5 Dead, 1 Injured, but 367 Safe & Sound

Eye catching images of an Airbus A350 engulfed in flames greeted American viewers waking up to begin their 2024, after an accidental collision occurred at the Tokyo Haneda airport. While specifics are often long awaited in cases like these, it’s generally understood that the incident included an accidental contact between Japan Airlines JAL-516 and a Japanese Coast Guard Dash-8. Reports paint a depressing picture for those aboard the De Havilland: 5 crewmen perished, with the surviving Captain incurring serious injuries. Those aboard the Airbus were far luckier, with no casualties found among all 300+ passengers and crew.

State Law Continues to Confound Regarding New Tech Applications

Charges against a 62-year old Michigan drone pilot have been dropped, after his lawyer tendered a copy of his Pilot certificate to the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office. The story gained some local notoriety after news broke that the pilot, Donald Muckel, had been arrested for flying a drone over an electrical substation. Reports indicated he had done nothing eye-raising during his flight aside from operating in the vicinity of the equipment. The activity was called into the police by some onlooker, who provided video evidence to officers supposedly showing the incident. Things got more interesting in the case’s end, however, when the state dropped the charges altogether

Meridian Now Officially in the Signature Family

Signature Aviation has completed its acquisition of FBO operator Meridian, adding locations in Teterboro, New Jersey and Hayward, California to its long list of facilities. The acquisition officially closed on January 1st, 2024, integrating the Teterboro (TEB) and Hayward (HWD) airports into the Signature ecosystem. The firm says it will result in "more opportunities to invest in the field and promote aviation services, an expanded network of FBO and hangar locations" for traveling customers, and a "strengthened commitment to provide an exceptional customer experience."

Omaha University Kickstarts Careers Before Graduation

A dual-enrollment program in Omaha, Nebraska is turning out Private Pilots younger than ever, with recent alum Thomas Reid finishing his checkride at seventeen. He's attending Burke High School's Air and Space Academy, a section of the school made in partnership with the University of Nebraska Omaha's Aviation Institute. The program allows high schoolers to log college credit for appropriate courses, most of which sit somewhere in the 100 to 110 levels. Reid said enrolling in the program was an obvious choice for him.

Though Investigation Continues, Fellow Officers Remember

Baton Rouge Police Department disbanded its Air Support Unit after a helo crash killed 2 of its own last March. The BRPD handed off the unit's hangar to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, whose deputies are making sure those lost won't be forgotten. The deceased, Sergeant David Poirrier and Corporal Scotty Canezaro were killed when their aircraft crashed during a pursuit, falling into a cane field at 0230 local time as they chased a hit & run suspect.

As Fires Cool, Investigation Begins

Japan Airlines and Airbus were quick to comment on a recent accident involving an Airbus A350 and De Havilland Dash-8 that ended in 5 deaths, noting with sadness the lost lives. JAL was short and frank, acknowledging the issue quickly. “We regret to inform you that on the evening of January 2nd, JL516 was involved in a collision with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft during its landing at Haneda Airport, resulting in a fire on the runway. Our thoughts and prayers are with the deceased members of the Japan Coast Guard. We want to assure you that all passengers and crew on our flight were safely evacuated.”

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Well... there’s bad news and some not quite-as-bad news... Van’s Aircraft is increasing most of their kit prices by approximately 32%. Online order forms will be updated with the new kit prices. Prices of individual parts and components will also be increasing, some more than 32%, and others less. While these price changes are significant, Van’s believes them to be necessary. Trevor Jacob, of "intentionally crashed Taylorcraft for Youtube" fame, recently bragged about getting his pilot’s  license back on his

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Elixir Aircraft sold a handful of brand-new 4th generation Part 23 aircraft to Airbus Flight Academy Europe, highlighting their approved all-glass cockpit. The new EASA-certified flight deck layout allows the French concern to offer customers an affordable, but still sufficiently future-forward product for the training market. Thrive Aviation announced a new partnership with Southwest Airlines, allowing graduates to head into the carrier's Destination 225° Pilot Pathways Program. The program works in the usual cadet program manner, with students working the

