Pilot Dealt 6 Months For Stalking Woman From Above

66-year-old pilot Michael Arnold was recently sentenced to six months in the can and five years of probation for violating an order of protection. He allegedly used his Cessna 180 to stalk and harass a Schuylerville woman. The stalking began nearly five years ago when Arnold visited the victim’s workplace.

Airport’s Second Fatal Crash This Month Under Investigation

A mid-air collision between a Globe GC-1B Swift and a Cessna 206 has left one confirmed fatality and two survivors. The accident occurred just before 10:00 am on September 16 near Nevada’s Minden-Tahoe Airport (MEV). The accident is Minden-Tahoe Airport’s second fatal crash within a month.

Personal Jet Prototype Joins Other Sonex/Monnett Aircraft

Sonex Aircraft announced that the original SubSonex proof-of-concept personal jet prototype is now a resident of the EAA  Aviation Museum’s collection in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The historic aircraft joins the original prototype Sonex and other aircraft designed by John Monnett. The display will be reorganized and includes the Sonerai I prototype, the original Moni motorglider prototype, and the Monex racer.

DHHS Hopes to Use EVTOL Magic to Reinforce Outlying Communities During Emergencies

BETA Technologies has been given a $20 million contract with the Department of Health and Human Services, kicking off a pilot program "to evaluate next-generation mobility solutions and infrastructure as a means of powering public health preparedness." Under the contract, BETA will install electric aircraft chargers at areas of concern that could conceivably require emergent healthcare and mobility along the East and Gulf Coasts. The hope is that BETA's eVTOL gear will bring an entirely new dynamic of mobility to those facing the worst of mother nature, thanks to their unique blend of affordable running costs, quiet operation, light weight, and accessible operational requirements.

Flight School Doubles Down On Labor Violations

As if flight training school ATP didn’t treat its CFIs wrongly enough by not paying them for overtime and other work they performed, the school allegedly had the gall to fire those who opted to join a lawsuit against it and explicitly stated the only way to get rehired is to withdraw from the case. Getman, Sweeney,& Dunn (GSD), the law firm representing the instructors, said they filed the lawsuit against ATP in June 2024 for misclassifying its flight instructors as independent contractors instead of employees and failed to pay them all they were due. ATP did not pay them the time-and-a-half overtime rate even above 40 hours per week, nor were they paid for ground training not associated with a specific flight.

Visual Differences Observed In Stiffening Rings And Beads In Formed Aluminum Ribs

Van’s Aircraft says it has been questioned by several builders recently regarding variations in the depth of stiffening rings and beads in formed aluminum ribs. While understanding the reason for the questions, Van’s says the variations have existed for years. The primary reason for the variances is that the parts were transitioned from T0 to T3 temper. The company also began forming the wing ribs in-house with a large hydraulic press. This allowed for increased production volume and reduced manufacturing time, and from time to time the pressure of the press has varied, resulting in the observed variations in the stiffening ribs and beads.

Online Training Meets Mobile Flight Simulation

Sporty’s announced they have entered a collaboration with Infinite Flight, a portable flight simulation platform for mobile devices. The companies have integrated their flight training programs into a comprehensive experience for new aviation learners. Sporty’s Learn To Fly Course provides more than 15 hours of high quality 4K videos that cover the usual basic ground school information such as aerodynamics, weather, airplane systems, airport and flight operations, instruments, and more. There are also interactive in-flight video segments so students can see what’s supposed to happen inside the cockpit with the instruments and what it actually looks like outside the windows when performing a maneuver.