $70,000; X-Air's LS at about $60,000;

Rainbow's Cheetah at about $55,000; CGS's Hawk at about $40,000; and M-Squared's Breese at $35,000. In addition, the industry offers trikes and powered parachutes at similar or even lower numbers. The focus tends to be on the $140,000 high-end SLSA with glass screens and autopilots, but the field is hugely diverse from a price and sophistication standpoint.

Elsa Aircraft

Into this wide ranges of choices now comes more attention to ELSA. Who says buyers lack choices? Not the LSA community. The composite parts of the aircraft can be painted in any color imaginable – making the exterior look of your BushCat totally customizable.

Arm Rest Throttle

The aircraft can be made to look bright and playful should that be your aim, or perhaps your choice would be a more conservative and less conspicuous one – the choice is all yours! The designers of the Bushcat placed a throttle on each armrest of the pilot and co-pilot seats for ergonomical efficiency.

Two interconnected throttles are mounted comfortably at the end of the armrests. Pilot and co-pilot can tilt up each armrest for ease of entry and exit of the aircraft, without changing the throttle position. The Bush Cat continues to serve as a bush airplane.

For example, various anti-wildlife-poaching missions have successfully used the BushCat in various regions of Africa. More BushCats are on order by conservation entities for this purpose as the craft meets the specific requirements of these missions.

The aluminum space frame is covered with a Trilaminate composite fabric, cross-stitched approximately every quarter inch for strength and making it almost rip-proof. The incredibly strong material is used in the sailing industry for racing yacht sails and fares well in the elements.

Trilam Skin Covering

We offer a choice of five vibrant colors in any combination to create your own look. When all is said and done, the BushCat is a fun aircraft, which is why we are proud of our bright and unique color schemes.

The Trilaminate material covering is available in 5 colours: black, white, yellow, blue and orange. We have various layout templates on offer that incorporate these fabric colours. “The FAA would issue a LODA on the basis of the eligibility of the aircraft and its maintenance requirements, the applicant, the instructor, and the type of training desired,” FAA officials explained.

“LODA holders would be required to own or lease the aircraft and would be ultimately responsible for ensuring that the aircraft, training, maintenance and instructors meet the requirements specified by the LODA.” As long as they are required to match the SLSA on inspections, I can not see where an ELSA would be any more dangerous to train in than an SLSA.

Something is better than nothing in my book. Too many young pilots-to-be give up after finding out they have to travel hours to find an SLSA to rent for training. (We live in a very rural area).

Customized Design

And then they find out how much they are asking per hour… The 2004 Light Sport Final Rule created the LODA process to allow training for compensation or hire using certain categories of experimental aircraft. However, this rule set on Jan. 31, 2010, time limit on the use of a LODA for ELSA.

Dan, thank you for this post. I really value what you are doing with respect to LSA. I agree that the aviation world has changed positively with the advent of LSA. I would very much appreciate a post from you on where aviation is headed with proposed changes to the airworthiness regulation that impacts current LSA guidance and when we might see change both in the law and industry.

An electric package for power over gas is one example for some of these planes. We hope to satisfy the demand for some airplanes to go either all electric or with the ePower charging system for longer flights.

“The FAA estimated that 60 months would be an adequate amount of time for the new SLSA to enter service to replace the ELSA and meet flight training demands,” officials said in the background section of the NPRM.

Get To Know The Bushcat

To gain its Special Airworthiness certificate, an ELSA must first be a bolt-for-bolt copy of the manufacturer's Special or fully-built version of LSA. However, once certified, the owner can begin to make changes on his or her own.

They can also become qualified to do all manner of maintenance themselves, assuming they so desire. An Airframe and Powerplant mechanic (A&P) or Light-Sport Repairman – Mechanic (LSR-M) can also work on ELSA as they can SLSA.

The aircraft is extremely comfortable with the widest cabin in its class (49.5 inches wide) and offers generous headroom making the aircraft perfect for all sizes of pilots (up to 6 feet 7 inches). Due to its simplistic modular design, the aircraft is extremely easy to work on and keeps the cost of maintenance and repair to a minimum.

A highly capable backcountry aircraft offering all you need from a bush plane. For a weekend getaway or extended stay in the bush, the BushCat will exceed your requirements and expectations. Available as a kit or factory built.

Customized Panel

Once certified and in his possession by her the owner can change to ELSA status allowing him or her to do almost anything… change avionics or even swap engines. This also means they can add floats to their ELSA and that's the subject of this article.

The aircraft emerged as a leader in serving bush pilots in areas that other light sport aircraft just couldn't handle. SkyReach focused on making the airplane tougher than any other in its class, and able to withstand the might of the veld and tundra – unleashing the next-generation Cheetah, the BushCat.

Exactly correct, Kim. This proposal (read it carefully) does nothing but delay common sense. It will only allow those few now old and near dead former ELSA instructors to start instructing again if they want to take on the hassles of getting a LODA.

While using those old and near dead aircraft if they even exist anymore. Unbelievable. I won't bother with a formal comment. Perhaps it is telling that Breezer Aircraft has just announced a new ELSA kit to complement its Breezer II SLSA.

Aluminum Spring Undercarriage

The northern Germany company reported, “[Our news has] been rewarded with lively interest. The first two kits have already been sold, and will be delivered to their owners before Sun 'n Fun. The kit is priced at just $39,995 and offers a realistic build time of 400 hours, which is the lowest in its class.”

The BushCat is the perfect aircraft for training in all of these configurations, and conveniently meets the long term needs of pilots who will fly it into more demanding locations. When the mission revolves around the journey, the BushCat excels at low and slow or high cruise.

With its six-hour endurance and cabin heat, you can fly safely and comfortably for long distances in cold-weather climates. “The use of ELSA as a training option for light-sport aircraft and ultralights provides an avenue for structured flight instruction from an FAA certified flight instructor,” officials said in the NPRM.

“While the FAA does not see a risk-based need to expand the training requirements for light sport aircraft or ultralights, it does not want to impede individuals who wish to take advantage of flight training that is relevant to the type of aircraft they operate.

- Loading Factor Wing

Additionally, the FAA would like to facilitate the availability of training aircraft for new light sport pilots or existing pilots who are transitioning to a low-mass/high-drag aircraft from conventional aircraft.” Dan, I just converted my Jabiru J230 from SLSA to ELSA so I can do the work, inspection and make any changes I like.

I have my repairman's cert. My question is what does this do to value. I have a meeting with my Board of Equalization this week to dispute the value they have placed on it. I would assume the value immediately dropped after the change.

That does not bother me too much, as I don't expect to sell it anytime soon. Thanks for a quick answer. EAA recently reported that worldwide GA aircraft shipments included 889 piston-powered aircraft plus a slightly larger number of business jets and turboprops.

Shipments declined 11.4% because of the struggling economy. However, EAA said, “Interestingly, homebuilt aircraft registrations continued their growth in the U.S. last year. A total of 941 homebuilt aircraft were added to the FAA registry in 2010, an increase of 10% from the previous year.

Hydraulic Brakes

There are now more than 32,000 homebuilt aircraft registered in the U.S.” So kits outsold GA factory-built models. While a reflection of the troubled economy, it nonetheless shows the resiliency of the kit aircraft community. And.. Why did the FAA set the wt limit for light sport just below that of the existing fleet of afordable 152's and such, already in inventory????

The myopic view that all the old farts are going to be able to afford and purchase brandi new American Made aircraft…. And we know how well that worked out.. This is a great opportunity to incorporate E-LSA's, like the RV-12s that are being built in growing numbers, into the training fleet.

I've been part of two youth builds of these E-LSAs and would love to have been able to point a parent, student or sibling to an instructor or business that could provide training or a discovery flight in these economical flyers.

We take advantage of EAA Young Eagles for orientation flights but seeing E-LSAs available as trainers would be a tremendous step forward. Adding floats is then a matter of taking the newly certified Aerotrek to a qualified installer who can work out the hardware and bracketry to mount straight (no wheels) or amphibious floats.

Centrally Mounted Control Stick

Most sellers know of a few businesses who specialize in such work. “I deliver on wheels but for $300, an owner can add the float option, which provides mounting brackets attached to specially-reinforced fuselage points.”

This specialized skill is one obvious reason why Rollison does not sell on floats and why you must shift to ELSA status after taking delivery of your Aerotrek. To learn more about Aerotrek aircraft through many articles and videos, please visit their dedicated page here.

Kim I hear what you are saying for part 103. What about a LSA aircraft? I am just now discovering (became a private pilot in 1990) the benefits of how someone can take advantage of the sport pilot cert and then can decide later to become a private pilot later if the choose to.

