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After more than a year being grounded for modifications, the Scaled Composites Model 437 “Vanguard” has returned to flight testing. The aircraft first flew in 2024, quickly taking a break from the skies as it prepared to serve as the airframe for Northrop Grumman’s Beacon autonomy test program. Sergei Sikorsky, whose father, Igor, founded Sikorsky Aircraft decades ago, passed on September 18 at 100 years old. He spent 41 years building his father’s legacy in the industry, taking Sikorsky’s groundbreaking developments and shaping them into some of the most renowned military helicopters in history. Yosemite National Park has been off limits to BASE jumpers for nearly 50 years. Now, a nonprofit called BASE Access is suing in federal court, arguing the ban is unconstitutional and that Yosemite should reopen to legal jum

Klyde Can't Trust Ink Blots...

FMI: www.klydemorris.com

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The US Army recently confirmed its plans to thin out its active duty aviation ranks, cutting 6,500 positions as it phases in unmanned systems. The changes are slated to begin in the coming months and continue through fiscal year 2027. Currently, about 30,000 soldiers serve in aviation roles ranging from pilots to support crews. By the time the cuts are finished, roughly one in five of those positions will be gone. Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy announced that the FAA met and exceeded its goal for hiring air traffic controllers for Fiscal Year 2025 by bringing on 2,026 new controllers. The goal was 2,000 controllers, and the number of new hires is 20 percent more than the previous administration hired from January to September 2024. The US Air Force is well on its way to flying its next-generation fighter, with the first of many F-4

David Loury At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025

David Loury, Founder and CEO of Centauri Aircraft in Hayward, California, talked about his design, the retractable-gear, composite canard Valkyrie aircraft at the 2025 EAA AirVenture Air Show and Fly-in in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The airplane is powered by a Continental TSIO-550 or IO-550 six-cylinder engine driving a Hartzell 3-blade propeller that has a service ceiling of 25,000 feet MSL. It is unpressurized, and has 4 or 5 seats, The Valkyrie is designed with a lot of attention to detail regarding the flight controls, ergonomics of the cockpit, the interior, and engine cooling. The canopy tilts forward to open, enabling a very easy entry and exit. The cabin is wide, a bit wider than the Cirrus SR-22.

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Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works revealed its new autonomous drone it calls “Vectis,” which it says is the right size and is adaptable enough to partner with both Air Force and Navy crewed combat aircraft. While the aircraft is not necessarily aimed at Increment 2 of the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, it will be flying within two years and it could fit into the Increment 1 criteria as well. Drone parachute manufacturer Aerial Vehicle Safety Solutions (AVSS) has voluntarily allowed the FAA to revoke its certification for operation-over-people with the Skydio X10 system. The permission was granted in August 2024, but after spending months on the market without a single sale, it appears the parachute-equipped drone has been abandoned altogether. uAvionix is calling on Pilots to support Portable EC under the FAA&r

Studying Jacksonville, San Antonio For 2027 Move

Boeing announced it has begun the process of relocating its Service Life Modification work on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet away from the St. Louis area, with operations there scheduled to sunset in 2027. The move was anticipated and is part of Boeing’s expansion and transition plans in support of future programs in the Gateway City.

Coalition Of Aviation Groups Send Urgent Letter To Lawmakers

The National Business Aviation Association joined with the Modern Skies Coalition in an urgent letter to leaders in Congress calling for a compromise to avert a looking shutdown of the federal government that would adversely impact the aviation industry, an essential sector of the American economy.

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NASA announced it has awarded Blue Origin a Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) task order with an option to deliver its VIPER exploration rover to the South Pole region of the Moon, where it will search for volatile resources such as ice and collect scientific data to support future exploration at the Moon and Mars. This award calls for Blue Origin to deliver the VIPER, or Volatile Investigating Polar Exploration Rover to the lunar surface in late 2027 as part of NASA’s Artemis campaign. DJI has brought the first-ever compact drone to feature a 1-inch sensor, its Mini 5 Pro, to the market… the European and Canadian market, that is. Government suspicion and tariff policies are preventing the drone maker from bringing its one-of-a-kind creation to the US, cutting one of the company’s biggest spenders from the launch. Uber Technologies

Dozens of Companies Unveiled Innovative Products Ahead of the 51st SnF Aerospace Expo

Kicking off the 51st SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo, we hosted the second annual SnF Innovation Preview to give more than 20 companies just enough time in the spotlight to debut their new planes, products, engines, accessories, and more… In other words… it was a LOT of news, and it’s all still up for your viewing pleasure.

Third-Edition Resource Guide is Getting Ready… But It’s Waiting on You

The third edition of the SportPlane Resource Guide—soon to launch as the expanded, fully digital eSPRG—is almost ready for release. The layout is there, dozens of instructional chapters are written, and hundreds of aircraft write-ups are complete. This edition will be bigger, more detailed, and easier to update than the previous 1,100-page print version (probably settling in at more than 2000 pages!), with the potential to far exceed even our own anticipations with S-LSA, E-LSA, ultralights, avionics, and accessories. The only major thing slowing it down is one simple piece: more data from manufacturers.