Authorities Still Investigating Damage After the EF-1 Tornado

As an EF-1 tornado whizzed through northern Texas, two business jets decided it was their best bet to huddle up under the wing of a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III. The storm brought winds upwards of 70 miles per hour and caused severe infrastructure damage. The tornado touched down on the morning of March 4 in Irving, Texas.

Air Cover Engineering Preps to Take in New Experimental Kit Orders

Air Cover Engineering, which acquired Titan Aircraft’s assets in December, recently announced that it will soon be breaking ground on a new production facility. The build hopes to get T-51 and Tornado kit orders back up and running with improved efficiency and quality.

New Petition Challenges KISM’s Decision as Boycott Gains Traction

After months of pushback from local pilots and aviation groups, the Kissimmee City Commission officially approved landing fees for Kissimmee Gateway Airport (KISM) on December 20, 2024. Even with the fees in place, however, the community refuses to let the decision slide.

Airport Management Suggests Closing Runway 16/34 Instead of Repairing It

Salem-Willamette Valley Airport (SLE) managers have proposed shutting down their secondary runway instead of repairing it, earning them quite a bit of pushback from the community. City officials have noted that, without federal funding backing it, the project would cost more than it would contribute.

IM-2 Mission Ends Early, But Not Without a Few Achievements

Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission to the Moon wrapped up earlier than planned, but not before delivering at least some data to NASA. The Nova-C lander, Athena, touched down on March 6 inside a crater near the lunar South Pole—just not quite where it was supposed to.

Dallach D.4B Fascination Went Down in Plettenberg, Germany

A Dallach Fascination ultralight went down in a residential yard on March 4, killing its 64-year-old pilot. The aircraft’s emergency parachute seemed to have been partially deployed before impact. The ultralight was allegedly in good condition when it was picked up.

NBAA, EAA, NATA, Other Industry Reps Confab With FAA Leaders On Key Issues

On Thursday March 6, 2025, senior leaders in the FAA met with over two dozen leaders of aviation and labor organizations at its headquarters in Washington, DC, to identify and discuss the key safety issues facing both the agency and pilots in an effort to make general and business aviation safer.

Air Canada, CAE Collaborate On Canadian Awards

In honor of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2025, Air Canada and CAE, in conjunction with the Northern Lights Aero Foundation, announced the eight winners of the 2025 Captain Judy Cameron Scholarships, awarded to Canadian women pursuing careers as commercial pilots or aircraft maintenance engineers.

Also: 1000th Challenger 3500, Nat'l General Aviation Awards, Fairchild And Travel Air, F-15EX Ejection Seats

The CEO and Chairman of Porto Aviation Group encountered an emergency in his Risen 916iSV ultralight while attempting to set another new speed record. A bird strike may be to blame for the accident. Porto Risen 916iSV registered as I-X068, took off from Alzate Brianza Airport (ILB) at around 0715, while attempting to certify a new top airspeed of 450 km/h (243 kts). General Electric (GE) recently announced that its latest turboprop engine design, the Catalyst, has completed certification testing and received the FAA's nod of approval. The Catalyst

Also: Pan Am Flight Academy Acquired, Alaska/Hawaiian Combined, True Blue Converter, Another Icon Mishap

Blue Origin announced the crew members for its next human flight, NS-31 -- with an all-female crew. They are Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyen, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sanchez, who brought the mission together. The NS-31 mission will be the 31st overall for the New Shepard program and the 11th with humans aboard. SpaceX announced that the eight flight test of its Starship vehicle will take place no earlier than Monday, March 3, 2025. The word comes after the company tentatively scheduled it for Friday February 28, and said it

Also: Jim Richmond Foundation, Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, EAGLE Initiative, DIMOR Expanding

ANN’s Jim Campbell had the chance to meet up with AeroJonesUSA’s Abid Farooqui and to test fly the new AJ Sport... which is obviously derived from the CT line that has been a part of the LSA movement for a number of years. While the CT series were decent airplanes, they were a bit quirky so the redesign and upgrade of this series, under the guise of AeroJonesUSA, offered the potential to seriously update this bird... and that’s just what they did. Hartzell Propeller and CubCrafters announced that the Kestrel, a three-blade lightweight compos

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): A Bone to Chew

Envisioned in the 1960s as a platform that would combine the Mach 2 speed of Convair’s sexy but temperamental B-58 Hustler with the range and payload of Boeing’s rock-steady B-52 Stratofortress, Rockwell’s B-1 Lancer was meant to ultimately replace both aircraft. Following a long series of studies, Rockwell International (now part of Boeing) prevailed—besting Boeing, General Dynamics, and North American—in the U.S. Air Force’s Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft (AMSA) design contest, submitting a concept that would, years later, emerge into the Cold War

Pilot Receiving Instruction Made “Reverse Command” Control Inputs Which Led To Side-To-Side Oscillations

Analysis: The flight instructor reported that it was the first takeoff in a weight-shift control aircraft for the pilot receiving instruction. During the takeoff roll, the aircraft veered left and then right, then rolled on its side and exited the runway. According to the flight instructor, the pilot receiving instruction made “reverse command” control inputs which led to side-to-side oscillations, which progressed without correction from the flight instructor.

Aero Linx: Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo From its humble beginnings in 1974 as a fly-in for sport aviation enthusiasts, the SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo has grown into one of the largest and most successful aviation events on earth. We are Florida’s largest annual convention of any kind, and each year over 200,000 visitors flock to what has become known as “Aviation’s Season Opener” or “Spring Break for Pilots.”

Ground Communication Outlet (GCO) An unstaffed, remotely controlled, ground/ground communications facility. Pilots at uncontrolled airports may contact ATC and FSS via VHF radio to a telephone connection. If the connection goes to ATC, the pilot can obtain an IFR clearance or close an IFR flight plan. If the connection goes to Flight Service, the pilot can open or close a VFR flight plan; obtain an updated weather briefing prior to takeoff; close an IFR flight plan; or, for Alaska or MEDEVAC only, obtain an IFR clearance. Pilots will use four “key clicks” on the VHF radio to contact the appropriate ATC facility or six “key clicks” to contact the FSS. The GCO system is intended

“Empowering American companies to deliver science and tech to the Moon on behalf of NASA both produces scientific results and continues development of a lunar economy. While we’re disappointed in the outcome of the IM-2 mission, we remain committed to supporting our commercial vendors as they navigate the very difficult task of landing and operating on the Moon.” Source: Joel Kearns, NASA’s deputy associate administrator for Exploration in the Science Mission Directorate, commenting after the tip-over landing of the IM-2 lunar landing mission.