My question for you is why would this rule change not be helpful for the LSA side of things. The original Cheetah LSA quickly gained popularity among the South African bush flying community, earning a reputation as a fun-flying workhorse.

SkyReach made aerodynamic and ergonomic improvements to the aircraft, on the basis of worldwide customer feedback, that led to the second generation Cheetah XLS. “In addition, the FAA believed the action would further expand the growth of the industry as a whole,” officials continued.

“However, the anticipated arrival of the new SLSA has not materialized in the way that the FAA had projected in the final rule, especially for two-seat aircraft used for light sport and ultralight training.” An extremely docile taildragger yet rugged and bushworthy.

Designed with off-airport operations in mind. The BushCat offers enough useful load and range to carry you and all your supplies to the next adventure. Available as a kit or factory built. Current regulations prohibited the use of ELSA for flight training for compensation after Jan. 31, 2010. Changing that rule “would increase safety by allowing greater access to aircraft that can be used for light-sport aircraft and ultralight training,” FAA officials said in the NPRM.

A proper installer does more than supply the hardware and perform the installation. They also do critical measurements and calculations to establish the correct angle of incidence. On floats you cannot rotate for takeoff as you do on a landplane so whoever does this install needs to evaluate each aircraft based on its weight and balance in order to assure the right mounting position.

One of the “diamonds in the rough” of the LSA movement has been the kit LSA or Experimental LSA or simply ELSA. For the first five years of Light-Sport Aircraft, fully manufactured Special Light-Sport Aircraft dominated the sales figures.

With very few exceptions, ELSA were nowhere to be found. That's begun to change, perhaps as voices have been getting louder about the prices of today's well-equipped and surprisingly capable SLSA. Are ELSA a way to constrain the cost for consumers?

Maybe.

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Electric Ultralight Aircraft Motor

Electric Ultralight Aircraft Motor - It might. This answer shows two graphs from a now dead link, from my article that concluded that a 20 hp electric motor does a better job at powering a hydraulic pump than a 50 hp combustion motor.

Our flight testing so far has shown that if you do a full power take off, reduce power and climb to 700 feet or so, then set your power to have a cruise speed of 40-45 MPH, you will be able to fly a maximum

Electric Ultralight Aircraft Motor

of approximately 40 minutes with 4 batteries. If you want to increase your cruise speed, the total flight duration decreases accordingly. If you intend to do repetitive take offs and landings in the pattern, total available flight time will also decrease, as will the consumption

New Ultralight Design Incorporating Electric Propulsion

of battery power is disproportionately higher during take off and climb (you do not normally need full power to climb). Brian had on display both a single and a two seat version of the EMG 6, with the single seat to be used as a legal part 103 ultralight.

As an ultralight, the EMG 6 requires no license, medical or registration. The two seat EMG will be licensed as an experimental aircraft and it is envisioned that it will be used for training. A number of propulsion packages will be offered in both electric and gasoline powered versions.

Your subscription includes Rotax 582, and HKS aircraft engine rebuilding videos, which are EACH nearly 2 hours in length! PLUS hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of web video interviews with designers, manufactures, builders, and suppliers of ultralight light and light sport aircraft parts and accessories.

Ephi continues, "All the parts are modeled accurately, so parts can be outsourced and manufactured based on drawings we quickly create from the 3D models. I also use Solid Edge to ensure all clearances are good.

Reliable Power Source Opens Opportunities For Soaring

For example, verifying the clearance of the propeller from the ground, keel, and the flex wing support wires. And ensuring the glider's control bar has complete freedom of movement to maneuver the aircraft." Vladimir and Ephi Blanshey are a father-son team who see an opportunity for using an electric propulsion system to radically improve the experience of ultralight flying.

Blanshey Aviation is combining Vladimir's practical experience that he gained in building a gyroplane, with Ephi's self-taught skills in using Solid Edge to design a new type of flex wing ultralight that incorporates an electrical propulsion system.

The rattle of an internal combustion engine will be replaced by a quiet hum! Another unique aspect of their design is that the pilot will be in a prone position, superman style. This contrasts to the typical seated position that Ephi describes as "Like flying an office chair!"

One final comment from Ephi: "One of the interesting possibilities of using an electric motor instead of an internal combustion engine is because it is such a reliable power source, you can turn it off during flight and soar unaided when the opportunity allows, much like

Using Solid Edge To Design The Carriage

a hang glider.” This sounds like a great idea to me. My main sport is sailing and as a sailor I know that one of the best moments is when you turn off the engine. You may need an engine to maneuver out of the harbor, but once out onto the lake or ocean, you lose the engine and use the sails.

