CR Brings Much-Needed Relief, Long-Term Funding Necessary

The National Air Transportation Association issued a statement on November 12 welcoming the passage of the Continuing Resolution to end the federal government shutdown and the start of restoring full operations across the DOT, FAA, TSA, CBP, and other federal agencies.

Also: Embraer Nixes Next-Gen Turboprop, Boeing $1B Expansion, 12 Class B Airports Closed To GA, Relief Flight Downed

The CAF Gulf Coast Wing’s AC-47 “Spooky” gunship has taken to the air once again. The Vietnam-era aircraft made its return to flight to honor fallen veteran Lt. Col. Paul Mendes. The flyover was held during the Vietnam Veteran Parkway Dedication ceremony. Mendes, a decorated Green Beret and three-tour Vietnam veteran, was among the last American soldiers evacuated from Saigon in 1975 and later played a key role in recovering missing US personnel. Boeing offered a new contract to the more than 3,200 workers at its facilities in the St. Louis area, with increased bonuses and adjusted terms as the company tries to end the walkout that has now lasted more than three months. NBAA is bluntly shutting down any claims that business aviation has been exempted from the FAA’s new traffic reduction measures. The cuts come

Also: VerdeGo Contract, Medi-Carrier, Gambit 6 UCAV, Blade Urban Air Mobility Pilot

Archer Aviation has inked a deal for control of Hawthorne Municipal Airport (HHR), also known as Jack Northrop Field, in Los Angeles for $126 million in cash. This marks a major shift in its strategy to build a localized urban air-mobility network and test next-gen aviation tech. The 80-acre facility offers roughly 190,000 square feet of terminal, hangar, and office space in a dense urban setting. Joby Aviation announced the start of power-on testing of the first of its FAA-conforming aircraft built for TIA, or Type Inspection Authorization, that is the lead-up to “for credit” flight tests with FAA pilots operating the aircraft. Joby will now proceed to conduct thousands of hardware and software integration tests prior to the start of flight testing. Three Chinese astronauts aboard the Tiangong space station watched as their Shenzhou-20 return capsule wa

From 2022 (YouTube Edition): Educate, Inspire, and Honor Through Flight

To say that the crew of the Commemorative Air Force’s B-17, Texas Raiders, is passionate would be an understatement! Crew Member and Wing Historian for the CAF Gulf Coast Wing, Kevin ‘K5’ Michels is absolutely no exception. After taking a flight on the B-17 we caught up with Michels to hear a little about the history of the CAF and this particular aircraft. The CAF was formed in 1957 by Lloyd Nolen with the $1,500 purchase of a P-51D Mustang. The CAF has grown tremendously since its inception in Mercedes, TX nearly 65 years ago. 

About 5ft Above Ground Level, The Airplane Stalled, And The Left Wing Dropped

Analysis: The pilot reported that this flight was conducted as part of phase 1 flight testing of the newly constructed experimental amateur-built airplane. The pilot stated that he had watched a video from the airplane kit manufacturer on “factory takeoff,” which suggested keeping the control stick slightly aft of neutral and applying partial power. During the accident takeoff, he tried the method described by the video and when the airplane lifted off, it was too slow. About 5ft above ground level, the airplane stalled, and the left wing dropped.

Aero Linx: Brodhead Pietenpol Association The Brodhead Pietenpol Association is a newly reorganized (in 2017) non-profit educational corporation that grew and developed from an earlier type club for owners, pilots, builders, and aficionados of the Pietenpol Aircamper and Sky Scout. The original BPA was started in 1975 (then called the National Pietenpol Association) as a social and builder support group. It has evolved over the years and now, after four decades, has blossomed into a newly re-organized Pietenpol-focused educational organization with part of its mission now including among other activities, promoting aviation safety related to antique amateur-built aircraft, disseminating safe amateur aircraft building info, and promoting recognition of the historical significance of Bernard Pietenpol as a ground-breaking designer, builder and promoter of early amateur-built aircraft.

NonDirectional Beacon An L/MF or UHF radio beacon transmitting nondirectional signals whereby the pilot of an aircraft equipped with direction finding equipment can determine his/her bearing to or from the radio beacon and “home” on or track to or from the station. When the radio beacon is installed in conjunction with the Instrument Landing System marker, it is normally called a Compass Locator. 

There's A Lot To Like On ANN's Latest Social Media Site

We all know how important Social Media is to a lot of people, particularly those under 30. We also know how important those folks are to the future of aviation. In so many forums and at so many events, we talk about how to attract the next generation of pilots, mechanics, and enthusiasts to our industry, and social media is certainly critical to getting the message out to those who practically live online.

“We achieved full mission success today, and I am so proud of the team. It turns out Never Tell Me The Odds had perfect odds—never before in history has a booster this large nailed the landing on the second try. This is just the beginning as we rapidly scale our flight cadence and continue delivering for our customers.” Source: Dave Limp, CEO of Blue Origin, following their logging a clean booster recovery with New Glenn, giving Jeff Bezos’ company something it has been publicly chasing for years: proof that its heavy-lift rocket can reuse components the same way SpaceX has since October 2024. The flight also shipped two NASA satellites towards Mars as New Glenn’s first paying-customer science payload.

Negotiated Agreement Fell Through in August Due to Unexpected ASTG Objections

After more than five years of unsuccessful contract talks, pilots at Air Transport International (ATI) are ready to strike. The dispute follows the collapse of a long-awaited agreement in August, which pilots say was derailed when ATI’s parent company, Air Transport Services Group (ATSG), raised last-minute objections that stripped away key updates.