The regulator on Tuesday authorized commercial drone flights without visual observers (VOs) in Dallas-area airspace for two companies: Zipline and Wing, the drone delivery subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet. The firms will manage the airspace themselves with FAA oversight.

“The industry is providing us with a lot of detailed documentation, and we’re providing a lot of oversight,” said Jarrett Larrow, regulatory and policy lead at the FAA’s Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Office. “These public-private partnerships are key to safely integrating drones into our National Airspace System.”

Both Zipline and Wing have robust drone delivery services in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in partnership with Walmart. But limiting the firms is a pesky regulation called the beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) rule, which limits drone operations to within the drone operator’s field of view of the operator.

The FAA is working to release the Normalizing UAS BVLOS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which would authorize drone operators to fly aircraft where they cannot physically see them. It expects to finalize the measure this year.

But in lieu of a firm rule, the regulator awards BVLOS permissions on a case-by-case basis through waivers. Typically, these exemptions require the companies to maintain VOs along delivery routes to monitor their drones. However, a handful of companies have been able to replace VOs with proprietary or third-party detect and avoid systems or UAS traffic management (UTM) software.

Without these permissions, drone delivery companies are greatly limited in the scope of their operations, which, in order to keep eyes on the aircraft at all times, are often constricted to small areas.

The new FAA authorization seeks to change that, at least in the Dallas area.

Beginning in August, Zipline and Wing will be allowed to deliver packages using UTM technology to keep their drones from colliding. In short, airspace would be managed by private companies with FAA oversight.

“This is the first time the FAA has recognized a third-party to safely manage drone-to-drone interactions,” said Praveen Raju, a program manager in the FAA’s NextGen Office. “As always, safety comes first, and we required exhaustive research and testing before giving the green light.”

Zipline and Wing will use UTM to share flight data and routes with other airspace users, with all flights occurring below 400 feet agl and far away from crewed aircraft. Consensus standards developed by the drone industry and accepted by the FAA describe how the technology can accommodate multiple layers of drone operations, according to the regulator.

The agency also said that Zipline and Wing since 2023 have safely conducted thousands of live drone test flights in shared Dallas-area airspace. Now, commercial flights are expected to provide the FAA with valuable information that could allow it to expand BVLOS operations without special exemptions nationwide.

The regulator on Tuesday said companies and organizations worldwide have shown interest in the project and how they can install their own UTM systems in the U.S.

“UTM is a critical piece for safe, routine, scalable BVLOS operations and to ensure everyone has equitable access to the airspace,” Larrow said. “If service providers and operators are successful in cooperatively sharing the airspace using UTM, it will be a repeatable process nationwide.”

Zipline and Wing were among the first drone delivery firms to obtain Part 135 operator permissions from the FAA and have worked closely with the regulator for years. Should the agency continue to look to the companies to pilot BVLOS operations, it may add permissions to their service areas in other states such as Arkansas, Utah, and Virginia.

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Walmart—which uses drones from partners such as Zipline and Wing to deliver within minutes to customers nationwide—on Tuesday said it would add 1.8 million households to its Dallas-Fort Worth service area, which will soon cover three-quarters of the area’s population. According to the retailer, no U.S. company has offered drone delivery to as many households in a single market.

The expansion adds stores in 30 towns and municipalities to Walmart’s existing Dallas-Fort Worth service, which itself is part of a network spanning nearly 40 hubs in seven states. 

Zipline and Wing, both of which were recently approved by the FAA to fly their drones beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) of a visual observer, will power the deliveries. The companies’ new permissions—part of an FAA push to grow the industry within the U.S.—will allow them to fly further than previously permitted.

“Customers will have access to a broad assortment of items from Walmart available for delivery to their home in just minutes,” said Prathibha Rajashekhar, senior vice president of innovation and automation for Walmart U.S. “Drone delivery is not just a concept of the future, it’s happening now and will soon be a reality for millions of additional Texans.”

Walmart said Dallas-Fort Worth customers can expect the buzzing aircraft to arrive in as little as 10 minutes but no more than 30. Across two years of trials, the retailer has completed more than 20,000 deliveries of items such as snacks, beverages, and cold medicines, including fragile cargo such as eggs. Thousands of items are eligible for drone delivery, but customers must be within 10 miles of a store offering the service.