The noise, vibration and fumes are gone, replaced by the quiet sigh of the wind through the rigging. Ultralight Aircraft Magazine - Electric Aircraft - EMG 6 electric ultralight motorglider. Dan Johnson talks to Brian Carpenter about the EMG 6 part 103 legal ultralight electric motor glider.

Brian and his wife Carol have teamed together with a number of companies including Quicksilver Aircraft to bring the EMG 6 electric ultralight motor glider to market. According to Brian, the aircraft can be built from plans or built from a number of different kits.

The EMG-6 electric motor glider is an FAR part 103 legal ultralight, Adventure Aircraft has developed the EMG-6 with folding wings. The design incorporates match drilled skins and CNC manufactured components. Currently the EMG 6 is using model airplane technology for battery and propulsion.

Blanshey Aviation And The Solid Edge Startup Program

The model aircraft technology was chosen because of its worldwide marketing scope which has brought forward innovative ideas in both electric motors and batteries. Ephi's background is in programming and web development, and he says he is self-taught in areas like mechanical design and 3D printing.

He searched online for CAD software for startups and came across the Solid Edge for Startups Program. After applying for the program and installing Solid Edge, Ephi taught himself 3D CAD and asked questions on the Solid Edge user forum where he was able to get answers quickly to specific questions he had.

Also, extremely important to include glide ratio as a measure of thrust requirement for your airframe. Generally, peak thrust requirement will be around 2x Vbg drag. An electric motor should give you more, but endurance will be another major concern.

Ephi comments on how he is befitting from using Solid Edge: "I particularly like using synchronous technology. It's like the system keeps in mind your original design intent as you progress through a project. I can make changes directly to my geometry without breaking a history tree.

Calculating The Center Of Gravity

I tried other 3D software that claimed to have direct editing, but it was very primitive when compared to Solid Edge.” A new Experimental Amateur Built (EAB) two seater is now taking shape and both variations were on exhibit at AirVenture 2014 in the newly named Fun Fly Zone (formerly Ultralight Area).

EMG's spark is provided by the dynamic duo of Brian and Carol Carpenter of Rainbow Aviation, well known for their LSA maintenance courses including the LSR-M (Light-Sport Repairman Maintenance) credential that has prepared many mechanics to do serious work on the growing fleet

of LSA. EMG builder Adventure Aircraft is a subsidiary of Rainbow. Evidently this hard working pair aren't fond of wasting many hours with something as mundane as sleep because the project is unfolding quite swiftly. In the future, Ephi is interested in using the rendering capability in Solid Edge to create photorealistic images of the ultralight for presentation to potential investors, and eventually for marketing to customers.

He is also interested in using Simcenter FLOEFD for Solid Edge to model airflow around the ultralight and specifically the propeller. The controller has a continuous power rating of ~25kW and a peak power rating of ~30kW.

Controller voltage is 72 Volts DC nominal. The controller has over and under voltage protections as well motor and controller thermal limit protections. The controller can also be connected to a display or app to view EFIS type information.

On a nice summer day, you may hear a loud buzzing in the air, and you eventually identify the source of the noise as an ultralight aircraft slowly making its way across the sky. Of course, ultralights are a great way to get airborne at a relatively low cost, but if the noise can be annoying on the ground, it must spoil the flight for the pilot to have the noise, vibration, and fumes of an internal combustion engine

along for the ride. The first question everyone wants to ask is How long will it fly on a full charge?  The answer to that question is a bit convoluted, as duration is directly related to HOW you will

fly the aircraft. The short answer is approximately 10 minutes per battery 4 batteries will give you about 40 minutes of conservative flight time, 3 batteries will give you approximately 30 minutes, etc. You must have a minimum of 2 batteries for flight.

Each battery is supplied with its own 110 volt charger. The way the system is wired, you can also plug one charger into any of the batteries in the aircraft, and the single charger will charge all batteries at the same time

with that. Chargers shut themselves off automatically when the battery (or batteries) are fully charged. Other fast charging options are also available (providing charging times of less than 2 hours total). Ephi says, "The Solid Edge Startup program has been really important for us.

Right now, we are working on the concept design of our ultralight. We have limited capital at this stage, so the availability of comprehensive product development software at zero cost has been very beneficial for us.

