First Global 8000 Goes to Patrick Dovigi, Marking the Jet’s Official Entry into Service

Bombardier has earned a round of applause from the business aviation community, celebrating the formal entry into service of what it calls the “fastest civil aircraft since the Concorde.” Keys to the first Global 8000 were turned over to loyal customer and GFL Environmental CEO Patrick Dovigi on December 8.

Japan, China Fight Over Airspace as Broader Tensions Rise

Japan and China are trading protests after defense officials tattled on Chinese J-15 fighter jets for using Japanese F-15s to practice their fire-control radar locking skills over international waters… twice. China met the claims of “dangerous” encounters with a protest of its own, accusing Japan of disrupting training operations and manipulating the truth.

Also: Cosmonaut Kicked Out, Airbus Scales Back, AF Silver Star, Russian A-60 Clobbered

A Samaritan’s Purse humanitarian flight was hijacked on Tuesday, December 2, while attempting to supply a mobile medical unit in South Sudan. Authorities were able to meet the aircraft on the ground and take the suspect into custody without further incident. The aircraft involved was one of the organization’s Cessna Grand Caravans that operates solely within Africa. The FAA has taken an unusually cooperative step towards pilot mental health reform, reducing the stabilization wait time for approved antidepressant medications from 6 months to just 3. Though this is, in itself, a basic change, it reflects years of industry efforts. Under the revised policy, airmen and air traffic control specialists may now submit Special Issuance medical packages after maintaining a stable dose of an approved antidepressant for at least three continuous months. T

Competition Awards $320k to Eight Prototype Winners Ahead of Final Fly-Off

The GoAERO Prize is getting ready to enter its home stretch, naming the eight new prototype winners that are now one step closer to flying their emergency-response aircraft at NASA Ames in 2027. The organization is handing out $320,000 across the teams, assisting the transition from early concepts to real, flying hardware.

Also: IAE Acquires Diamond Trainers, Army Drones, FedEx Pilots Warning, DA62 MPP To Dresden Tech Uni

The danger to the flight training industry and our future pilots is clear. Donald Frano, a member of the Central Florida Pilots Association, posted a statement as an urgent warning about the increasing number of airports using or considering using a third-party vendor to send landing fees to pilots based on ADS-B data. This began in Florida and is a growing threat that the aviation community needs to stand up to and strongly oppose. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), Chair of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation, has thrown his full support behind the bipartisan Mental Health in Aviation Act (MHAA) by joining as a co-sponsor of the bipartisan legislation. The bill intends to destigmatize mental health issues in aviation, train aviation medical examiners, and make it overall easier for aviation professionals to seek and

Manufacturer Learning Valuable Lessons from CCA Loss Against General Atomics & Co.

As the race for the “autonomous wingman” continues, Lockheed announced their latest entrant into the market as Project Talon, a modular UAS they hope hits the sweet spot between cost and performance. Events back East have really demonstrated the value of affordable uncrewed systems over fancy ones. Their recent loss against General Atomics and Anduril for the CCA contract further drove the lesson home: There’s no place for a 30 -million-dollar drone in 2026 and beyond. Talon takes that lesson to heart, with a 50% parts reduction, lower weight, and quicker manufacture, but there's still a long way to go, as they look to flight testing in 2026...

Also: Electra Goes Military, Miami Air Taxi, Hypersonics Lab, MagniX HeliStrom

Amazon’s Prime Air drones are back in the spotlight after one of its newest MK30 delivery drones struck an overhead internet cable in Waco, Texas. The incident serves as an unnerving replay of safety concerns that surfaced just two months ago involving back-to-back collisions with a crane in Arizona. The more recent event occurred on November 18. The drone, registered  N139PA, had just wrapped up a delivery when it “clipped a thin, overhead internet cable,” according to Amazon. The maiden flight of LandSpace’s ZhuQue-3 rocket on December 3 was one for the books… for both its successes and failures. The rocket reached orbit before the first stage booster recovery attempt resulted in an explosion near the edge of the landing pad. A soldier with no aviation experience was trained how to create flight plans and flew unmanned Black H

Immersive 3D Visualization Tool Accelerates Learning, Improves Decision-Making

CAE announced at Airspace Asia Pacific 2025 it is expanding the use of its proven, advanced 3D visualization technology, CAE Ridge, to its Air Traffic Services training program. CAE Ridge leverages immersive and collaborative scenarios that accelerate learning and improve operational decision-making to enhance the training of air traffic control professionals.

Provo MRO Transforms Owners’ Vision Into Distinctive, Elegant, And Personal Project

The Provo, Utah, full-service MRO facility of Duncan Aviation recently turned out a striking and distinctive paint scheme on a Pilatus PC-12 that helped the owners transform the aircraft into an elegant and patriotic display for its owners.

Also: Airbus Acquisition, USCG Helo Sniper, Remember Pearl Harbor, New Thunderbird 1

Gulfstream’s newest addition to its next-gen lineup, the super-midsize G300, is officially airborne. The jet lifted off from Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV), staying in the air for 2 hours and 25 minutes. The crew took the aircraft to 30,000 feet and cruised at Mach 0.75, checking off the major boxes needed to kick off the flight-test campaign. The Trump administration has officially locked in its pick to spearhead the biggest upgrade to America’s air traffic control system in decades. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford announced on December 4 that Virginia-based national security company Peraton has been selected as the program’s Prime Integrator. Aero-News friends over at Stop ADS-B Abuse have long profiled the infernal systems  where ADS-B data can track aircraft activity for fully-automat