With the expansion, Dallas-Fort Worth is shaping up to be Walmart’s largest U.S. drone delivery market initially. But the retailer has an additional 4,700 stores located within 10 miles of 90 percent of the U.S. population, adding plenty of room for scale when the time comes.

Zipline, which has worked with Walmart since 2021, is actually the world’s largest drone delivery provider by sheer volume. The company has flown more than 60 million commercial miles, completing 880,000 deliveries in the process. Wing, which ranks second on the list, has made about 350,000 deliveries, according to its website.

Tuesday’s announcement added more food and convenience delivery to Zipline’s profile, which largely comprises medical shipments of blood, vaccines, and other critical cargo. The company said the expansion will allow it to serve 1,000 times as many Walmart customers. For the past two years, it’s delivered from a store in Arkansas, where it says customers now perceive operations as “totally normal.”

By the time Zipline and Walmart begin an operational pilot later this year, the company expects to have completed tens of thousands of trials with Platform 2 (P2), its next-generation delivery system. 

Among other things, P2 will introduce a modified drone, docking, charging, and delivery infrastructure for businesses, and an autonomous droid capable of guiding packages to spaces as small as a patio table. It aims to automate more tasks for customers and enable more precise drop-offs than the company’s existing system, which uses a parachute.

P2 is expected to roll out across the U.S. this year—including in Dallas-Fort Worth following pilot flights with Walmart.

“Autonomous delivery is finally ready for national scale in the U.S.” said Keller Rinaudo Cliffton, co-founder and CEO of Zipline. “Zipline is excited to enable Walmart’s vision of providing customer delivery so fast it feels like teleportation…We’re excited for folks across Dallas-Fort Worth to experience delivery that is seven times as fast, zero emissions, and whisper quiet.”

Like Zipline, Wing, a subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet, has spent the past few years developing its U.S. network with Walmart.

The company has four years of commercial residential service under its belt, including more than a year and a half in DFW. Those operations recently ramped up with deliveries out of two Walmart Supercenters in the suburbs of Frisco and Lewisville, reaching a combined 60,000 households. Wing expects its next expansion to be completed within the year and add “millions” of customers.

In four months of service in Dallas-Fort Worth with Walmart, customers have been clamoring for more, with the top 25 percent of customers ordering twice per week on average, Wing said. Sustainability is a proposition to customers, but so is speed—the company’s drones typically spend just five minutes in the air during a delivery.

Now, range could become a selling point. With its recent FAA approval, Wing can expand its delivery zone beyond the previously enforced 6-mile radius. That means each of its delivery sites will be able to reach more customers.

“Our first few months delivering to Walmart customers have made it clear: Demand for drone delivery is real,” said Wing CEO Adam Woodworth. “The response has been incredible from customers ordering drone delivery from Walmart every day, and it’s a testament to our partnership that we’re now expanding our footprint to bring this innovative delivery option to millions of Texans. If this milestone is any indication, we believe 2024 is the year of drone delivery.”

Zipline and Wing were among the first U.S. firms to receive FAA Part 135 air carrier approval, which allows them to fly drones commercially. Only five companies in the space have those permissions, with the others being Amazon Prime Air, UPS Flight Forward, and Causey Aviation Unmanned, the partner of another Walmart collaborator, Israeli manufacturer Flytrex.

Drone delivery has not quite reached the mass adoption phase. But with Walmart’s massive expansion, that point is beginning to enter focus.

The key to scale will be the finalization of drone delivery regulations, which are still being developed. The FAA, for example, has proposed final rules for BVLOS operations and is coordinating with industry stakeholders to get it on the books. Until that happens, companies will need to rely on waivers like Zipline or Wing’s to start flying.

Those early operations—Walmart’s among them—will help the FAA learn what restrictions may need to be added, removed, or modified. In the meantime, less established competitors will continue to languish under heavy limitations. But the hope is that Walmart, Zipline, and Wing can give the FAA the confidence to open things up for the rest of the industry.

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About 210,000 now live in Frisco, to the northwest of the fast-growing Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. But that’s not the buzzing I’m referring to. Because accompanying that influx of residents are the first flights of a new technology: drones.

