Joins Test Fleet In Early 2026, Enables Public Demo Flights

Vertical Aerospace, developer of electric aviation aircraft, announced the completion of its third and final full-scale prototype aircraft and will begin a piloted flight test campaign after its commissioning in January 2026.

Government Admits to Breaching ‘Duty of Care’ Ahead of the Mid-Air

The US government admitted that it is partially responsible for the January 29, 2025, mid-air collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), citing failures by both the US Army and air traffic control. The crash, involving an Army Black Hawk and American Eagle Flight 5342, killed all 67 people aboard and marked the deadliest US aviation accident since 2001.

Eve Confirms Timeline to Get the Aircraft in Service in 2027

Eve Air Mobility’s uncrewed, full-scale eVTOL engineering prototype has successfully gone airborne, marking the transition from rigorous lab and component testing to an even more rigorous flight test campaign. The milestone reinforces Eve’s current schedule to get type certified, complete initial deliveries, and enter service in 2027.

Also: Army Helos Rescue 18, Stadiums v Drones, Hartzell's New Sky-Tec, R66 Mil Fleet Logs Time

The owners of Solberg-Hunterdon Airport (N51) have taken their dispute with local officials to court, arguing that a newly adopted zoning procedure by Readington Township is designed to quietly “suffocate” airport operations -- not just regulate them. The lawsuit claims the measure would prevent modernization and eventually make the family-run field economically unsustainable. Tecnam has introduced the P2008JC NG: a much-anticipated update to its two-seat training aircraft, now certified under EASA CS-23 standards. The variant replaces the earlier certification basis with CS-23 Amendment 6, applying current airworthiness requirements to a long-standing design. Spirit Airlines has managed to scrape in an immediate $50 million boost through its debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing arrangement, providing short-term liquidity as it continue

First Contract For Integrated Training System For Japan

Textron Aviation Defense announced the company has finalized a contract to deliver the Beechcraft T-6JP Texan II integrated training system to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, in coordination with the Kanematsu Corporation. This first contract also includes instructor pilot and aircraft maintenance technician training materials.

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.

Freighter Would Otherwise Be Forced Out of the Market At the End of 2027

Boeing is begging for an extension to the 777F sales deadline to finish up work on the new 777-8F, which will not be ready in time to fill the gap in its lineup at the current pace. If the FAA declines, the freighter will be forced out of the market at the end of 2027 under new fuel efficiency standards.

Grounding Trims Capacity During Peak Season and Adds $175M in Costs

FedEx is hoping and praying that its MD-11 freighter fleet will begin returning to service sometime in the spring after a major cargo accident forced an industry-wide grounding during the peak shipping season. But damage has already been done, with the carrier expecting to incur $175 million in extra costs by the end of the disruption.

Also: MGen. Jeannie Leavitt, NTSB Blasts Congress, Austro 5M Hours, Firehawk Helo Pilot Training

The FAA has released an updated set of advisory circulars to support the transition to the long-awaited 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. Minnesota CFI Gabriel Kesler has won Sporty’s $2,500 Pilot Training+ Scholarship, which he will use to obtain his multiengine and multiengine instructor ratings. Kesler is a newly certificated flight instructor who teaches in a variety of training environments, including EAA’s Sport Pilot Academy in Oshkosh, where he instructs in RV–12s and contributes to the Pilot Proficiency Center during AirVenture. Frasca International, a provider of flight simu

Also: Bombardier’s Mach 0.95 Jet, Bristell Upgrade, Leonardo M-346, Happy Holiday!

The effort to reunite a plane with its pilot has continued to rise through the ranks, reaching federal levels in a recent letter to the DoT and the Department of the Interior. The agencies are being asked to step in after a Stinson 108 was emergency-landed and held captive on the tribal land in northern Minnesota. The request centers on a 1946 Stinson 108 owned by Darrin Smedsmo which was flying over the Red Lake Indian Reservation toward Bemidji for training when his engine suffered a catastrophic failure, forcing a landing on Minnesota Highway 1. An early-morning aircraft theft at Van Nuys Airport (VNY) ended quickly, and surprisingly without leaving the ground, when a stolen LA Flight Academy Cessna 172 crashed into the side of a hangar. Authorities say the training aircraft struck the building while taxiing. Jared “Rook” Isaacman was swor