When we move closer to the manufacturing stage, we see ourselves moving to a commercial subscription or perpetual license of Solid Edge." So, please be aware there is no direct conversion and both gas and electric have their virtues.

It may be possible to keep the gas with an electric booster. This would enable a much smaller gas engine. Another approach would be the "diesel-electric", using a gas motor simply as a generator, greatly reducing battery size.

Another key capability of Solid Edge is accurate calculation of the center of gravity of the carriage as Ephi explains: "The main component of an ultralight trike is referred to as the carriage. This is the assembly that hangs underneath the wing from a single teeter bolt.

This component is affectionately referred to in the trike community as the "Jesus bolt" because your life depends on it! The carriage has three wheels used for takeoff and landing, the bed for the pilot, and the propulsion system.”

Being able to accurately calculate the center of gravity of the trike using Solid Edge is very important. "If I move the location of the battery pack in the trike, I can see very quickly the impact on the center of gravity," says Ephi.

The Aerolite EV-103 uses the very popular, proven and well designed Aerolite airframe, with very slight factory modifications to accommodate the installation of the battery tray. The Aerolite EV-103 is available as a complete fast-build kit or completely

assembled and ready to fly aircraft, just like all of ours gasoline powered models. In addition, all existing current production Aeorlite aircraft can be converted to electric propulsion if the owner so desires. The standard system uses a sensorless brushless PMAC (Permanent

Magnet Alternating Current) motor, an advanced motor controller with temp sensing and configurable displays, and ruggedized batteries with BMS. It offers ~20kW continuous and up to 25kW peak power and 5.2kWh of energy. The entire drive system weighs about 30 lbs.

Each battery weighs just under 36 lbs. If you use 2 batteries the complete system (controller, cables, and throttle) weighs 101 pounds. With 3 batteries the complete system is 137 pounds and with 4 batteries it is 173 pounds.

Each battery uses a total of 240 Samsung 30Q cells. These are configured in 20 cells in series to get the 72v and then 12 series strings in parallel to achieve the desired capacity. The battery is managed by a

BMS with over and under voltage and temperature limits. The battery is fully potted in a weatherproof poly-urea compound which makes it extremely tough and durable. These batteries should provide more than 500 cycles at >80%

original capacity in normal flight profiles. Ultralight Aircraft Magazine - Welcome to the Ultralight Aircraft News our goal is to cover as many aircraft expositions that host aircraft described as ultralight aircraft, light sport aircraft, experimental light sport aircraft, amateur built aircraft, ELSA or homebuilt aircraft that fit into the definition of

ultralight aircraft in Canada or light sport aircraft, or experimental amateur built light sport aircraft in the United States. These include three axis control aircraft, weight shift control aircraft, more commonly known as trikes, powered parachutes, helicopters, gyrocopters and powered para-gliders that meet the light sport or ultralight aircraft definition. Airshows and aircraft expositions that we cover include, the Deland

Sport Aviation Showcase, U.S. Sport Aviation Expo, Deland Sport Aviation Showcase, E.A.A.'s Sun N Fun, E.A.A.'s Airventure, the Midwest LSA Show, Copperstate, UPAC Convention and Aero Friedrichshafen in Germany. We try to regularly attend regional shows like the Arlington Fly-In, and Rocky Mountain Fly-In.

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Ec 135 Aircraft

Ec 135 Aircraft - And that's part of the equation that Eurocopter is betting will allow it to make a smooth transition from a leader in utility markets to the first choice in executive-configured helicopters as well. Especially if you need to land in a tight space or on the deck of a yacht, it's hard to argue there's any better choice.

Small and quiet suit many buyers just fine. When deciding whether to opt for an EC 135 opposed to a more traditional VIP transport, the tradeoffs really aren't as great as many buyers might think — and the money saved, indeed, is money earned.

Ec 135 Aircraft

Once people start to realize this, it's a good bet that the EC 135 will leap over other qualified candidates and land the corner office job it's seeking. That's when the real fun starts. When airborne, the battle staff, headed by a SAC general officer, monitors several communications systems and maintains contact with the SAC underground and alternate command posts, the national Military Command Centers, and the SAC alert forces.

Looking Glass

Climbing out from our starting point at the newly opened Kearny Heliport in New Jersey, Burchill headed for the Statue of Liberty before handing over the controls to me. As I negotiated the busy Hudson River corridor along Manhattan's western edge at about 700 feet, the helicopter was supremely stable, even given the bit of turbulence we were experiencing.