I spent last week in Dallas covering UP.Summit, an annual, invite-only gathering of some of the biggest movers and shakers in the transportation world. Among the attendees were senior U.S. defense officials, state and federal lawmakers, former presidents and prime ministers, and executives from some of the top firms in the industry.

Adam Woodworth, CEO of Wing, fell into the latter group. At UP.Summit, Woodworth detailed the next phase of the company, which is owned by Google parent Alphabet. A large part of that road map relies on Dallas, where Wing last month launched drone delivery out of a Walmart Supercenter in Frisco. It plans to add a second store in the coming months.

A Wing spokesperson gave me an inside look at the company’s newest operation, complete with a simulated delivery to show how its drones take off, navigate, deliver, and return to the Supercenter—all on their own. Read on to see exactly how Wing delivers, hear Woodworth’s vision for drone delivery, and get an outlook on the service as it starts to hit the U.S. market.

The Setup

After listening to Woodworth speak, I hopped in an Uber and headed to Frisco, where I met a Wing spokesperson in front of the Walmart Supercenter at 8555 Preston Road. I didn’t see the operation at first. But upon closer inspection, I came across a small, fenced in area in the parking lot. It took up just two rows of parking spaces and was about the size of a tennis court.

The spokesperson emphasized Wing’s ability to fit into Walmart’s framework seamlessly. After all, the largest retailer in the world needs the parking space for customers, and its associates don’t necessarily have the bandwidth to run a drone delivery operation. 

So, Wing keeps things compact and asset-light. Its store-to-door model, first launched in Australia’s Gold Coast region with grocer Coles, allows it to set up operations in the nooks and crannies of brick-and-mortar stores: in parking lots, on roofs, or in unused space nearby. Meanwhile, all Walmart workers need to do is bring orders to the fenced-in service area.

I arrived at the Frisco Supercenter just minutes before operations began at 10:30 a.m. CDT. A handful of employees were present. But they had little to do as 18 Wing drones charged on launch pads, performing routine maintenance checks on their own.

Even as orders started to come in, staffers—about five of whom were present at any given time—mostly just sat back and watched the drones do their thing. 

An automated flight planning and uncrewed traffic management (UTM) system charted the path of each suitcase-sized aircraft, accounting for factors such as weather, time of day, and the presence of other objects in the airspace. The system also flags issues as they arise and responds to them as needed (such as by grounding a drone assessed to be unfit for operations, for example.)

Ground support operators were on-site, as is the case at other Wing locations. Their job is simple: When a drone encounters an issue, it tells them exactly what the problem is and where it’s located, and the staffer makes what is usually an easy fix. For more complex repairs, drones are set aside to be shipped to a dedicated facility. But there were no hiccups when I was present.

While there was also a pilot at the Frisco site, he was only there for me. The flights I witnessed were actually overseen from a Remote Operations Center in another Dallas suburb, Coppell, about an hour’s drive away.

That facility and another near Wing’s Palo Alto, California, headquarters control the company’s operations nationwide, including its service in Christiansburg, Virginia. Pilots at these centers are akin to air traffic controllers, watching dots on a screen.

All of that automation and remote oversight left Walmart associates with a simple task: Bring orders out to the drones. From there, a Wing order loader attached the payload to the drone’s tether, using a tablet to match it to the right aircraft.

Soon, staffers will have even less to do. Wing recently introduced the AutoLoader, a new piece of tech that will allow workers to leave containers out for the drones to pick up themselves. The company demonstrated the concept at UP.Summit, likening it to curbside pickup.

How It’s Delivered

The Wing spokesperson simulated a delivery so that I—and now you—could see the whole process in action.

The order (a water bottle) was sent to the order loader, who waited for the drone to rise and release its tether before attaching a small, Walmart-branded container. Then, the aircraft ascended and zipped off to its destination, a nearby staging area.

Initially, the buzzing was pretty loud. But it quickly faded into the background as the drone reached cruising altitude, making it difficult to hear unless you were listening for it.

In the air, it cruised at 65 mph (56 knots) at roughly 200 feet, beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) of the ground crew. Because flights are preplanned, the drone accounted for how conditions such as wind would affect its battery. Still, onboard sensors kept an eye out for any unexpected changes, and the spokesperson said the drone could continue flying in moderate rain or even snow.

