Date set for final Ariane 5 rocket launch

Arianespace is planning to launch an Ariane 5 rocket next week that will place two satellites in space, one for Germany and one for France.

Designated Flight VA261, this will be the 117th and last mission using an Ariane 5. The launcher will be replaced by the new European heavy launcher Ariane 6.

The German satellite, Heinrich-Hertz-Satellit, is for the German Space Agency. The second payload, SYRACUSE 4B, is for the French Armament General Directorate.

The launch is planned for 5:28 p.m. EDT on Friday (June 16).

Both satellites will be placed into a Geostationary Transfer Orbit approximately 30 minutes after liftoff.

For this launch, Arianespace will serve, for the first time, the German Space Agency on behalf of the German Government by orbiting the Heinrich-Hertz-Satellit, as well as the French Ministry of Defence, owner of the SYRACUSE 4B satellite.

The Heinrich-Hertz-Mission is the first dedicated German telecommunications satellite-based mission that will be used to conduct research and test new technologies. The mission is managed by the German Space Agency on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and with the participation of the German Federal Ministry of Defence. The Heinrich-Hertz-Satellit was mainly developed and built by OHB System.

SYRACUSE 4B will provide better telecommunications services for the French military. The satellite will work in conjunction with SYRACUSE 4A, already in orbit, to connect armed forces when deployed. The satellites will also support North Atlantic Treaty Organization operations.

The SYRACUSE 4B and SYRACUSE 4A satellites were developed by Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space.

The June 16 launch will be the 347th launch for the European-based launch service provider Arianespace. Heinrich-Hertz-Satellit and SYRACUSE 4B will be the 1,152nd and 1,153rd satellites to be launched by Arianespace.

Experimental plane crashes in Virginia killing a father and son

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the crash of an experimental plane near Colonial Beach, Va., that killed a father and son. The accident happened on Wednesday, the NTSB said in a post on Twitter.

At 10:28 a.m. Wednesday, Virginia State Police (VSP) responded to a plane crash in the area of 687 Layton Landing Rd. in Colonial Beach, Va. “A Vans R6 model single-engine plane had crashed in a cornfield near a driveway, then, caught fire,” VSP said in a statement.

The pilot, Logan Edward Woodworth, 28, and his passenger Bruce Edward Woodworth, 57, both of Wilmington, N.C., formerly residents of the Northern Neck, were both confirmed deceased on the scene. No one on the ground was injured.

The crash remains under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and NTSB.

2023 Fatal Plane Crashes In Virginia

June - Cessna jet bound for New York crashes near Staunton, Va.

March - Preliminary report investigating plane crash in Hillsville, Va., released by NTSB

February - NTSB releases preliminary report on plane crash in Rockingham County, Va.

January - NTSB report shows pilot and passenger were in plane “not to be flown”

Cessna jet bound for New York crashes near Staunton, Va.

A Cessna Citation jet was destroyed when it disappeared from radar screens and crashed near Staunton, Va., on Sunday.

Flight tracking data from websites like Flightaware.com show that the plane left Elizabethton Municipal Airport, Tenn., on Sunday and headed for Long Island MacArthur Airport in New York.

The jet never landed in New York and made a course reversal about one hour and 15 minutes into the flight and continued a straight path for about 50 miles.

Flight tracking data shows that the airplane began a rapidly descending right spiral from 34,000 feet, followed by another spiral at 20,000 ft. The FAA confirmed the jet crashed near Staunton, Va.

The aircraft is a Cessna 560 Citation V (registration N611VG) manufactured in 1990. The multi-engine jet is registered to Encore Motors of Melbourne Inc. in Florida, according to FAA records.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command sent F-16 aircraft to intercept the unresponsive jet once it entered airspace near Washington, D.C.

The F-16 aircraft made several attempts to establish contact with the pilot until it crashed. The jet was intercepted at approximately 3:20 p.m. EDT. The pilot was unresponsive. The Cessna soon crashed near the George Washington National Forest in Virginia.

