Former Air Combat Command Lead Steps in After Gen. Allvin’s Unexpected Retirement

Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach has officially and unsurprisingly been confirmed as the next Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force following the slightly more surprising early retirement of Gen. David Allvin. The Senate approved his nomination by unanimous consent to close out October, giving the service a new top officer after several months of leadership shake-ups.

Three Convicted Amid Shutdown-Related Surge in Illegal Base Jumps

Even with parts of the federal government on pause, Yosemite National Park isn’t letting BASE jumpers off easy. Park officials announced that three people were recently convicted for illegal parachute jumps off Yosemite’s formations amid a legal push to lift the 40-year ban against them.

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The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office is at the front end of a year-long AI policing experiment, putting a completely autonomous, $200,000 squad car equipped with thermal imaging drones to the test. The so-called Police Unmanned Ground (PUG) Patrol Partner was developed and donated by Policing Lab and Perrone Robotics. The SUV comes on a Ford Explorer platform, fitted with 360-degree cameras, thermal sensors, license plate readers, and a rooftop drone dock. U.S. National Parks have prohibited the use of drones for any reason – absent a special permit – since 2014, yet increasing numbers of drone pilots have ignored the ban, and there are some reports that it’s gotten noticeably worse since the government shutdown, although that is not entirely clear. Conducting illegal drone flights can lead to penalties of up to $5,000 and six months in ja

Official Designation Joining Two Into One Airline Is Major Milestone

Pilots who fly for Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), issued a joint statement on reaching a major milestone in their merger integration after the FAA issued a Single Operating Certificate that officially designates the two carriers being recognized as one airline under federal regulation.

Premier Flight School Deal Includes Options For 6 Additional Aircraft

Diamond Aircraft announced it signed a new partnership with AELO Swiss Academy, a premier European flight training institution based at the Locarno Airport (LSZL) in Gordola, Switzerland. AELO is purchasing 12 DA20i Katana aircraft with options for an additional 6 for delivery in 2027.

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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 has retu

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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 display lin

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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 month in

105-Year-Old Rescue Squadron Member Served In Philippines

The Commemorative Air Force Florida Wing recently honored 105-year-old WWII veteran Fred LaPonzina with a special flight in the Wing’s T-34 Mentor. Fred was a member of the 2nd Emergency Rescue Squadron, an Army Air Corps unit that flew PBY Catalinas on dangerous recovery operations in the Philippines.

First of Three Pilatus Jets Slated for Delivery in February 2026

The French Navy, under a lease from Jet Aviation France, will soon become the first military operator of the Pilatus PC-24 ‘Super Versatile Jet.’ Deliveries are slated to begin in February 2026, allowing the service to move out its disco-era Dassault Falcons.