As we walked to the staging area, a countdown timer on the Wing app gave us an ETA. The spokesperson assured me this was exact, since the entire route was planned in advance. Sure enough, like clockwork, the drone emerged on the horizon on schedule, descending to about 25 feet before lowering the order to the ground with its tether. If pulled, the tether and payload would release and the aircraft would return to the parking lot.

A countdown on the Wing app estimated the delivery time down to the second. [Jack Daleo/FLYING]

Finally, water bottle in hand, I walked with the spokesperson back to the staging area, where the drone returned to the landing pad just six minutes after the order was initially placed. That’s far less time than a delivery driver would need to complete the trip. While the service is still relatively small, Wing envisions those same benefits for retailers nationwide.

Wing Is Not Winging It

Some drone delivery companies have struggled to garner customers due to overly ambitious plans, premature launches, or some combination of the two. Wing, with its deliberate approach, is not one of them.

In the 30 or so minutes I spent at the Frisco Supercenter, I saw at least 10 organic orders come in from customers. Residents within 6 miles of the store can pick from over 1,000 items (the most popular being rotisserie chicken), including fragile items like eggs, since the container locks into place in the air to prevent swaying. Frozen foods such as ice cream are also on the menu, even in Texas, because delivery times can be as fast as three minutes.

The store—combined with another, unnamed Supercenter that will begin service later this year—is expected to serve about 60,000 households. And customers have been clamoring for Wing to add even more coverage in the region, according to the spokesperson.

But Dallas is just the tip of the iceberg. Wing so far has completed more than 350,000 deliveries, with the vast majority happening outside the U.S.

The company got its start in Canberra, Australia, in 2019, expanding to the suburb of Logan and adding service in Helsinki later that year. To date, Logan is the company’s largest service—on some days, it handles over 1,000 deliveries, or one every 25 seconds. Partnerships with restaurants such as KFC have given its Australia business a boost.

Recently, Wing expanded operations in Queensland with property development group Mirvac and on-demand delivery provider DoorDash, which has an integration with the company’s service. Instead of using the Wing app, Queensland customers simply place their orders on DoorDash and select the drone delivery option.

In the U.S., operations are less substantial. Wing began serving Christiansburg, Virginia, in 2019, where one couple has received more than 1,200 deliveries. Outside Christiansburg and Dallas, it’s largely been limited to testing and demonstrations: A delivery of Coors beer and peanuts to Coors Field in Denver, the drop-off of a ceremonial tee-off golf ball for the Sports Illustrated Invitational, and some testing near its Palo Alto headquarters and Hillwood’s AllianceTexas.

Wing is also partnered with Walgreens to expand store-to-door service in the U.S. and is working with Hillwood to prepare a special delivery facility at Frisco Station, a mixed-use development not far from the Supercenter.

Speaking at UP.Summit, Woodworth was bullish on Wing’s domestic prospects. He emphasized a few tricks the company has up its sleeve, such as the Wing Delivery Network philosophy it revealed last year. The decentralized, automated system will share resources across each of the company’s service areas based on spikes and lulls in demand. That way, Wing can send capacity wherever it’s needed, allowing it to service larger, more populated areas.

Woodworth also highlighted Wing’s Aircraft Library team, which develops new drone configurations based on components the company already uses. The idea is to help meet the unique payload, range, or other requirements of its customers. Then there’s the AutoLoader, which figures to make matters significantly easier for store associates.

Combined with a small ground footprint, high levels of automation, and APIs (like the one for DoorDash) to integrate drone delivery directly into customers’ sales channels, Wing’s new tools should push it toward offering a service that’s fast, cheap, and good—not just two of the three—as Woodworth put it.

Walmart will certainly hope that’s the case. The retailer is looking to jumpstart its drone delivery business, which it said has completed just 10,000 deliveries over the past two years. That’s despite operating a total of 36 hubs across seven states in partnership with DroneUp, Flytrex, and Zipline, the industry leader in terms of sheer volume with 700,000 deliveries and counting.

According to McKinsey, Zipline and Wing are not the only key players in the space. It said more than 10 drone operators made at least 5,000 commercial deliveries in 2022, delivering nearly 875,000 packages (an 80 percent increase over 2021). And with 500,000 deliveries completed through the end of June, the company forecasts over 1 million by year’s end.

The majority of these are healthcare deliveries centered in Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, largely owing to Zipline’s dominance. But per data from McKinsey, North American market share is on the rise this year, while the European market is fading.

