Witness Reports Seeing Flames Under Right Engine

A V-22 Osprey, part of the Marine Corps HMX-1 presidential helicopter fleet, was grounded in the middle of a ferry flight transporting White House officials. A witness reported seeing flames under the aircraft’s right engine.  On the same day, lawmakers wrote Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin requesting that he ground the entire US military’s V-22 Osprey Fleet… again.

Also: Boeing Plays Scrooge, Artemis Assignments, Aviation Sanctions, Blue Origin Launches

The BushCat was manufactured in South Africa by SkyReach beginning in 2014, selling its first unit to a customer at EAA Oshkosh. It sold nearly 200 kits until April 2024 when it suspended operations. However, SkyReach just announced that the LSA is coming back into production under new branding as “Buchcat Aircraft Australia” with a new management team at the helm. Jeff Skiles, the First Officer who made history on US Airways Flight 1549, has moved into retirement after nearly 40 years of airline service. Skiles played an instrumental role in the ‘

Falcon Heavy to Launch Rotorcraft Lander on Saturn’s Largest Moon

NASA has chosen SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket to launch its Dragonfly mission in 2028. The project will deploy the “Dragonfly” rotorcraft lander to study compositions and materials on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. The Dragonfly is a car-sized dual-quadcopter, or ‘octocopter,’ equipped with an advanced suite of research instruments.

Yes... We Will Be On A Holiday Schedule For The Rest Of Week

As the Aero-News staff observes the US holiday of Thanksgiving on Thursday, we wanted to let our readers know that ANN will still be on the job, reporting breaking news in the aviation and aerospace fields as it happens -- in Real Time -- just like always. Aero-News will be publishing at a slightly reduced level on November 28th and 29th, as our staffers spend some time with their families... some of whom may not recognize them away from their computers. Airborne will be published through Wednesday the 27th, and resume on Monday, the 2nd of December.

Elon Musk Criticizes Manned Fighters, Cites Inefficiency

Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO and co-lead of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), recently expressed his desire to do away with manned fighter jets. He referenced the ridiculously high spending on the F-35 program, pointing towards AI-driven solutions for the future of aerial warfare.

Crew Made It Safely Back To Base

A Maine LifeFlight helicopter crew was disrupted by a laser strike on November 22 while flying back to their base in Sanford. The helo was flying at about 2000 feet AGL when the light was observed in the cockpit at about 7:45 p.m. LifeFlight of Maine is a nonprofit organization that provides emergency medical transportation. The pilot was able to fly back without further incident, laser light can temporarily blind crewmembers who are often wearing night vision goggles (NVGs).

Includes Sydney To Detroit For Longest BizAv Flight Ever

Bombardier announced that its Global 7500 business jet has set 75 city-pair speed records since it entered service in late 2018. The new records include Miami to São Paulo, Tokyo to Los Angeles, Tokyo to San Jose, Jeddah to London, and Los Angeles to Aukland. One trip in October 2019 was the 8,225 nm flight from Sydney to Detroit, Michigan, the longest flight ever recorded in business aviation.

Flight Was 28th Overall For New Shepard Program

Blue Origin successfully completed its 28th flight (NS-28) under the New Shepard program and the 9th human suborbital space flight, the company announced on November 22. The Jeff Bezos-founded private spaceflight company flew New Shepard with a crew of six, making a total of 47 people who have flown on the vehicle. Three of them have flown twice.

Expanding Availability of UAS Across Business Sectors

RobotLAB and Vision Aerial have formed a partnership to bring unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to a wide variety of businesses, government agencies, and higher education. RobotLAB provides integration of advanced robotics and AI solutions for companies in many industries, while Vision Aerial manufactures enterprise-scale industrial drones for use in agriculture, mining, construction, research, public safety, surveying and mapping, and oil and gas.

Program Connects Students With Hands-On Experience, Apprenticeships, & Jobs

Students in the aviation maintenance technician programs at Snead State Community College are getting a leg up on their peers through a collaboration between Snead State’s Alabama Aviation College and ACE Aeronautics of Guntersville, Alabama. Snead State’s Aviation College is located at Albertville Regional Airport (8A0) while ACE Aero is just a few miles up the road at Guntersville Municipal (8A1).

He Was Unable To Center The Rudder Due To The Unresponsive Left Rudder Pedal

On November 17, 2024, about 1415 central standard time, a Pitts Special S-1E airplane, N52B, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Seguin, Texas. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, he was practicing the International Aerobatic Club Advanced Free Sequence maneuver nine, which consists of a left 1 and ½ rotation snap roll to inverted flight followed by a reverse direction ½ loop downward, when he felt the left rudder lose tension, go to the firewall, and lost rudder control.

From 2022 (YouTube Edition): Carrying the Legacy of The B-29 For Generations to Come

We had a chance to chat with the Executive Director of B-29 Doc, Josh Wells, during their stop at Wings Over the Rockies Exploration of Flight in Centennial, Colorado. He stated that their mission is to tell the stories of the greatest generation, to make sure their legacy carries on for generations to come. It involves letting people “get up close and personal with the B-29, see it, feel it, hug it, crawl through it, make sure that they understand what it may have been like for our men and women, wartime heroes, to have served in these

Aero Linx: Dog Is My CoPilot, Inc. We fly nearly 1,000 animals a month to forever homes between our two rescue planes crisscrossing the country. Our community of donors support our flights that rescue at-risk pets waiting in shelters for a chance to find a safe and loving home. We are honored to work alongside hundreds of truly incredible shelter and rescue workers across the country. The smiles we see on the faces of our shelter partners and future adopters fuel our determination to keep making a difference. While we may be a small piece of the puzzle, we know we are an important piece. Many of the animals we rescue were once on the euthanasia lists, and we have been able to provide them with a

Decision Altitude (DA) A specified altitude (mean sea level (MSL)) on an instrument approach procedure (ILS, GLS, vertically guided RNAV) at which the pilot must decide whether to continue the approach or initiate an immediate missed approach if the pilot does not see the required visual references. 

“This revolutionary mission concept includes the capability to explore diverse locations to characterize the habitability of Titan's environment, to investigate how far prebiotic chemistry has progressed, and even to search for chemical signatures that could indicate water-based and/or hydrocarbon-based life...” Source: A statement from the mission team that NASA has chosen to use SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket to launch its Dragonfly program in 2028. The project will deploy the “Dragonfly” rotorcraft lander to study compositions and materials on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon.