Allegiant Air Pilots Displeased with Airline’s Negotiations

Allegiant Air pilots are disgruntled with the plodding pace of negotiations, and have now asked for release from mediation in a possible prelude to a strike. Back in November, Allegiant pilots voted to authorize a strike to the tune of 97%, highlighting their displeasure with the multi-year negotiation process. Central to the debate is the carrier’s proposal to allow 20% of its pilot base to act as “surplus”, while they push the other 80% to fly a full schedule. Allegiant pilots aren’t happy about that by any means, citing concerns about pilot fatigue, operational reliability, and quality of life. If the request to release from mediation is granted, the Board may offer binding arbitration to resolve remaining issues between Allegiant and its pilots.

MRO Network Continues to Expand Above and Beyond Previous Plans

GE Aerospace and CFM International will keep grinding away on their growing network of Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul facilities around the globe, as highlighted in a report to investors and clients. “When the CFM LEAP engine entered service in 2016, its maker, CFM International, a 50-50 joint company between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines, had a hunch it might be popular. But maybe not this popular,” a GE release reads. “Case in point: Over the past few years, airlines that have selected Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft have opted for CFM LEAP engines about 70% of the time. And that’s just a portion of the engine program’s remarkable success," GE adds...

Is it an Airbus? A Kawasaki? Well, it Used to be a Messerschmitt...

Another fun reminder that Japanese brands license-build some well-known aircraft came across the presswire recently, showing a Kawasaki BK117 - or, as we’re more familiar with it, the H145 - to the Japanese National Police. The official notice mentions them as a pair of “H145//BK117 D-3 helicopters”, produced jointly with Airbus Helicopters. The BK117 is a medium, twin-engine helo aimed at the usual roster of rotary-wing missions in the civilian world. Air med, survey, patrol, transport, firefighting, all the classics are on the table with the right collection of aftermarket equipment. The Japanese National Police Agency said they would put their new aircraft into use across such a lineup of missions, thanks to its “excellent maneuverability, high speed, and high visibility.”

Grumman Fighters To Fly In Daily Air Shows, Displayed On Boeing Plaza

The Air Legends Foundation announced it will bring to EAA’s AirVenture 2025 in Oshkosh four of the most famous fighter aircraft of the period extending from World War II to Korea: its ‘Cat’ series of single-engine piston fighters, with the lone twin-engine in the group being the F7F Tigercat.

April 21st Kicks Off Revised Schedule

Van’s Aircraft announced a small shift in their customer support this month, adding additional hours to their phone availability from April 21st onward. Most notable is the change in their direct builder support line. Builders may call in from 10:00 to 11:00 am every morning, and 15:00 to 16:00 in the afternoons - all in PDT or PST as Van’s runs off Pacific Time. Prior hours for builder support were a little limiting for some customers, only open from 08:00 to 09:30 and 15:00 to 16:00 PST. Van’s previously warned that “we often take a large volume of support calls and want to help as many people as we can while keeping them on hold for the shortest time possible.” 

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Federal prosecutors recently filed a lawsuit against an uncertified charter flight company and its owner, citing at least 237 flights with suspicious operations. If proven true, each flight comes with at least 16 FAR violations. Verijet is being forced to chalk up $328,000 for a default judgment, won by a customer who claims that he was denied the 100 flight hours that he purchased. On January 15, 2023, Brandon Kruse dropped $275,000 on a Verijet JetCard that would give him 100 flight hours in the operator’s Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet fleet. He was charged an additional $20,625 in Federal Excise Tax on the purchase, bringing his tab to $295,625. In light of several recent blunders, the FAA has published a new Safety Alert For Operators (SAFO) regarding risks associated with visual approaches. It aims to remind carriers and pilots of how important it is to listen

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Japanese eVTOL manufacturer SkyDrive announced that its SKYDRIVE SD-05 model successfully performed a demo flight during Media Day on April 9, 2025, in Osaka, Kansai, Japan, at Expo 2025, a worldwide event showcasing innovation and culture. The company also released recent footage of test flights and development work at its facility in Toyota City, Japan. Unither Bioelectronics announced that its modified Robinson R44 helicopter made its airborne debut on March 27. It was powered by PEM fuel cells and an electric motor, making it the first successful flight of a piloted, hydrogen-powered VTOL. The company’s hydrogen journey began nearly a decade ago with the goal of developing a zero-emission vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. Primoco UAV has received certification from both NATO and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency

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Gulfstream Aerospace announced that its all-new Gulfstream G800 long range bizjet has received type certifications from both the U.S. FAA and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency EASA. Its certification performance capabilities were higher than anticipated. The certification numbers confirm enhanced performance for the aircraft. Chilean wingsuit pilot Sebastián ‘Ardilla’ Álvarez completed an incredible flight at the West Tennessee Skydiving center on March 22, 2025, at the Wings Field Airport (2TN2) in Whiteville, east of Memphis, under official FAI observation. Alvarez is a former Chilean Air Force pilot and skydiver and he completed the flight as part of the Red Bull Starman mission. The owner of California-based maintenance facility Light Helicopter Depot is facing decades in prison after he replaced a customer’s old

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The FAA issued an emergency order shutting down New York Helicopter Charter, Inc., partly because the company fired its director of operations for his decision to stop flights in the recent aftermath of a catastrophic failure in one of its aircraft that caused it to crash into the Hudson River, killing the six people aboard. The FAA has opened the comment period on a recent notice of intent that plans to shut down the entire network of Remote Communications Outlets (RCOs) in one fell swoop. The scheme, proposed due to a lack of demand, has already earned criticism from dozens of stakeholders. CAF Invader Squadron in Fort Worth, Texas, is nearing completion of its restoration of the Douglas A-26 Invader "Night Mission" to get it ready for this year’s air show season. Significant progress has been made during recent weeks, with the lef

Also: Spirit CEO Resigns, ‘Mental Health in Aviation’, U-2 Dragon Lady, Elixir Delivers

Unither Bioelectronics announced that its modified Robinson R44 helicopter made its airborne debut on March 27. It was powered by PEM fuel cells and an electric motor, making it the first successful flight of a piloted, hydrogen-powered VTOL. The company’s hydrogen journey began nearly a decade ago with the goal of developing a zero-emission vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. The EAA has finalized its arrival schedule for herds of like aircraft to fly into the 2025 airshow. While many other coordinated arrivals will inevitably be arranged by various aviation communities, the EAA has organized group fly-ins: Mooneys, Bonanzas, Cessnas, and Cherokees. A recent class action lawsuit against United Aviate Academy claims that the program was, in reality, painfully underfunded and short-staffed. It looks to represent all students tha