The North American market would get a lift from more clarity on BVLOS operations. An FAA committee began developing regulations in 2021, but there is still no final rule in sight. That could change with the passage of the House FAA reauthorization bill, which calls on the agency to produce a BVLOS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking within four months of its effective date.

As things stand, Wing operates BVLOS under a Part 135 certificate, becoming the first drone delivery firm to obtain one in 2019. But the process is often expensive and lengthy, with Zipline, Amazon, UPS Flight Forward, and Flytrex partner Causey Aviation Unmanned holding the only other approvals. 

The cheaper, shorter alternative is a waiver to section 91.113(b), which the FAA awards intermittently. Recently, Zipline, UPS and a few other firms successfully took this route. 

But a final BVLOS rule would allow Wing and others to scale, expanding current service areas and adding new ones in places spread out, hard to reach, or obstructed by obstacles (such as tall buildings). It could also reduce costs by allowing drone firms to assign a single pilot to multiple aircraft, as Wing does, and offer customers a simpler path to sustainable operations as executives focus increasingly on ESG initiatives.

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The massive retailer on Thursday announced a partnership with Wing, the drone delivery arm of Google parent Alphabet, to deliver quick meals, groceries, household essentials, over-the-counter medicines, and more to residents through the air. Deliveries are expected to arrive in under 30 minutes straight to the customer’s yard, driveway, front door step, or other location of their choosing. 

The service will launch from two Walmart Supercenters in the coming weeks and reach around 60,000 homes.

“This is a major milestone for Wing as we continue down our path toward building capabilities to support some of the most significant delivery operations in the world,” wrote Shannon Nash, chief financial officer of Wing, in a blog post. “Our technology is designed to complement existing delivery offerings, making overall systems more efficient and able to meet real customer needs.”

The partners will begin with a Walmart store at 8555 Preston Road in the northern suburb of Frisco, adding large sections of the central and eastern parts of the town to its service area. Customers had been requesting an expansion since the service began delivering to Frisco in 2021.

Dallas-Fort Worth area residents can determine if they are eligible for drone deliveries by downloading the Wing app, creating an account, and entering their address. A “Coming Soon” message means you’ll be eligible for the new service on Day 1. The app may also say you are eligible, but do not live in the right area—Wing said it will add additional neighborhoods soon and to check back “in a few weeks.”

A second nearby store will join the delivery network before the end of this year, with more expected down the road. For now, the service will be available to homes within 6 miles of participating stores.

When the expanded Dallas service launches, Wing said it will expand hours of operation to 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. to provide more evening service. It will also extend availability to six days a week, delivering every day except Wednesday.

For Walmart, the partnership builds on more than two years operating drone delivery services in the U.S. The retailer has completed more than 10,000 deliveries out of 36 stores across seven states. It currently operates 11 drone hubs in the Dallas area and will now add two more. Most of these are overseen by longtime drone logistics partner DroneUp.

“Working with Wing directly aligns with our passion for finding innovative and eco-friendly last-mile delivery solutions to get customers the items they want, when they want them,” wrote Prathibha Rajashekhar, senior vice president of innovation and automation for Walmart U.S., in a blog post. “With drones that can fly beyond visual line of sight, we’re able to unlock on-demand delivery for customers living within an approximate 6-mile range of the stores that offer the service.”

Wing’s drones cruise at around 65 mph and use a tether to deliver cargo to precise locations in urban and suburban settings. Operators oversee the aircraft from remote command centers, flying beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) in many cases. The company relies on its Wing Delivery Network model, which uses stores as delivery hubs, allocates drones across the network, and enables convenient options like curbside pickup.

Wing first landed in the Dallas area in 2021, when it began trialing a new delivery model that staged delivery drones in tiny hangars at Walgreens retail locations: on roofs, in parking lots, and adjacent to the building.

Its commercial service in the area launched in full in April 2022, delivering from Walgreens, Blue Bell Creameries, Easyvet, and an array of local and national retailers. At many locations, store associates load the drones rather than Wing employees. Earlier this year, it began offering special deliveries to events in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, such as sunscreen for pool parties or orange slices for soccer games.

