Sikorsky S-76d Flies the Latest Variant in Sikorsky’s S-76 Family, the S-76d, Completed Its First Flight on February 7 From Sikorsky’s Florida Facility. Sikorsky Chief Test Pilot Greg Barnes and Pilot Mike Hardy Manoeuvred the Prototype Through Taxi, Hover, Hover Turns and Forward Flight to 40kt in a Test Flight That Lasted Approximately 30 Minutes.

10 Years Ago • The first two-crew MD-10 freighter conversion of the DC‑10, N386FE, had its first flight from Long Beach, California, on April 10. After the four hour 25min test flight the aircraft landed at Williams Gateway Airport, Mesa, Arizona. Fedex has ordered 79 Boeing MD-10 conversions for DC-10s. • Airbus Industrie will continue

With the future of the USAF’s F-22 Raptor program soon to be decided upon as part of the Obama administration’s FY2010 defence budget, many political figures and pro-F-22 commentators and supporters have been ramping up their lobbying efforts in an attempt to influence the decision makers. The F-22 is undoubtedly the world’s best air-to-air combat

The Rand KR-2 The KR-2 homebuilt was the more common, two seat development of Ken Rand’s nineteen seventies, high efficiency, little single seat KR-1 sports plane – an early foray into foam and glassfibre constructed aeroplanes that preceded even the nowadays more common Vari-Eze. Ken Rand was a professional flight test engineer with the Douglas