Also: New FAA Head, Space Tracking Initiative, Vertiia's New CEO, Wright Electric 

Jetson got an unusual invite from the GOPR Polish Mountain Rescue Team: Try out a pair of their production single-seat eVTOLs in a rescue scenario. The team travelled to southern Poland with some Jetson ONEs in tow, trying out a number of practice scenarios in the local mountainscape. Bell Helicopter has been down-selected for Phase 2 of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s SPRINT X-Plane program. This is a positive turn of DARPA phrase that indicates Bell will move forward in the Speed and Runway Independent Technologies (SPRINT) X-Plane program and complete their design for a demonstrator. They’ll go as far as construction, ground testing, and certification of the aircraft eventually, and hopefully snag some plush contracts along the way. China’s space program took a bold step forward as two of its satellites in geosynchronous orbi

Also: Hydroplane Update, VoltAero Debuts HPU 210, MD State Police Helos, Jetson ONE Rescue Demo

Barely a month after the first major Boeing 787 accident, a preliminary report indicates that something may have been amiss in the cockpit. The tragedy took the lives of 241 people in the aircraft (with one improbable survivor) and another 19 souls on the ground. The prelim notes that, "The aircraft achieved the maximum recorded airspeed of 180 Knots IAS at about 08:08:42 UTC and immediately thereafter, the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec. The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off. NBAA is pushing back in a big way on a recent report by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) that it says provides an incomplete and inaccurate depiction of business jet emissions and pr

From 2021: The Inside Skinny On What Being An ANN Oshkosh Stringer Is All About

By ANN Senior Stringer Extraordinare, Gene Yarbrough The annual gathering at Oshkosh is a right of passage or a pilgrimage to Mecca for many. However the rank and file public rarely have the opportunity to experience the FULL Oshkosh experience. Oshkosh, like onions and ogres, is a multi-layered microcosm within the enigma of the greater Wisconsin county in which it transpires. The Aero-News Network stringer has opportunity, and if so inclined, the access to every aspect of general aviation including the "behind the scenes" view few even know exist.

An Amazing Experience Awaits The Chosen Few...

Oshkosh, to us, seems the perfect place to get started on watching aviation recover the past couple of years... and so ANN is putting EXTRA effort and resources into our coverage of Oshkosh 2025... just a little under 90 days hence. We are now undertaking the process to seek talented stringers to help us present Oshkosh and the sport and general aviation community to the world around us. If you ever thought about joining us, this is THE year to do it. IF YOU want to be a part of this unique adventure, speak up NOW, rather than later, because we're going to be looking for the best volunteer folks we can find and are planning to do so ASAP. You've been warned (grin)....

Also: Sully v Bedford, Embraer Scholarships, NORAD Intercepts 11, GAMA Thankful

Middle Georgia State University will be joining the Federal Aviation Administration’s fight against the air traffic controller shortage through its collegiate training initiative program, known as AT-CTI. It joins six other educational institutions from across the US. With the buzz of the 2025 competition settling down, the Air Race Classic (ARC) is ready to re-stir the pot by unveiling its 2026 route. The all-women’s cross-country will center around Illinois, taking pilots on a southern loop through 10 stops. The race is set to take place from June 23 to 26, 2026, kicking off in East Alton, Illinois, and winding through eight additional stops before finishing in Mount Vernon, Illinois. With an increasingly high rate of flying car customers proving to be non-pilots, manufacturer Samson Sky is introducing a new training program using its Switchblade vehicle.

"OIQ"???—What The Heck Is That?

Pay attention, Oshkosh exhibitors... this is IMPORTANT. The OIQ is something essential for those of you doing any kind of business at AirVenture 2025— it's your OSHKOSH INNOVATION QUOTIENT, and it can be critially important to the success of your efforts. It determines your relevance, your ability to innovate, and your value to the aviation world.  And this year, we think there is no better way to display it than one of the most anticipated episodes of ANN's award-winning Airborne news program—dramatically scheduled for the Friday before AirVenture opens the gates. 

Also: Hackers v Aviation, Discovery Moving?, Gogo Galileo HDX, EVE to Costa Rica

Joby Aviation announced its electric air taxi successfully completed a series of VTOL wingborne trial flights in Dubai, signaling the start of its commercial market readiness activities in the region. These flights will contribute to the advancement of Joby’s readiness ahead of its anticipated first passenger flights in 2026. Electra announced it has been awarded a $1.9 million Small Business Innovation Research contract from the U.S. Army to leverage its development and testing expertise in advancing research and development of hybrid-electric powertrain, power, and propulsion systems, or HEPPS. Air taxi developer Archer announced the successful first flight of its Midnight aircraft at Al Bateen Executive Airport (AZI/OMAD) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, representing the first test of the aircraft’s performance in the hot, humid, and dusty dese

Also: United Elite Sues, Newark ATC Transitions, Discovery Moves?, Textron @ KOSH

The Commemorative Air Force Airbase Arizona is taking its “Flying Legends of Victory Tour” to Boeing Field/King County International Airport (KBFI) in Seattle, Washington, where its prized B-17G Sentimental Journey will land on July 28, 2025 to coincide exactly with the 90th anniversary of the first flight of the B-17 prototype on July 28, 2035, from that very same airfield. Three board members of the Northeast Florida Regional Airport (UST) Authority, including board chair Reba Ludlow, are facing criminal charges ranging from a misdemeanor for violating public meeting laws to felony witness tampering. Chair Reba Ludlow and members Dennis Clarke and Len Tucker are facing criminal charges tied to long-running violations of Florida’s Sunshine Law, which mandates public access to governmental decision-making. The North American Aerospace Defense

Also: New Amelia Search, B737 Flap Falls Off, SUN ‘n FUN Unveiling, F-16 Record

Captain Sully Sullenberger, the pilot who saved 155 people by safely landing an A320 in the Hudson River, has come forward with his thoughts on Trump’s pick to head the FAA: “We all deserve better.” The nominee has made some highly questionable comments regarding pilot experience requirements. The British Counter Terrorism Policing South East unit has charged four people following their arrest for trespassing into the RAF Brize Norton airbase and causing £7 million ($9.5 million) worth of damage to two military Airbus A330 MRTT multi-role Voyager aircraft. They were charged on July 2, 2025, with  conspiracy to enter a prohibited place knowingly for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the UK, and conspiracy to commit criminal damage. Retired American space shuttle Discovery has gotten tied into President Trump&rsq

Easy Online Forms Available For Sport Plane Manufacturers And Suppliers To Be Listed In The Upcoming eSPRG

Work on the SportPlane Resource Guide is going well… Albeit a little bit behind schedule, because as we got into this process, things became a bit more complicated simply because we learned we could do an even better job at certain aspects of this project than we thought from the beginning. They say that the enemy of true quality is the phrase "good enough" and we want to be far more than “good enough.” FMI: www.sportplane.com, Online eSPRG Vendor Survey Form, Online eSPRG Sp