Check out https://affordableflying.net/attend/ Right Away and Get YOUR Tickets To the Affordable Flying Expo!

OK.... with a little over a month to go, it’s time to get serious! Thanks to the folks at Sun n Fun, we have a highly professional online ticketing apparatus at our disposal for next month’s Affordable Flying Expo. And we have other good news... use the code “AFE2025” and you can get $5 OFF the adult ticket price of $15 or even more for a three day pass. After an insane amount of work on the part of the ANN crew and more than a little hand holding by the event experts at Sun n Fun, the Expo is shaping up. We have an amazing series of seminars and forums in the works as well as a LIVE Friday Night Town Hall in which we will be dissecting MOSAIC in as great a detail as we can muster. 

Production Plans Contingent On Getting UJTS Contract

Textron Aviation Defense announced production plans for the UJTS, or Undergraduate Jet Training System program. That is, if they get the contract, the company will assemble the Beechcraft M-346N at its Wichita, Kansas factory. The historic Beechcraft brand called Wichita home for almost a century, and the announcement reinforces the company’s commitment to delivering the U.S. Navy its most advanced integrated jet training system.

CubCrafters Carbon Cub UL Climbed More than 7 Miles High, Breaking a 75 Year Record

In a truly mind-boggling and somewhat concerning performance, a CubCrafters Carbon Cub UL has quite literally soared to new heights by climbing to an altitude of 37,609 feet above sea level. The previous record, set almost 75 years ago, was achieved by a Piper Super Cub at 30,203 feet.

Month-Long Funding Lapse Sets Back Long-Term Programs at a Crucial Time

The FAA finally has a decent excuse to put its drone agenda on hold… and, of course, it comes at a crucial time for the industry’s future. With major updates in the works, including the long-awaited Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) rulemaking, the agency is being forced to focus all its efforts on core safety work as the government shutdown drags on.

Also: AIR Loses eVTOL Demonstrator, USCG Getting New Helos, Freighter Fleet To Grow, US Army Falls Behind

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, in partnership with NASA, successfully completed the first flight of the X-59, an innovative, quiet supersonic aircraft designed to return the capability of supersonic flight to commercial air travel. The X-59 launched from the Skunk Works facility at the U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, and landed near the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. King Schools is stepping up to help fill the gap left by the sudden closure of AceCFI, offering impacted CFIs a major discount to its Flight Instructor Refresher Course (FIRC). AceCFI, an online FIRC service, ceased operations after its FAA authorization expired on September 30, 2025. While the FAA had officially removed AceCFI from its list of approved providers on August 29, few customers received any advance notice. Nearly a m

Also: AFE25 Ticket Info, Flying Into AFE, Deltahawk Steps WAY Up, SnF Invaluable to AFE25

OK... this is an insane record... and one that is likely to stand for a while as we’re not sure there are many who would choose to challenge it. A next-gen CubCrafters Carbon Cub UL has climbed to a verified altitude of 37,609 feet above sea level over the California coast just a few days ago — setting what CubCrafters claims to be an unofficial new world altitude record for Cub-type aircraft (and let’s face it, it’s not likely that most Cub-types have seen anywhere near HALF that altitude. The Affordable Flying Expo is building up a healthy head of steam as additional exhibitors join the mix and the list of aircraft on display grows by the day. Recently, we received confirmation of the Deltahawk RV14 test vehicle, and added both Tecnam and JMB Aircraft added 5, possibly as many as 7 additional aircraft to the growing static disp

MOSAIC-Centric Event Set For November 6-8, 2025... DON'T Miss It!

After a master strategy meeting this last week on the grounds of the Sun n Fun Aerospace Expo campus, details have been completed for the first MOSAIC-dedicated, MOSAIC-centric Affordable Flying Expo (AFE25). With the rule officially announced, AFE25 stands to be the best opportunity for MOSAIC-interested folks to get their questions answered and for the industry to show the aviation community that they are ready to serve this expanding niche. 

Also: Beech M-346N, Metro Gains H160 EMS STC, New Bell Boss, Affordable Flying Expo Tickets NOW On Sale!

Purdue University’s Research Foundation and the Archaeological Legacy Institute have confirmed that they will be putting their quest to find Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Electra aircraft on hold until next year. The announcement blamed seasonal weather that would jeopardize the expedition if it continued to wait for Kiribati’s green light. SpaceX is clipping the wings on its Starlink Mini users. The company announced that starting November 7, 2025, the maximum supported operating speed for its Roam, Local Priority, and Global Priority plans will drop from 550 mph (471 knots) to 450 mph (391 knots). The change comes as part of what SpaceX calls “ongoing efforts to optimize network performance.” Months after the Federal Aviation Administration pulled her medical on bogus mental health-related claims, Xyla Foxlin h

Says Engine Is ‘Optimal Choice’ For Full-Scale Cavorite X7 Aircraft

New Horizon Aircraft, dba Horizon Aircraft, a Lindsay, Ontario-based aerospace engineering firm developing a hybrid eVTOL aircraft, announced it selected the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprop engine for its full-scale Cavorite X7 aircraft.  

Modernizes Fleet And Strengthens Aerial Firefighting Capability

The County of Los Angeles announced a contract with Sikorsky for two new S-70i FIREHAWK helicopters to enhance wildfire suppression, search and rescue, and emergency medical services throughout the county’s 4,000 square mile area.