As we approached the George Washington Bridge, Burchill suggested I make a few turns to get a feel for the helicopter. I made a gentle bank to the left and another to the right. Still, the EC 135 has never really been thought of as an executive helicopter — at least not as its raison d'être.

Judging by its sleek, modern lines, which look especially great in an executive paint scheme, you might think otherwise — but you would probably never guess that the model traces its design heritage to the 1970s.

At that time, Aerospatiale and Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm (MBB) were hard at work on a helicopter that would incorporate a compendium of advanced technologies in an aerodynamically streamlined package. Designers sought a modern continuation of the BO 105, which found great success in military and air medical services roles.

Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft

The result was the BO 108, a prototype helicopter that incorporated a bearingless main rotor, new engines, all new transmission and — for the first time ever in a helicopter — full-authority digital engine controls (fadec).

Aircraft 375 was one of the first Apollo Range Instrumentation Aircraft (ARIA) put into service. Aircraft 894 is one of two active ARIA with in flight refueling capabilities. This aircraft is a modified commercial Boeing 707, and is one of four ARIAs that have been upgraded with 4 MHz Racal Storehorse recorders and Microdyne S-Band, C-Band, P-Band Superheterodyne receivers.

With the formation of Eurocopter in 1992, the BO 108 design again underwent modifications and the name changed to EC 135. The fine-tuning that went into the design at this stage set the tone for what Eurocopter would strive to accomplish across its model range,

which today encompasses six civil helicopter lines, all of them new or newly upgraded in the last two decades. The product portfolio starts with the diminutive single-engine EC 120 introduced in 1998 and continues with the AS 350, EC 130, EC 145, EC 155 and, finally, the EC 225 Super Puma, the largest helicopter in the Eurocopter family with room for

up to 19 passengers and crew. (Two new models, code-named X3 and X4, are in the works — check out the June iPad edition or visit flyingmag.com for more on these projects.) Special missions aircraft. Special missions adaptations based on the C-135 airframe.

Originally developed as EC-135 command post for the B-52 nuclear bomber fleet. RC-135U, RC-135V Rivet Joint and RC-135W signals intelligence variants with automatic ELINT emitter locator system. RC-135V and RC-135W with nose featuring further sensor. TC-135W crew training version.

RC-135S Cobra Ball for ballistic missile launch detection. The US Air Force is re-engineering its RC-135s with CFM engines. Chances are you've heard a great deal about Eurocopter, even if you aren't intimately familiar with the company's history.

The manufacturer was formed in 1992 from the merger of the helicopter divisions of Aerospatiale in France and Daimler-Benz Aerospace in Germany. The new company was then folded into the global aerospace and defense giant EADS, where Eurocopter became a sister company of Airbus.

Eurocopter's main headquarters is in Marignane in the south of France just a short distance from Airbus in Toulouse. The executive teams of each manufacturer are completely separate, but a strong drive to succeed pervades at both companies.

So too does an intimate familiarity with the corporate and executive aviation markets. Airbus has gained a firm foothold in business aviation with its ACJ line of converted airliners. Eurocopter, meanwhile, has made private aviation a focus from the start.

On June 1, 1992, SAC was inactivated and replaced by the United States Strategic Command, which now controls the Looking Glass.[2][3] On October 1, 1998, the Navy's E-6 Mercury TACAMO replaced the USAF's EC-135C in the Looking Glass mission.

Number Built: The Air Force accepted a grand total of 820 C-135s type aircraft. The breakdown is as follows: 732 KC-135As, 30 C-135As, 15 C-135Bs, 4 RC-135As, 17 KC-135Bs, 10 RC-135Bs, and 12 C-135Fs for the French Air Force.

EC-135s Worldwide Airborne Command Post Sy stem (WWABNCP) variants, in 10 different configurations varying by communications equipment fitted; 39 aircraft representing 7 versions made up the EC-135 family. Also some KC-135As were converted to RC-135s aircraft such as RC-135Ds, and RC-135T.

C-135Bs were converted into RC-135Es, RC-135Ss and RC-135Ms which were later converted to RC-135Ws. During the early 1960s, NASA and the Department of Defense (DoD) needed a very mobile tracking and telemetry platform to support the Apollo space program and other unmanned space flight operations.

