Spare the Rod …

Jack Sweeney, the college student banned from Twitter for doxing the real-time locations of aircraft belonging to public figures—including Twitter boss Elon Musk—has returned to the platform under a new username. Sweeney, 20, claims his admiration of Musk compelled him to begin tracking the billionaire entrepreneur’s private jet in 2020. In point of fact, Sweeney maintained over thirty Twitter accounts by which he tracked celebrities, politicians, and iconic figures the likes of Donald Trump, Mark Zuckerberg, Kim Kardashian, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Higher Education

Mojave California’s National Test Pilot School (NTPS) is the United States’ sole civilian test-pilot institution. The non-profit enterprise is one of only seven worldwide test-pilot schools recognized by the international Society of Experimental Test Pilots. And its a good one.... ANN's Jim Campbell is a graduate of one of their fixed wing programs and recommends them highly. By virtue of subject acknowledgement, NTPS pilot graduates are granted instant initial acceptance into the estimable society’s august ranks.  

Carbon Fiber Scaled P-51 Kit Finishes 2nd Year of Production

Over the holiday, Scalewings looked over the year to see how production is coming, and things are looking better than ever. Despite the youth of the company, the company has managed to complete, ship, and deliver the first 8 of its beautiful P-51 Mustang. While Mustang clones have never been too rare throughout the kit industry, Scalewings managed to impress at this year's Sun n' Fun and EAA Airventure with an impressive level of fit and finish.

Aerus Aerolineas Goes All-In on Cessna Kit With Caravan, SkyCourier Fleet

Textron Aviation has another SkyCourier customer on its hands after inking a deal with Aerus, a new regional airline in Mexico. The airline will launch its fleet with a pair of 19-passenger Cessna SkyCourier twin-engine turboprops, and 4 Cessna Grand Caravan EXs. The new Caravans will join the firm's fleet of recently-delivered EX models, for 7 in all.

Enshrinement to Take Place in Fall of 2023

The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) announced its slate of enshrinees for next year, honoring a handful of aeronautical pioneers. The Class of 2023 was honored with more than 500 attendees at the 2022 Enshrinement Dinner and Ceremony in Dayton, Ohio, with an induction ceremony scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C. in the Fall of 2023.

16 Planes with Kit Purchased - The First Block of Many?

Rumors abound that the Canadian Department of National Defence has authorized $7 billion for F-35 fighters. "Anonymous sources", as per usual, said a funding request to the Treasury Board was accepted, which should provide enough for 16 F-35s with their attendant support and equipment. The negotiations over the aircraft have been an ongoing source of contention, with Canada planning to procure 88 new fighters to replace its aging CF-18 hornet derivatives sometime between 2026 and 2032. 

Also: Boom Engine Partners, Airshow London, Flexjet 1st Class of A&Ps, Blue Origin Tries Again

PSI currently has a monopoly over Airman Knowledge written testing. Prior to PSI’s investiture, computerized FAA airman testing was the province of two companies, Computer Assisted Testing Service (CATS) and LaserGrade. Test fees were split—most often to the tune of 60% to 40% in CATS or LaserGrade’s favor. Given the sole source nod by the FAA, PSI offered contracts to flight schools and FBOs formerly partnered with CATS or LaserGrade. Regrettably, the FAA’s contract with PSI allowed the latter broad, unilateral powers—and th

From 2010 (YouTube Version): Herron's Gyro Recalls Yesteryear's Rotorcraft Configuration

It is currently one of sport aviation's most intriguing sport rotorcraft designs... but it is based on historic airframes that more than proved their mettle during aviation's earlier generations. Ron Herron's plans-built Little Wing Autogyro is a tractor design which brings back a vintage look with its tube-and-fabric fuselage and Rotec radial engine (though other engine selections may be adapted). More than just esthetically pleasing, the machine has distinguished itself worldwide as the holder of 29 World

From Brazil with Love

Following certification of the type by ANAC (Brazil), the FAA (USA), and EASA (Europe), Embraer’s robustly successful E2 family of narrow-body commercial jets, the E195-E2 and E190-E2, has received Type Certification from Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA). The milestone achievement occasioned the delivery of two E195-E2 jets—the first of fifty—to North American launch customer Porter Airlines, a Toronto-based regional airline operating regularly-scheduled flights between Toronto and locations in Canada and the United States.

Vertical Flight Society Document Addresses H2 Future

The Vertical Flight Society (VFS), a non-profit technical organization dedicated to the advancement of vertical flight, has published a forward-thinking whitepaper positing a multimodal hydrogen airport. By dint of the document, titled Multimodal Hydrogen Airport Hub, the Vertical Flight Society sets out to propose a repeatable, on-airport hydrogen hub—initially with a ground vehicle fueling station, and expanding subsequently to an airport-based hub supplying multiple modes of transportation.

Dark Night Conditions Prevailed Around VNC At The Time Of The Accident

On December 3, 2022, at 1938 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-28-151, N4676F, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Venice, Florida. The private pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. Preliminary Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) data revealed that the airplane departed St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE), St. Petersburg, Florida, on the afternoon of the accident and flew to Venice Municipal Airport (VNC), Venice, Florida. The accident occurred during takeoff on the return flight to PIE while the airplane was ope

Aero Linx: The Aeronca Aviators Club The Aeronca Aviators Club is now officially back! Originally founded by Joe and Julia Dickey, who published a very informative and enjoyable newsletter for many years before retiring from the aviation world. Their style and words were unique, and any attempt at imitation will fall short. Therefore, we resolve to bring you a new version of this venerable name with new contributors, experienced Aeronca owners, flyers, mechanics, historians, and enthusiasts. This is a self-supporting endeavor, backed by the administrative tools, experience and resources of the Bellanca-Champion Club. Except for the back-office and some staff in common, this Club is a separate entity

Pilot Briefing A service provided by the FSS to assist pilots in flight planning. Briefing items may include weather information, NOTAMS, military activities, flow control information, and other items as requested.

"Any account doxing real-time location info of anyone will be suspended, as it is a physical safety violation. This includes posting links to sites with real-time location info... Posting locations someone traveled to on a slightly delayed basis isn't a safety problem, so is ok." Source: From a clarification tweeted by Twitter CEO, Elon Musk, in reponse to the controversy over the publication of his airplane (and others') real-time whereabouts.