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Israel has announced that they won't be able to hold the 2024 Féderátion Aéronautique Internationale World Championships of Artistic Events, Formation Skydiving, Wingsuiting and Speed Skydiving as planned, reopening the bid to interested host nations. The situation there makes the Israelis understandably put upon to host a large international event, but surprisingly the world had few takers on their slot as host. The US Parachuting Association said that surprisingly, only a single host bid was placed. Air show performer Patty

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Yeah.... it's one heck of a milestone. CubCrafters made company history this week by delivering its 1000th new aircraft to Tim Sheehy, CEO of Bridger Aerospace, in Bozeman, Montana. The milestone aircraft, a CubCrafters CC19-215 XCub, was delivered in Bridger Aerospace firefighting livery, the paint scheme itself a tribute to the company’s fleet of Canadair CL-415 “Super Scooper” water-bomber aircraft -- where the bird is going to be in GOOD company. A Cessna 172 attempting a landing on Upper Red Lake broke through the ice, apparently taki

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One of the greatest airshow events in the UK has been cancelled for 2024 and question marks litter the landscape thereafter. A letter addressed to friends, partners, and colleagues on the Flying Legends website stated that, “It is with much regret that we confirm our decision to cancel the upcoming Flying Legends Air Show 2024. This decision has not been made lightly and an in-depth assessment of our options for the year ahead.” Christmas came early for the fine folks at CAP... and we're a little jealous. Seven new aircraft will join a whopping fl

As The Tailwheel Touched The Ground, The Airplane Swung Hard To The Right

On December 26. 2023, about 1225 mountain standard time, an experimental amateur-built Glasair SH2, N29TT, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Prescott, Arizona. The pilot was uninjured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that after an uneventful wheel landing on runway 21L, he held the tail off the ground until the airplane had decelerated to about 30 mph. As soon as the tailwheel touched the ground, the airplane swung hard to the right, ground looped, and came to rest on the runway edge.

From 2017 (YouTube Version): Not Everything At Heli-EXPO Was Brand New…

People attend shows like Heli-EXPO to see what is the latest and greatest in aircraft and associated systems and equipment. But not everyone exhibiting at the show in Dallas in March had something brand new on display. Such was the case with the Commemorative Air Force (CAF), which is dedicated to restoring and flying vintage military aircraft. At their booth, attendees saw the bones of an iconic rotorcraft, the Sikorsky Hoverfly. Keegan Chetwynd, Curator for the Commemorative Air Force, told ANN CEO and Editor in Chief Jim Campbell that the Hoverfly was the first mass-

AD 2023–26–03 Requires Installing Maneuver Restriction Placards In The Front And Rear Cockpits...

Summary: The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain WACO Classic Aircraft Corporation Model 2T–1A–2 airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports of multiple types of cracks at the leading edge former ribs and trailing edge former ribs in the upper wing center section. This AD requires installing maneuver restriction placards in the front and rear cockpits, inspecting the leading and trailing edge former ribs for cracking, replacing any cracked ribs, modifying the upper wing center section assembly, and removing the maneuver restriction placards after completing the modification. The FAA is issuing thi

Aero Linx: International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations (IFATCA) IFATCA is the global voice of Air Traffic Controllers. It furthers air traffic safety, influences the sustainable evolution of aviation, and embraces all members of its community. The apolitical federation provides guidance, representation, training, and other services to advance the status and professionalism of air traffic control. It collaborates with other international organizations to achieve mutual goals.

VFR Military Training Routes (VR) Routes used by the Department of Defense and associated Reserve and Air Guard units for the purpose of conducting low-altitude navigation and tactical training under VFR below 10,000 feet MSL at airspeeds in excess of 250 knots IAS.

“Airbus regrets to confirm that an A350-900 operated by Japan Airlines was involved in an accident during flight JAL516 from Sapporo New Chitose Airport to Haneda International Airport shortly after 17:47 (local time) on 02 January 2024. All 367 passengers and 12 crew members on-board evacuated the aircraft. The A350 collided with a DHC-8 aircraft at landing in Haneda. The Japanese authorities have since confirmed that sadly five of the six people on board the DHC-8 did not survive. The exact circumstances of the event are still unknown.” Source: From the sad Airbus summary addressing the recent ground collision between a JAL airline flight and a Japanese Coast Guard transport.