The company also flies in Christiansburg, Virginia, where it launched its first U.S. service in 2019. Its biggest services, though, are in Australia; it’s flown in Queensland since 2019, where the city of Logan (a suburb of Brisbane) sometimes sees 1,000 deliveries per day. Wing has also delivered in Helsinki since 2019.

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Altitude deconflictions procedures are established in the event pilots find themselves at an improper altitude during the flight.

Six people were killed in the November 12 crash—five on the B-17G Texas Raiders and one on the Bell P-63F Kingcobra.

Both aircraft—B-17G, N7227C, and Bell P-63F, N6763—are registered to the American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum. Both were part of the Dallas, Texas-based Commemorative Air Force (CAF), a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and showing historical aircraft. The pilots were volunteers with the CAF.

Detailed Account

The weather at the time of the accident was reported as clear skies and the winds were from 350° 14 knots with gusts to 18 knots. Video of the event shows the aircraft were flying on a northerly heading parallel to Runway 31 as part of the parade of planes.

There were two show lines—one 500 feet from the audience, the other 1,000 feet from the audience. Show lines are established to keep aircraft from flying directly over the crowd.

According to the NTSB, The P-63F was third in a three-ship formation of fighters and the B-17G was lead of a five-ship formation of bombers.

• READ MORE: NTSB Launches Probe Following Dallas Airshow Accident

According to the recorded audio for the airshow radio transmissions, the air boss directed both the fighters and bombers to maneuver southwest of the runway before returning to the flying display area, which was the designated performance area. Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data shows the aircraft complied.

The air boss then directed the fighter formation to transition to a trail formation, to fly in front of the bombers, then proceed near the 500-feet show line.

The bombers were directed to fly the 1,000-feet show line.

When the fighter formation approached the display area, the P-63F was in a left bank. The fighter came up behind the B-17G, striking it on the left side just aft of the wing section. The accident happened around 1:22 p.m. in front of thousands of spectators. No ground injuries were reported.

The collision was captured on multiple smartphones from multiple angles, these videos and still photographs were quickly posted to social media. The images show the P-63F disintegrating, its parts raining down on the grassy area on airport property south of the approach end of Runway 31.

The impact cleaved the B-17G in two. The aft fuselage and empennage of the B-17G tumbled to earth while the wing and forward section of fuselage of the bomber caught fire. The forward section continued forward for a second, then cartwheeled to the ground, exploding on impact. The fire sent up thick black smoke visible for miles.

NTSB Investigation

Immediately following the accident, the NTSB dispatched a go-team to Dallas. During a press conference the day after the crash NTSB investigator Michael Graham requested anyone who had video or photographs of the accident to share them with investigators. Many spectators had already done so, giving investigators hundreds of images to scrutinize, he said.

According to the NTSB, the debris field was generally aligned on a magnetic heading of 320 degrees. Investigators spent several days mapping out, photographing and marking the wreckage. All major flight control components for both airplanes were located in the debris field. The wings from the fighter were found slightly south of the main B-17G wreckage. The empennage and rear fuselage of the B-17G was found south of the fighter’s wings.

Neither aircraft contained a black box, nor were they required to have them. Both aircraft were equipped with ADS-B and had GPS onboard. The GPS units were recovered and submitted to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory. In addition, the B-17G had an Avidyne IFD540 unit, which contained position information relevant to the accident. Investigators noted the GPSMap 496 from the fighter did not record any information for the accident flight.

The wreckage of both airplanes has been retained by NTSB for further examination.

The NTSB stressed that this information is preliminary and may change as the investigation continues. A final report on the accident is expected to be released approximately a year to 18 months from now.

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The midair collision of a Bell P-63 Kingcobra and the Boeing B-17 Texas Raiders at the Dallas Executive Airport (KRBD), just south of Dallas Love Field, became this past weekend’s news media spectacle. Tragically, six people dedicated to the mission of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) lost their lives on board the two aircraft.

Was the cause mechanical? Incapacitation? Momentary loss of situational awareness? Rather than join the accident speculation theorists, it seems more appropriate to apply the CAF mantra of, “educate, inspire, and honor,” to one of the victims who I admired and respected: Capt. Terry Barker. Assuming the other crew members were a reflection of Terry’s character, this writing is their tribute as well. Having been an Army veteran, and passionate about aviation, Terry was a natural fit for the CAF.

