Mon, Dec 22, 2025
B23 Variant With the Rotax 916iS Earns Certification in the CS-23 Category
BRM AERO has secured another EASA certification for its Bristell B23 design. What makes this one special is what’s under the cowling: a 160-horsepower turbocharged Rotax 916iS, marking the highest-power engine option yet for the B23 lineup.
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Mon, Dec 22, 2025
Stinson 108 Was Confiscated by the Red Lake Nation After an Emergency Landing
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 US Department of Transportation and the Department of the Interior. The agencies are being asked to step in after the beloved Stinson 108 was emergency-landed and held captive on the tribal land in northern Minnesota.
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Mon, Dec 22, 2025
Executive Order Makes Firm Commitments to Moon, Mars, Defense, and More
The White House has set the US up for a much-needed space policy reset, signing an executive order that puts civil exploration, national security, and commercial development much higher on the priority list. ‘Ensuring American Space Superiority’ formally commits the nation to returning astronauts to the Moon by 2028, beginning construction of a permanent lunar outpost by 2030, and laying technical groundwork for eventual human missions to Mars.
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Mon, Dec 22, 2025
Global 8000 Earns FAA Type Certification In the Wake Of Canadian Approval
Bombardier’s Global 8000 has received type certification from US aviation regulators, opening a key market for what the manufacturer claims to be the fastest civilian aircraft since the Concorde. The approval follows Transport Canada type certification granted on November 5, with the aircraft entering service in December. Certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency remains pending.
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Mon, Dec 22, 2025
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
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Mon, Dec 22, 2025
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
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Mon, Dec 22, 2025
Air Taxi Manufacturer Plans to Churn Out Four Aircraft Per Month With Certification Underway
Joby Aviation is laying out plans to double its US manufacturing capacity, targeting a new production rate of four electric air taxis per month in 2027. The boost is being aided by growing operations at Joby’s California and Ohio facilities, where the company already hosts flight testing, final assembly, and component manufacturing.
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Mon, Dec 22, 2025
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
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Mon, Dec 22, 2025
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
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Mon, Dec 22, 2025
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
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