Also: Bombardier’s Mach 0.95 Jet, Bristell Upgrade, Leonardo M-346, Happy Holiday!

The effort to reunite a plane with its pilot has continued to rise through the ranks, reaching federal levels in a recent letter to the DoT and the Department of the Interior. The agencies are being asked to step in after a Stinson 108 was emergency-landed and held captive on the tribal land in northern Minnesota. The request centers on a 1946 Stinson 108 owned by Darrin Smedsmo which was flying over the Red Lake Indian Reservation toward Bemidji for training when his engine suffered a catastrophic failure, forcing a landing on Minnesota Highway 1. An early-morning aircraft theft at Van Nuys Airport (VNY) ended quickly, and surprisingly without leaving the ground, when a stolen LA Flight Academy Cessna 172 crashed into the side of a hangar. Authorities say the training aircraft struck the building while taxiing. Jared “Rook” Isaacman was sworn in on

Also: Army Helos Rescue 18, Stadiums v Drones, Hartzell's New Sky-Tec, R66 Mil Fleet Logs Time

The owners of Solberg-Hunterdon Airport (N51) have taken their dispute with local officials to court, arguing that a newly adopted zoning procedure by Readington Township is designed to quietly “suffocate” airport operations -- not just regulate them. The lawsuit claims the measure would prevent modernization and eventually make the family-run field economically unsustainable. Tecnam has introduced the P2008JC NG: a much-anticipated update to its two-seat training aircraft, now certified under EASA CS-23 standards. The variant replaces the earlier certification basis with CS-23 Amendment 6, applying current airworthiness requirements to a long-standing design. Spirit Airlines has managed to scrape in an immediate $50 million boost through its debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing arrangement, providing short-term liquidity as it continues anoth

Also: The Aircraft That Delivered, Breakthroughs and Breakdowns Report, Aero-Standouts, Aero-Stumbles 

Welcome to a special episode of Airborne Unlimited... with a look back at 2025 and what it all might mean for 2026. Call it The Aero-News Aviation Reality Check — 2025 Edition, bit make no mistake... in one form or another, these are the stories, companies, planes and products that distinguished aviation this year. While there was a;lot to cover and much that we really didn't have th s[pace for, we wanted to offer some kudos to planes, products, powerplants and programs that deserved serious kudos... as well as those who most definitely did NOT. With MOSAIC finally out of the bag, partially, the industry stands at the forefront of great possibilities so long as it is ready to take advantage of the opportunities ahead of us and NOT blow it as it has with so many other promising developments. Still there are hazards ahead and in an upcomi

Also: MGen. Jeannie Leavitt, NTSB Blasts Congress, Austro 5M Hours, Firehawk Helo Pilot Training

The FAA has released an updated set of advisory circulars to support the transition to the long-awaited MOSAIC rule, offering new direction for pilots, instructors, and light-sport repairmen. The documents, published November 14, aim to align long-standing guidance with the performance-based system that will replace the outdated light-sport framework when MOSAIC takes effect in 2026. Minnesota CFI Gabriel Kesler has won Sporty’s $2,500 Pilot Training+ Scholarship, which he will use to obtain his multiengine and multiengine instructor ratings. Kesler is a newly certificated flight instructor who teaches in a variety of training environments, including EAA’s Sport Pilot Academy in Oshkosh, where he instructs in RV–12s and contributes to the Pilot Proficiency Center during AirVenture. Frasca International, a provider of flight simulation

Also: Archer Takes On Hawthorne Airport, Saudi GACA, Soyuz Return, Push To Invest In SAF 

Electra is walking its EL9 hybrid-electric aircraft into the formal certification phase, filing its application with the FAA to begin the Part 23 process. Work with the FAA now shifts from compliance in development to acceptance of the certification plan and building out the test program. “This certification application signals that the EL9 is fast becoming a reality and reflects the progress our team and the FAA have made together,” said Electra CEO Marc Allen. EVIO has unveiled the product of more than eight years of rigorous development: the EVIO 810 hybrid-electric regional aircraft… and a lengthy list of customers to go with it. The Montreal-based company has secured conditional agreements and options for 450 airplanes, setting the stage for an entry into service in the early 2030s. The clean-sheet design is backed by investment fr

Also: New Katanas, Kern County FD Training, IndiGo’s Botched Roster, MGen. Leavitt Named ERAU Dean

The Australian Transportation Safety Bureau (ATSB) has wrapped up its investigation into a recent skydiving incident, revealing that one of the jumpers was left hanging 15,000’ AGL from the aircraft’s horizontal stabilizer due to an inadvertent deployment of his reserve parachute. He was able to cut himself free and pull his primary chute. Cooper Aircraft Corporation has expanded support for Rotax installations with a new mount for naturally aspirated engines. The new mounts cover the Highwing, Legacy, B Model, Onex, Sonex, Waiex, and Xenos. The mounts are delivered in white, and will mount up the Rotax 912UL, 912ULS, 912iS, 914UL, 915iS and 916iS. Section 373 of the newly passed National Defense Authorization Act isn’t sitting well with much of the industry, sparking public frustration from the National Transportation Safety B

(Pilot) Corrected With Hard Left Rudder; However, The Airplane Then Veered To The Left And Exited The Runway Surface

Analysis: The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that upon touchdown the airplane bounced twice. As the airplane slowed, the pilot applied the brakes, and the airplane veered to the right. He corrected with hard left rudder; however, the airplane then veered to the left and exited the runway surface. Subsequently, the airplane ground looped, and the left wing struck the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the left aileron. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing on runway 24 with wind from 240° at 11 knots. 

From 2014 (YouTube Edition): The Stunning Technology Behind What Keeps Much Of The Aero-World Flying

In this video we have the pleasure of meeting, J.J. Frigge, the Executive Vice President for Hartzell Propeller, and we receive a personal guided tour of the Hartzell production facility. The Hartzell Propeller Company goes back to the early days of aviation when they were innovators in airplane propeller research and development. The spirit of those days has not been lost on the modern company.

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Are you on Instagram yet? It's been around for a few years, quietly picking up traction mostly thanks to everybody's new obsession with mobile photography. Instagram is a social networking app made for sharing photos and videos from a smartphone - which has lent itself well to the news industry. Did you know that approx. 62% of adults in the United States get their news from social media? That’s more than you thought right! Aero-News Network has jumped on the bandwagon and we are now posting our news stories and recaps of our Airborne episodes on Instagram (as well as Read More