In a joint project, NASA and the DoD contracted with the McDonnell Douglas and the Bendix Corporations to modify eight Boeing C-135 Stratolifter cargo aircraft into Apollo / Range Instrumentation Aircraft (A/RIA). Equipped with a steerable seven-foot antenna dish in its distinctive "Droop Snoot" or "Snoopy Nose", the EC-135N A/RIA became operational in January 1968, and was often known as the Jimmy Durante of the Air Force.

The Air Force Eastern Test Range at Patrick AFB, Florida, maintained and operated the A/RIA until the end of the Apollo program in 1972, when the USAF renamed it the Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft (ARIA). Since Eurocopter's formation 20 years ago from the merger of helicopter producers in France and Germany, the company has steadily increased its market share, capturing and holding onto the coveted spot as the world's largest civil helicopter maker.

One product above all others deserves the credit for initiating this rise to prominence: the EC 135. Even Eurocopter admits it never would have reached such lofty heights so quickly were it not for the success of this model, long the industry's best-selling light twin.

-engine helicopter and a machine that seems to excel at every mission it is pressed to perform. The Boeing EC-135 Looking Glass aircraft is a conversion of the basic C-135/KC-135 family of aircraft for the strategic command and control mission.

This airborne command post function provides a survivable means of command and control in the event that the SAC underground command center, alternate command posts, or ground-based communications are lost. It also provides an alternate method to launch the Minuteman/Peacekeeper missiles if ground launch control centers are destroyed.

Transferred to the 4950th Test Wing at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, in December 1975 as part of an overall consolidation of large test and evaluation aircraft, the ARIA fleet underwent numerous conversions - including a re-engineering that changed the EC-135N to the

EC-135E. In 1994, the ARIA fleet relocated to Edwards AFB, California, as part of the 412th Test Wing. However, tasks for the ARIA dwindled because of high costs and improved satellite technology, and the USAF transferred the aircraft to other programs such as J-STARS.

The U.S. Nuclear strategy depends on its ability to command, control, and communicate with its nuclear forces under all conditions. An essential element of that ability is Looking Glass; its crew and staff ensure there is always an aircraft ready to direct bombers and missiles from the air should ground-based command centers be destroyed or rendered inoperable.

Looking Glass is intended to guarantee that U.S. Strategic forces will act only in the manner dictated by the President. It took the nickname "Looking Glass" because the mission mirrored ground-based command, control, and communications. Besides being the program name, "Looking Glass" is the official name for the "C" model aircraft of the EC-135.

It has a crew of at least 15, including at least one or more general officers. The Boeing EC-135 was a command and control version of the C-135 Stratolifter. Modified for Operation Looking Glass mission, during the Cold War, EC-135 were airborne 24 hours a day to serve as flying command platforms for the military in the event of nuclear war.

EC-135N served as tracking aircraft for the Apollo space program. At the start of the flight test program in the mid-1980s, the BO 108 was intended merely as a technology platform to investigate advanced systems. No one was sure whether the model would actually make it into production.

By the early 1990s, after designers had spent considerable effort maximizing the interior space of the helicopter and incorporating advanced rigid rotor technology, a newly redesigned fenestron tail, anti-resonance isolation systems and composite main structures, momentum for a full certification test program began to

coalesce around what many within Aerospatiale recognized could be a world-beating helicopter. Next I made a 180 to the south, heading back along the other side of the river. Again, my turn was benign, although a bit steeper than the ones before.

Flying in the EC 135 was a blast, and all I could think of as we cut past the megalithic New York City skyline off our left side and headed back for Kearny was how lucky guys like Dave Burchill are.

Nightwatch was initiated in the mid-1960s utilizing the three EC-135J aircraft, modified from KC-135Bs, as command post aircraft. The three Nightwatch aircraft were ready to fly the President and the National Command Authority (NCA) out of Washington in the event of a nuclear attack.

The E-4 aircraft (a modified Boeing 747-200) came on line with the Nightwatch program in 1974 replacing the EC-135s on this mission.[4] With a smooth but quick motion, he cranked the helicopter over to the left — the horizon was suddenly tilted at a sharp angle.

Just as briskly, Burchill hauled the EC 135 to the right and into a hard bank the other way. The Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft are EC-135Bs modified C-135B cargo aircraft and EC-18B (former American Airlines 707-320) passenger aircraft that provided tracking and telemetry information to support the US space program in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

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