This is the fourth fatal plane crash in Virginia now under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board in 2023. Two fatal plane crashes were reported near Suffork and Dayton in January and one in Hillsville, Va., in February.

Five-year UH-60 maintenance contract for Virginia Air National Guard

The Virginia Army National Guard is soliciting for a contractor to provide Phase 1 & 2 maintenance for the UH-60 Blackhawks at the Virginia Army Aviation Support Facility (AASF).

“The government intends to award a single contract to the qualified offeror,” the Army said in a contract solicitation released Wednesday.

The contractor will furnish all labor and services required to provide a wide range of maintenance and related administrative services. The base period of performance for the contract is Aug. 1 through July 31, 2024, with four, one-year option periods.

The Army Aviation Support Facility of the Virginia Army National Guard is responsible for Aviation Unit Maintenance, Aviation Intermediate Maintenance and Depot/Sustainment repair of all Army National Guard helicopters in support of federal and state operations. The facility, located in Sandston, Va., provides full-time support to aviation units including flight operations, safety, maintenance, standardization and training.

Approximately 120 full-time employees at the AASF and the annex at the Chesterfield County Airport support 18 UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters, three HH-60 medical evacuation Black Hawk helicopters, four UH-72 Lakota light utility helicopters and a C-12 twin turboprop passenger and cargo aircraft.

Ryanair orders up to 300 Boeing 737 MAX planes

Europe's leading low-cost airline, Ryanair, has selected the largest Boeing 737 MAX model to power its future growth with an order for up to 300 airplanes. The purchase agreement, announced by Boeing on Tuesday, is the biggest in Ryanair's history and includes a firm order for 150 737-10 jets and options for 150 more.

Ryanair has deployed a growing fleet of 737-8-200 airplanes to accelerate its post-pandemic recovery and meet strong travel demand. The 197-seat 737-8-200 model has helped the airline reduce fuel use and emissions by over 20% compared to the airplanes they are replacing. The new order announced on Tuesday adds the larger 737-10 variant, which offers 228 seats.

“These new, fuel-efficient, greener technology aircraft offer 21% more seats, burn 20% less fuel and are 50% quieter than our B737-NGs," said Michael O'Leary, Ryanair's Group CEO.

"We expect half of this order will replace older NGs while the remaining 150 aircraft will facilitate controlled, sustainable growth,” O’Leary said in a Boeing press release. “This order, coupled with our remaining Gamechanger deliveries, will create 10,000 new jobs for highly paid aviation professionals over the next decade," O'Leary said.

He added, "In addition to delivering significant revenue and market growth opportunities across Europe, we expect these new larger more efficient aircraft to drive further unit cost savings, which will be passed on to passengers in lower air fares. The extra seats, lower fuel burn and more competitive aircraft pricing supported by our strong balance sheet will widen the cost gap between Ryanair and competitor EU airlines for many years to come."

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Caesars Virginia gets application approval, new casino opens next month

Caesars Virginia became the third approved casino operator in the commonwealth on Wednesday. The Virginia Lottery Board approved its application to open a casino in Danville, Va.

This comes after a comprehensive review of application materials submitted by Caesars Virginia, LLC and an extensive background investigation by the Virginia Lottery.

Under legislation passed by the General Assembly in 2020, the Virginia Lottery licenses and regulates casinos and sports betting in the commonwealth.

Caesars Virginia will be the third casino to open in the commonwealth behind Hard Rock’s Bristol Casino and Rivers Casino Portsmouth. Hard Rock received its license approval in April 2022 and subsequently opened the doors of its temporary facility to the public in July 2022. Rivers Casino Portsmouth received its license approval in November 2022 and opened publicly in January 2023.

“For months, the Lottery’s Gaming Compliance Department and legal team have conducted background investigations and examined every detail of this application,” said Virginia Lottery Executive Director Kelly Gee. “Those investigations include not just Caesar’s Virginia, but all the vendors and employees.”

Caesar’s will initially operate at a "temporary facility" while it prepares to open its permanent resort next year.

Caesars Virginia will open its doors on May 15 at 10 a.m.