Virginia Lottery passes casino gaming regulations, waits on governor approval

Casino gaming in Virginia moved forward on Wednesday with approval by the Virginia Lottery Board of proposed permanent casino gaming regulations. The regulations build upon initial emergency casino regulations previously approved by the board on Feb. 3. The proposed permanent regulations now go to the governor for approval, after which there will be a 60-day public comment period, leading up to final approval by the Lottery Board.

“The Lottery’s Gaming Compliance Department and Office of General Counsel have been diligently working to set up the regulatory and licensing framework to ensure casino gaming in Virginia is secure and transparent,” said Virginia Lottery Executive Director Kevin Hall. “In this role, we see the Lottery as the public’s watchdog, confirming that the law and regulations are followed, and the integrity of casino gambling is protected.”

Currently there are four proposed land-based casinos in Virginia: Bristol, Danville, Norfolk and Portsmouth. Each was approved by voters in local referenda in November 2020. A fifth proposed casino, in the City of Richmond, is on a different timetable and has not yet been approved by local voters. It is expected to be on the ballot in November.

The Virginia General Assembly assigned regulatory oversight of expanded gaming in the Commonwealth to the Virginia Lottery in 2020. Expanded gaming is comprised of both land-based casinos and mobile sports wagering.

There are ten approved permit holders to provide sports betting in the commonwealth, with seven currently accepting wagers: BetMGM, BetRivers, DraftKings, FanDuel, Unibet, William Hill and WynnBET.

Current plans show land-based casinos opening as early as 2023 in the commonwealth.

Contract: Transportation of three P-8A Poseidon aircraft engines

The Naval Air Systems Command in support of the Maritime, Patrol, and Reconnaissance Aircraft Program Office is seeking quotes to fulfill the requirement for the transportation of three P-8A Poseidon aircraft engines. The three engines: one for the Royal Australian Air Force, one for New Zealand, and one for the Republic of Korea, are manufactured by CFM International.

“The contractor will be required to provide transportation/shipping of three CFM 56-7B27AE engines including engine records and logbooks, shipment trailer, engine stand, and engine cover, from CFM’s facility located in Peebles, Ohio, to Everett, Wash.,” Navy officials said in contract documents released Tuesday.

The contractor shall transport two engines in November, and there is an option that may require transport of one engine on or about July 2022. For the November shipment, two engines can be transported together on one truck, but it is unlikely and there is no guarantee that both will be available for pickup within the same seven day period, and if not, two trucks and two November shipments will be required, Navy officials said.

The selected contractor shall arrange transportation and pick up each engine at CFM's facility within seven calendar days of receipt of the notification of availability from the government. The first engine will be available on or about Nov. 15. Storage is not authorized and therefore the selected vendor will be required to pick up each engine within seven calendar days of notification that it is available and transport it to the location specified as efficiently as possible. Once picked up, the selected vendor will have seven calendar days to deliver the engine to the Everett, Wash., location.

CFM will provide the shipping base which will be attached to the engine, place the engine on the truck, and monitor the chaining and tarping of the CFM56-7 engine by the selected vendor, and then release the engine for transportation. The shipping contractor is not responsible for the unloading of the material and Boeing will assume custody of the engine from the beginning of the off load procedure. Boeing will offload the CFM56-7 engine upon arrival as Boeing has several forklifts available for this specific purpose.

Each engine has an estimated replacement cost of approximately $14 million.

Eviation Aircraft unveils design for its Alice all-electric aircraft

Eviation Aircraft, a global manufacturer of all-electric aircraft, unveiled the design for its Alice all-electric aircraft, which is on track for first flight later this year. The production configuration, optimized based on real-world lessons learned and customer feedback, defines Alice's path to certification and entry into service expected in 2024.

Alice, a nine-passenger, two-crew member aircraft, produces no carbon emissions, significantly reduces noise, and costs a fraction to operate per flight hour. The aircraft is powered by two magni650 electric propulsion units from magniX, the only flight proven electric propulsion systems at this scale. The advanced fly-by-wire system is made by Honeywell, the market leader in such systems. The single-volume, high-energy density Alice battery system is made from currently available battery cells and is not reliant on future advancements.

Avianca Airlines aims to promote tourism to El Salvador

Ontario International Airport (ONT) officials are celebrating the launch of Avianca Airlines' service to El Salvador – the first of its kind between the Inland Empire to Central America. More than 100 passengers were expected aboard Avianca's history making inaugural flight Thursday night.

The Bogota, Colombia-based carrier will operate three flights a week from ONT to San Salvador International Airport (SAL), El Salvador.

"Our flight schedule will reach 90% of pre-pandemic levels this month as Ontario experiences the quickest recovery among airports in California,” said Mark Thorpe, chief executive officer of Ontario International Airport Authority. “In addition to Avianca's historic El Salvador service, airlines operating at ONT are offering nonstop service to two dozen popular destinations this summer, six more than the summer of 2019, including Charlotte, Chicago (O'Hare International), Honolulu, Houston (William P. Hobby Airport) and Mexico City."

Avianca will operate from Terminal 2 at ONT and serve the ONT-SAL route with Airbus 319 aircraft, accommodating as many as 120 passengers in business and economy class seating.

Estes model rocket company ready to support large aerospace companies

Estes Industries, the world leader in small solid-propellant rocket motors, announced Monday the creation of a spin-out company designed to serve government and industry customers. Known as Estes Energetics, the new company provides full-spectrum engineering capabilities and bridges the gap between the hobby rocket industry and large aerospace companies. With the formation of Estes Energetics, customers now have an agile and innovative source for solid rocket motors.

Estes Energetics will deliver research, development, rapid prototyping, testing, integration, and production for small solid rocket motors for a range of atmospheric and space applications. Utilizing the company's rapid prototyping capabilities, the Estes Energetics team recently completed the development of a booster motor for a rocket-launched unmanned aircraft for a prime defense contractor, taking the design from initial concept to delivery of an initial production lot in less than six months.

Estes Energetics is led by Karl Kulling, who has over fifteen years' experience leading engineering, manufacturing, and business development in aerospace and other industries. He most recently built and led the Future Vertical Lift strategy team at Bell and previous led one of Bell's composites manufacturing facilities. Karl started his aerospace career at Aurora Flight Sciences as a leader in the research and development organization.

FAA plans purchase of Bombardier Challenger jets

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Flight Program Operations has a requirement to purchase up to four used Bombardier Challenger 605 and/or 650 aircraft. The agency made the announcement in a contract solicitation document released in June.

The FAA intends to procure each aircraft on a separate contract, according to the solicitation. “Aircraft will be procured over the next two to three years depending on market conditions and funding availability,” the FAA said in the solicitation. “The government does not have a preference between Challenger 605 aircraft or Challenger 650 aircraft."

Successful first flight for Boeing's 737-10 jet

Boeing's 737-10, the largest airplane in the 737 MAX family, completed a successful first flight on Friday. The airplane took off from Renton Field in Renton, Wash., at 10:07 a.m. and landed at 12:38 p.m. at Boeing Field in Seattle.

"The airplane performed beautifully," said 737 Chief Pilot Capt. Jennifer Henderson. "The profile we flew allowed us to test the airplane's systems, flight controls and handling qualities, all of which checked out exactly as we expected."

Friday's flight was the start of a comprehensive test program for the 737-10. Boeing will work closely with regulators to certify the airplane prior to its scheduled entry into service in 2023.

The 737-10 can carry up to 230 passengers. It also incorporates environmental improvements, cutting carbon emissions by 14 percent and reducing noise by 50 percent compared to today's Next-Generation 737s.