Skyborne Airline Academy Inks Deal for 5 Piper Seminole DX Trainers

Just over three months after hitting the market, Piper Aircraft’s diesel-powered multi-engine trainer has logged its first domestic order. The deal will deliver five of the Seminole DX aircraft to Florida-based Skyborne Airline Academy, which has been a loyal Piper customer since its initial order for 11 Pilot 100i aircraft in 2023.

Call-Outs Mimic Controller and TSA Agent Action in 2019 Shutdown

The US Department of Transportation has reported a so-called “tick-up” in air traffic controllers calling out sick since the start of the government shutdown, and if it develops anything like it did in 2019, the situation will only worsen. In the funding lapse, more than 13,000 controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration agents are forced to work without a paycheck.

Agency Reportedly Aims to Complete Part of the Move By Early December

The Federal Aviation Administration is looking to begin the first phase of what is shaping up to be a very expensive move, aiming to get part of its workforce situated in the Department of Transportation headquarters by early December. The agency confirmed the relocation in August as a means to improve collaboration and address safety concerns with its aging facilities.

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Otto Aerospace announced that Flexjet will be its first fleet customer and its launch customer for the Phantom 3500 business jet, a windowless, ultra-efficient clean sheet aircraft that takes advantage of laminar-flow aerodynamics and all-carbon fiber composite that together cut fuel burn by 60 percent or more. The agreement is for a firm 300 aircraft with additional options, and with a value of $5.9 billion, is reportedly one of the largest aircraft orders with an OEM in business aviation history. Almost a year after DJI filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Defense over its designation as a ‘Chinese Military Company’, the courts have reached a decision… and the drone maker won’t be happy with it. Judges, unsurprisingly, determined that there was not enough evidence separating DJI from the Chinese Communist Party to overrule the DoD&

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Just over three months after hitting the market, Piper Aircraft’s diesel-powered multi-engine trainer has logged its first domestic order. The deal will deliver five of the Seminole DX aircraft to Florida-based Skyborne Airline Academy. The Seminole DX was unveiled at this year’s EAA Oshkosh AirVenture. Designed to run on JET A and JET A-1 (with SAF approval in progress), the trainer’s twin DeltaHawk DHK4A180 engines offer about 40% better fuel efficiency than typical avgas piston engines. The FAA is looking to begin the first phase of what is shaping up to be a very expensive move, aiming to get part of its workforce situated in the DoT headquarters by early December. The agency confirmed the relocation in August as a means to improve collaboration and address safety concerns with its aging facilities. France’s largest air traffic controll

Also: USAF Reactivates Squadron For Drone Ops, Beyond Aero, Vertical Aerospace, Archer Midnight

Amazon Prime Air has halted its unmanned delivery operations after two of its MK30 drones ran into the boom of a crane in Tolleson, Arizona. No injuries were reported. The crash happened early on October 1, leaving both aircraft destroyed. Police in Tolleson quickly secured the site and confirmed that an investigation was underway. Federal officials also stepped in, with both the FAA and the NTSB doing their parts. Skydweller Aero announced the recent completion of a 74-hour flight of its unmanned, solar-powered aircraft in conjunction with the Navy. The flight was conducted over the Gulf of America and represents a major advancement in unmanned aircraft technology. Austrian air taxi startup FlyNow Aviation is celebrating the first untethered test flights of its eVTOL vehicle, the eCopter. The helicopter-like prototype first took to the skies with tether

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The federal government has officially gone into lockdown mode. The FAA will be laying off around a fourth of its staff, leaving 11,000 employees in limbo as another 13,000 air traffic controllers are forced to work on their own dime. Air traffic controllers are considered critical roles, meaning they are required to remain on the job but won’t receive pay until the shutdown ends. Side effects of the recent US government shutdown have made their way into the airshow side of things, with Pacific Airshow organizers confirming that some of its most iconic acts are no longer on the itinerary. The Canadian Forces Snowbirds and Royal Air Force Falcons will instead headline the event, standing in for the traditional USAF Thunderbirds performance. 55-year-old content creator Tang Feiji was killed on September 27, 2025, after losing control of his twin-rotor ultralight. He

F135 Lot 18 and 19 Contracts Pushed to Early 2026

The expensive Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II program has now hit another snag, with deliveries of its new F135 engine now expected to fall another six months behind schedule. Pratt & Whitney, the Raytheon-owned company that builds the afterburning turbofan, has not disclosed a reason for the latest slip.

More Than 20 Classic Aircraft From The Golden Age Of Flying

Tony Caldwell was hosting discovery flights as the finishing touches were put on his latest Caldwell Collection exhibit, which celebrated its grand opening to the public in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday October 4 at Mustang Field at El Reno Regional Airport (KRQO) in El Reno, Oklahoma. The collection features more than 20 vintage airplanes from the Golden Age of aviation.

No Injuries When Cessna CJ4 Runs Off Runway Into House

A Cessna 525C CJ4 light jet that landed at the Mayfield Graves County Airport (M25) in Mayfield, Kentucky, was unable to stop at the end of the runway and continued through the airport perimeter fence, across a road, and into a residence. The resident inside the home was not injured, nor was the pilot, who was the sole occupant of the jet.