Mon, Dec 01, 2025
Also: Flight Reductions End, E-7A Wedgetail Regrets, Air Senegal 737 MAX, China's Astro Dilemma
The work of Elfin.aero founder Dr. Reiner Stemme, who passed on October 31, 2025, is already being reignited to honor the designer’s years of dedication to the still-unfinished elfin20: a high-performance, two-seat, self-launching electric glider. Development of the prototype is well underway. Gulfstream Aerospace announced that its newly certified ultralong-range G800 achieved its eight city-pair speed record on its flight from Phuket, Thailand to the Dubai Airshow 2025 in the United Arab Emirates. The feat was accomplished in 5 hours 38 minutes. This latest record brings the city-pair speed record total for the Gulfstream fleet to over 760... SpaceX checked off another benchmark this week by completing the 500th orbital launch mission using a reusable rocket booster. Falcon 9 lifted off at 12:21 am on November 17, sending Europe’s Se
Read More
Mon, Dec 01, 2025
Also: UFC Buys Tecnams, Emirates B777-9 Buy, Allegiant Pickets, F-22 And MQ-20
The NTSB's preliminary report on the UPS Flight 2976 crash has focused on the left engine pylon's separation and a subsequent fire that started even before impact. Imagery released by NTSB shows a clear left engine and pylon failure as the aircraft rotated for departure. The report indicates that the left engine and pylon separated from the wing shortly after takeoff, leading to a fire that ignited near the pylon's attachment point. NBAA, along with its fellow 60-plus aviation stakeholders in the Modern Skies Coalition issued the following statement supporting legislation that would prevent the FAA from being affected by future government shutdowns to ensure the continuation of normal FAA and aviation operations: “As members of the Modern Skies Coalition, we urge Congress to ensure that our nation’s aviation system and those who rely upon it are never
Read More
Mon, Dec 01, 2025
Lithium-Ion Batteries Targeting Gulfstream for the First Round of STC Approvals
True Blue Power and 101 Aviation are moving toward a series of STCs that would bring lithium-ion batteries to some of the most widely operated Part 25 business jets, starting with the Gulfstream GIV, G450, GV, and G550. The program centers on the 50-amp-hour True Blue Power TB50: a lightweight lithium-ion unit that cuts weight by roughly half compared to the nickel-cadmium and lead-acid batteries still common in long-range aircraft. Gulfstream approvals, expected by the first quarter of 2026, will be trailed by a Challenger lineup that spans the 601 through 650, plus several CRJ variants, with additional aircraft types queued through 2027.
Read More
Mon, Dec 01, 2025
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.
Read More
Mon, Dec 01, 2025
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.
Read More
Mon, Dec 01, 2025
Pilot’s Decision To Attempt Takeoff With Frost Covering The Airplane’s Wings
Analysis: The pilot of the light sport airplane was preparing to depart for a cross-country flight. A witness reported that when he arrived at the airport that morning, he saw the airplane on the parking ramp, not moored down, and the engine was running. As the airplane taxied through the ramp area, he saw that it was covered with frost. Soon after the witness had gone inside the airport office, he was notified from an airplane flying over the airport that an airplane had crashed on the runway. A photo of the accident site minutes after the accident revealed that the upper surfaces of the horizontal stabilizers were covered in frost.
Read More
Mon, Dec 01, 2025
With The eSPRG Only Weeks Away From Its Start Date, A-AF Will Help To Support Sport Flyers, Worldwide
With the all-new and all-digital SportPlane Resource Guide getting ready for publication early next year, the Aero-News Network is pleased to announce yet another addition to the Airborne video news programming roster… Airborne-Affordable Flyers. Dedicated to keeping people up-to-date on the most affordable aspects of sport and general aviation, Airborne-Affordable Flyers is one of our most exciting offerings yet. A-AF will delve into more than just the current LSA community, but look at all aspects of aviation to examine and evaluate the most enjoyable, and most affordable, solutions to flying, operating, and owning aircraft in the 21st century.
Read More
Mon, Dec 01, 2025
We’re Hiring Editors, Developers, Video Journalists, Oh My!
Yes, despite the last few years being one of the most unpredictable stretches in aviation media we can remember, ANN is still standing… and somehow, still expanding. The pandemic didn’t exactly make life easy, but we’ve come through it with enough energy to tackle our next round of projects. Fortunately for you, they are already stacking up faster than we can keep up with. Moving forward, we’ll be ramping up efforts on an expanded “Airborne Unlimited,” launching the third version of the SportPlane Resource Guide in a digital format, rolling out coverage for all the greatest airshows, and diving into new Aero-Reality programming and book projects. We’ve got the plans; now we need the people.
Read More
Mon, Dec 01, 2025
SportPlane Resource Guide (NG) Volume 3 is Bigger, Bolder, and a Whole Lot Easier to Carry
The SportPlane Resource Guide has, like many old kit builds, been collecting dust for years. Over the next year, the book is finally getting a third edition…and this time, it's going digital -- uit HAS to... its simply too big to carry around. Aero-News Network is well on its way to debuting the new e-book with a renewed focus on affordable, entry-level flying machines. The last edition clocked in at nearly 1,100 pages and featured more than 800 sport aircraft from around the world. This new ‘eSPRG’ is expected to blow past that, with over 2000 pages of specs, analysis, and directories.
Read More