• READ MORE: NTSB Launches Probe Following Dallas Airshow Accident

Only 22 seniority numbers behind me, Terry and I became new-hires at American Airlines in September 1984. In less than six years, we were both captains. Terry became a North American F100 check airman, an Airbus A300 check airman, a Boeing 767 check airman, and eventually a Boeing 777 check airman. He was a fervent supporter of our pilot union, assisting on the check airman committee as chairman and also on the training committee, working with base chief pilots to address training issues.

As an example of Terry’s leadership, he diverted a 777 to Shemya, Alaska, in the Aleutian Island chain as a result of a cargo fire indication. None of the almost 200 passengers bound for Tokyo from Dallas were injured. Despite the fact that Shemya is a sparsely manned U.S. Air Force base in the middle of nowhere, Terry and his crew worked on the logistics of routing the airplane back eastbound to Anchorage, leaving bags behind because of the inoperative cargo fire suppression system. Arrangements were made for another airplane to complete the original mission to Tokyo.

One of my mutual check airman friends recalls that shortly after Terry had been trained as part of the initial cadre of 777 check airmen, they were given the opportunity to fly a shiny, new airplane from American Airlines’ maintenance base in Dallas. They were asked to have the airplane back in four hours and how much gas did they need? Twenty-two touch-and-gos were conducted. The friend never forgot how relaxed Terry had made him feel throughout the entire event.

Passionate about general aviation, Terry built a Pitts Special in his hangar. On a flight test day for the airplane, claiming that he was only going to perform some basic, non-aerobatic maneuvers, he disappeared for an hour and half, leaving his pilot father-in-law, (who had assisted in building the Pitts), and check airman friend to wonder what went wrong. Apparently, he enjoyed his test flight enough to land at a nearby airport and have lunch.

When his veteran father-in-law purchased an L-19 Bird Dog, Terry participated in the restoration project. Outside of aviation, he supported his community through contributions on the zoning commission and also as a town councilman. 

Upon meeting Terry, you instantly felt comfortable. Everyone that I have contacted regarding this loss, had nothing but glowing praise to offer. And despite his relaxed nature, Terry was not a short-cut guy when it came to operating an airplane. 

• READ MORE: Remembering ‘Texas Raiders’

Through my experience participating in a much smaller organization—the Flagship Detroit Foundation that is dedicated to the preservation of a vintage Douglas DC-3—I have no doubt that the CAF conducts formal pilot training with all of its airplanes. A high percentage of the organization’s pilots have military backgrounds or airline backgrounds, or both, so regimented procedures are accepted norms, especially with flying museums.

As with the Flagship Detroit, my concern was never with the safety of our procedures, but rather that it takes a village to keep these incredible pieces of history airborne. And the villagers all want an opportunity to participate in the fun part, which is flying the airplane. With qualified pilots taking a turn at the control wheel, airline-type repetition is not as frequent. Proficiency can suffer, notwithstanding the fact that flying an expensive vintage airplane is not an everyday affair even during show season.

That being said, transforming the CAF airplanes into static displays does not have quite the same impact as witnessing these magnificent machines fly. It is important for us to be reminded of the engineering brilliance and the fortitude of the men and women that supported these machines during a crucial period in our history. 

Yes, it’s a risk to operate vintage airplanes. Hopefully, when the National Transportation Safety Board determines a probable cause, the discovery can help mitigate that risk further. We can’t let this terrible event restrict the future of flying these airplanes. If we do, then the dedication and passion of the six lives lost will have been marginalized. As a matter of fact, if you aren’t already a member of the CAF, join today. There is no better time.

As for my colleague, pardon the cliché, but I hope that family and friends find comfort that we lost him doing something he loved. Thanks for educating, inspiring, and honoring. You have flown West much too soon. You will be missed, Capt. Barker.

The post Dallas Airshow Tragedy Creates Moment To Educate, Honor appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The large-cabin G600, which has a range of 6,600 nm at a speed of Mach 0.85, also features a customizable cabin interior. The aircraft is also known for its next-generation Symmetry Flight Deck with active control sidesticks and touch-screen technology.

“The addition of the Gulfstream G600 to our fleet builds on our legacy of unparalleled luxury, safety, and elevated experiences,” Vitali Lapko, co-founder of Thrive Aviation, said in a statement.

