Minimum Friction Level The friction level specified in AC 150/5320-12, Measurement, Construction, and Maintenance of Skid Resistant Airport Pavement Surfaces, that represents the minimum recommended wet pavement surface friction value for any turbojet aircraft engaged in LAHSO. This value will vary with the particular friction measurement equipment used. 

“Understanding how the ionosphere varies will be a really important part of understanding how to correct the distortions in radio signals that we will need to communicate with each other and to navigate on Mars.” Source: A statement from Robert Lillis, ESCAPADE Principal Investigator of UC Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory, as Blue Origin’s New Glenn is scheduled to lift off on its second mission, NG-2, on Sunday November 9, during a 2.5-hour window that opens at 2:45 pm EST, from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, sending the NASA ESCAPADE twin spacecraft on their mission to Mars.

Trump Taps Nominee For The Second Time

President Donald Trump has nominated Jared Isaacman a second time to serve as the Administrator of NASA, in the latest twist in the agency’s leadership saga. Isaacman was nominated in January 2025 but his nomination was abruptly and unexpectedly withdrawn a few months later.

Revision Lowers Minimum, Raises Maximum Age for Airline Pilots

Taiwan is moving to catch up with global standards, expanding its pilot age threshold on both ends to set its airlines up to meet increased travel demand. US senators have argued for a similar revision, though efforts stalled after the International Civil Aviation Organization shot down the proposal in October.

Death Toll Expected to Rise as Residents Remain Without Power, Gas, or Water

As of Wednesday, November 5, twelve deaths were reported tied to the crash of UPS Flight 2976 near Louisville International Airport (SDF). At least fifteen other people suffered injuries, and another sixteen remain unaccounted for.

40 Major Airports Affected By Plan To Maintain ATC Safety

Department of Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced on October 5 that he ordered the FAA to begin reducing the number of commercial flights by 10% at 40 major airports around the country. Prompting the decision are concerns over air traffic safety as the government shutdown extends into a sixth week.

Also: AFE25 Tickets!, Jamaica Recovery, E-Aircraft at Boeing Fld, Diamond DA50 RG Cert

Elon Musk is once again promising the impossible…this time, in the form of a Tesla that flies. Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience, Musk said the company is “getting close” to demonstrating a prototype of what he dubbed “crazy, crazy technology.” The comment came during a discussion about the long-delayed Tesla Roadster: a model first unveiled in 2017 and postponed every year since its planned 2020 debut. Boeing announced the completion of the $10.55 billion sale of assets from its Digital Aviation Solutions business unit to private equity firm Thoma Bravo. The divestiture includes Jeppesen, ForeFlight, AerData, and OzRunways, and those businesses will operate as the standalone company Jeppesen ForeFlight. The A220, once marketed for its profitability and efficiency, seems to be spending a lot more time parked than planned&h

SEG Continues Expansion Of Accessible Aviation Training

Spartan Education Group announced the acquisition of Aviator Air Flight School, LLC, a flight training facility and full-service FBO at the Grand Prairie Municipal Airport (KGPM) in Grand Prairie, Texas, a provider of FAA Part 61 professional pilot training.

Also: Drone Rulemaking Stalled, LA County FD Adds FIREHAWKs, Wilsbach Confirmed, CAF Honors Vet

Even with parts of the federal government on pause, Yosemite National Park isn’t letting BASE jumpers off easy. Park officials announced that three people were recently convicted for illegal parachute jumps off Yosemite’s formations amid a legal push to lift the 40-year ban against them. BASE jumping has been prohibited in all national parks since the 1980s. One of the more intriguing features of the 2025 Affordable Flying Expo, scheduled for November 6-8 at the Sun n Fun Aerospace Expo campus is a Friday event we call the MOSAIC Town Hall. Scheduled for Friday, November 7th at 1800ET, the MOSAIC Town Hall will be presented in the nearby Prop 75 building and webcast LIVE via www.airborne-live.net and for the attending audience. Textron Aviation Defense announced production plans for the UJTS, or Undergraduate Jet Training System program. That

Also: Horizon Picks P&W PT6A, Army Buys 3 EagleNXT, First Hybrid-Electric Regional, Army Selects AEVEX

Anduril Industries’ YFQ-44A Collaborative Combat Aircraft was flown for the first time on October 31, 2025, as announced by the U.S. Air Force, who also confirmed that a decision about production of the CAA is still expected during FY2026 despite the ongoing government shutdown. The Air Force sent out a press release announcing the first flight but there were not many details about what the YFQ-44A actually did, how long it flew, or where it ended. Merlin, developer of autonomous flight technology for the defense sector, announced it has gained the Stage of Involvement 2 with the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand, an important step in the DO-178 certification audit cycle that enables regulators to have progressive visibility into the company’s software development program. The FAA finally has a decent excuse to put its drone