Sun, Dec 14, 2025
Australian Investigators Determined That His Reserve Chute Inadvertently Deployed
The Australian Transportation Safety Bureau (ATSB) has wrapped up its investigation into a recent skydiving incident, revealing that one of the jumpers was left hanging 15,000 feet above the ground from the aircraft’s horizontal stabilizer due to an inadvertent deployment of his reserve parachute. He was able to cut himself free and pull his primary chute, allowing him to leave the scene with only minor injuries.
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Sun, Dec 14, 2025
Also: Project Talon, McFarlane Acquisition, Sky-Tec Service, JPL Earth Helo Tests
Bombardier has earned a round of applause from the business aviation community, celebrating the formal entry into service of what it calls the “fastest civil aircraft since the Concorde.” Keys to the first Global 8000 were turned over to loyal customer and GFL Environmental CEO Patrick Dovigi on December 8. The Global 8000 comes with a headline-grabbing Mach 0.95 top speed, a certified 8,000-nautical-mile range, and a cabin altitude of just 2,691 feet at cruise. California Representative Darrell Issa (CA-48) announced the finalized 2026 National Defense Authorization Act includes his legislation that permits U.S. Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams (Ret.) to be eligible to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. The NDAA is expected to be approved by the House and Senate in the coming days before heading to President Donald Trump’s desk for his sig
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Sun, Dec 14, 2025
Also: AirVenture Tkts, Pipistrel TC, Samson Patent, Kolb Aircraft Resumes Production
The FAA has released an updated set of advisory circulars to support the transition to the long-awaited Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) rule, offering new direction for pilots, instructors, and light-sport repairmen. The documents, published November 14, aim to align long-standing guidance with the performance-based system that will replace the outdated light-sport framework when MOSAIC takes effect in 2026. Dynon has released SkyView HDX software version 17.4, bringing a fresh round of upgrades and quality-of-life improvements to its flagship experimental avionics suite. The update centers on improving usability, expanding hardware compatibility, and ensuring the system remains current with global data models and evolving technology. Attendees and exhibitors of the Affordable Flying Expo were the first to hear about a powerful
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Sun, Dec 14, 2025
First DA20i Since Production Line Reopened Handed Over At HQ
Diamond Aircraft announced the delivery of the first new European-made DA20i Katana since the production line was reopened. It was handed over to Aviation Academy Austria in a special ceremony at the Diamond Aircraft headquarters in Wiener Neustadt on November 28, 2025.
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Sun, Dec 14, 2025
Yes... We Will Be On A Holiday Schedule For The Christmas Holiday
As the Aero-News staff observes the worldwide holiday of Christmas this weekend, we wanted to let our readers know that ANN will still be on the job, reporting breaking news in the aviation and aerospace fields as it happens -- in Real Time -- just like always. Aero-News will be publishing at a slightly reduced level on December 25th and 26th, as our staffers spend some time with their families... some of whom may not recognize them away from their computers. Basically, we're going to treat the long weekend as just that: a long weekend, meaning you'll still be able to find several new stories each day on our website.
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Sun, Dec 14, 2025
Nine-Seat Hybrid-Electric Aircraft Hopes to Earn FAA Part 23 Type Certification
Electra is walking its EL9 hybrid-electric aircraft into the formal certification phase, filing its application with the FAA to begin the Part 23 process. Work with the FAA now shifts from compliance in development to acceptance of the certification plan and building out the test program.
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Sun, Dec 14, 2025
Also: Cosmonaut Kicked Out, Airbus Scales Back, AF Silver Star, Russian A-60 Clobbered
A Samaritan’s Purse humanitarian flight was hijacked on Tuesday, December 2, while attempting to supply a mobile medical unit in South Sudan. Authorities were able to meet the aircraft on the ground and take the suspect into custody without further incident. The aircraft involved was one of the organization’s Cessna Grand Caravans that operates solely within Africa. The FAA has taken an unusually cooperative step towards pilot mental health reform, reducing the stabilization wait time for approved antidepressant medications from 6 months to just 3. Though this is, in itself, a basic change, it reflects years of industry efforts. Under the revised policy, airmen and air traffic control specialists may now submit Special Issuance medical packages after maintaining a stable dose of an approved antidepressant for at least three continuous months. T
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Sun, Dec 14, 2025
Also: Electra Goes Military, Miami Air Taxi, Hypersonics Lab, MagniX HeliStrom
Amazon’s Prime Air drones are back in the spotlight after one of its newest MK30 delivery drones struck an overhead internet cable in Waco, Texas. The incident serves as an unnerving replay of safety concerns that surfaced just two months ago involving back-to-back collisions with a crane in Arizona. The more recent event occurred on November 18. The drone, registered N139PA, had just wrapped up a delivery when it “clipped a thin, overhead internet cable,” according to Amazon. The maiden flight of LandSpace’s ZhuQue-3 rocket on December 3 was one for the books… for both its successes and failures. The rocket reached orbit before the first stage booster recovery attempt resulted in an explosion near the edge of the landing pad. A soldier with no aviation experience was trained how to create flight plans and flew unmanned Black H
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Sun, Dec 14, 2025
Representatives Davids, Flood, Carter, and Mann Introduce SAF Act
Four US Representatives are taking another swing at getting Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) legislation into government… and hopefully this time, it’ll stick. The Securing America’s Fuels (confusingly, also referred to as SAF) Act was introduced in the House by Reps. Sharice Davids, Mike Flood, Troy Carter, and Tracey Mann on December 9.
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