• READ MORE: Gulfstream Gets FAA, EASA Signoff on Software Fix for G500 and G600

Gulfstream announced earlier this year it would begin outfitting G600 interiors at its Dallas, Texas, facility. 

The aircraft manufacturer has since expanded its operations in Texas, and opened its newest Gulfstream Customer Support service center at Fort Worth Alliance Airport (KAFW) last month. Gulfstream invested more than $55 million in the 162,000-square-foot MRO facility at KAFW, building hangars and shop space, support areas, and employee and customer offices, it said in a statement. Additionally, there will be room for nine Gulfstream G650ER aircraft in the hangar space and six on the ramp.

• READ MORE: Gulfstream Plans New Facilities in Dallas, Mesa

During the recent National Business Aviation Association’s Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Orlando, Gulfstream also announced that it has begun the development of a new component/repair/overhaul facility based at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (KDFW).

The maintenance base at DFW will provide service associated with structures, landing gear, wheels, brakes—the high-demand replacement items requiring regular attention on Gulfstream’s fleet of large cabin and long-range jets. The facility is scheduled to open late in the first half of 2023.

Michael Wildes, Julie Boatman contributed.

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In its lawsuit, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission—which is tasked with enforcing civil rights laws against workplace discrimination—said SkyWest forced a former employee named Sarah Budd to work in a hostile work environment with coworkers and at least one manager who made crude sexual comments and jokes. When Budd complained, the agency alleges the airline retaliated by forcing her to resign through its inaction in addressing her complaints adequately.

In a statement, SkyWest said it has “zero tolerance for discrimination or harassment of any kind and has established processes in place to follow up on any reported concerns,” according to an Associated Press news story.

Allegations of Harassment

Budd worked for the airline from 2007 to 2019 in various roles, with her last being as a parts clerk at the airline’s Dallas/Fort Worth facilities. The EEOC lawsuit states that Budd was harassed by coworkers and the maintenance department supervisor in the parts and maintenance divisions, and that it ultimately interfered with her work.  

“The sexual harassment included crude sexual comments, jokes, gestures, and mimed assaults directed at Budd,” the agency said in its filing, describing the alleged sexual harrassment endured by Budd. The EOCC said the environment in which Budd was forced to work was one in which “coworkers also made a number of comments making light of rape, suggesting engaging in rape, or arguing that rape victims were lying for attention.”

In its statement, the EEOC said that when Budd reported the issues to management in September 2019, little was done to remedy the situation. Sensing no reprieve after her supervisor allegedly said “any action by him in response to Budd’s complaint would likely put an even larger target on her back,” Budd ultimately took an unpaid medical leave, which lasted from October to December 2019.

No Signs of Change

When Budd returned to work in December, the suit states that the environment had become more hostile, with coworkers continuing to make jokes. Budd ultimately asked her supervisor for a part-time schedule. Days later, when she recounted her coworkers’ behavior to her maintenance supervisor, the EEOC suit alleges that the supervisor responded that “Budd would need to either work her schedule or apply for leave. Otherwise, she could not continue to be an employee.” 

After escalating the situation to the human resources department, the airline placed Budd on administrative leave in February 2020. At the same time, the airline’s employee relations manager recommended mandatory sexual harassment training for all employees. 

However, in May 2020, when Budd, still on leave, inquired about when she might be able to return, the manager informed her that all employees had not completed the training, so she could not yet return. Ultimately, Budd said she felt forced to resign in May 2020 because the airline failed to return her to work and stopped communicating with her about when she could reasonably expect to resume.

EOCC: ‘Everyone Deserves To Feel Safe at Work’

In its filing, the EOCC said the course taken by SkyWest left Budd “out of the workplace indefinitely with no opportunities to further her professional growth, career advancement, or other inherent benefits of continuing her active employment.” Moreover, the agency said Budd’s extended leave denied her equal opportunities in employment.

The EOCC said its suit comes on the heels of a failed settlement negotiation with SkyWest. On behalf of Budd, the EEOC said it is seeking back-payment, damages, and for the courts to order SkyWest to stop engaging in discriminatory treatment in the future.

In a statement, EEOC trial lawyer, Alexa Lang, said, “Everyone deserves to feel safe at work, and no one should be pushed out of her workplace by pervasive jokes about sexual violence.”

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