Despite the Scaremongering Media Headlines, Things End Well for Polaris

Two aircraft performing at the Fort Lauderdale Air Show clipped wings during a routine last Sunday, spooking onlookers with the hint of a tragedy. The aircraft were performing as a part of the Polaris Ghost Squadron, a team of urban-camo milsurp jets hailing from across Eastern Europe. The Polaris Ghost Squadron features an eye-catching MiG-29, a trio of Alpha Jets, and a quartet of Albatros L-39s. In their recent incident, the team pulled just a little too close during their Fort Lauderdale routine, touching tips but preventing any worse damage from occurring. 

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Two aircraft performing at the Fort Lauderdale Air Show clipped wings during a routine last Sunday, spooking onlookers. The aircraft were performing as a part of the Polaris Ghost Squadron, a team of urban-camo milsurplus jets hailing from across Eastern Europe. The Polaris Ghost Squadron features an eye-catching MiG-29, a trio of Alpha Jets, and a quartet of Albatros L39s. The US Air Force won't be bringing back a damaged B-2A Spirit bomber, further whittling away at the irreplaceable fleet of strategic aircraft. The plane in question was contrasted against one that had a minor crash in 2010. That aircraft was shipped back to Northrop Grumman for repair. The latest incident won't see the same amount of TLC, however, as a recent Force Structure Report showed that the B-2 fleet would head into 2025 one plane short. Sierra Space's Dream Chaser has been put through the wr

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The Perris SkyDive DC-9 is ALIVE! Following initial test flighta and practice landings that were flown by a flight crew that had to be brought in all the way from Florida, the California DZ put the DC9 back in service and made at least three jump runs on Saturday, taking about 60 jumpers each to about 15K'. An interesting surprise occurred this week as Wag-Aero customers logged on to their site in order to order a few things...no Wag-Aero. Instead, the site was redirected to Aircraft Spruce, which has apparently bought out the once popular Wag-Aero operations shortly after the same operation divested itself of its interest in Leading Edge Air Foils. The AAIB has disclosed its findings after an accident befell an unmanned, remotely pilots test vehicle which suffered a forced landing following power unit failure, at the Cotswold Airport (Kemble), Gloucestershir

European Certification Paves the Way for Increased Deliveries

Gulfstream has confirmed that the Gulfstream G700 has received European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) type certification, following the aircraft’s FAA type certification on March 29. “The Gulfstream team is proud to add EASA to our growing G700 certification accomplishments,” said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream. “During the flight test program, we took the G700 across the globe, and the response to the aircraft’s cabin size, flexibility and performance has been outstanding. This EASA certification unlocks G700 deliveries for many more of our international customers, and we are excited to see our next-generation fleet grow around the world.”

Current Delay Puts Off CFT Launch To May 21

NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) teams continue working remaining open tasks in preparation for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station. The teams now are targeting a launch date of no earlier than 4:43 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 21, to complete additional testing. On May 11, the ULA team successfully replaced a pressure regulation valve on the liquid oxygen tank on the Atlas V rocket’s Centaur upper stage. The team also performed re-pressurization and system purges, and tested the new valve, which performed normally.

Citation Ascend Business Jet Was Unveiled During EBACE 2023 

Textron is promoting the continued advancement of the Cessna Citation Ascend program following the successful completion of numerous certification tests and more than 350 flight test hours. The Citation Ascend business jet was unveiled during 2023 EBACE and the aircraft is expected to enter into service in 2025. “The success of the program to date highlights the skill and commitment of our teams in designing and delivering the best aviation experience for customers.”

Waterbury-Oxford Airport Open for Business This Summer

Clay Lacy Aviation is hard at work prepping their newest FBO and hangar at New York's Waterbury-Oxford Airport (KOXC), with plans to open it this upcoming summer. The facility will offer visitors more than 120,000 square feet of new hangars, giving big corporate jet operators enough space to operate while they pass through the populous northeastern region. "The facility still has room to accommodate more super-mid, large-cabin, and ultra-long range jets," said David "Buddy" Blackburn, Chief Business Officer for Clay Lacy FBOs.

Denton Program Continues to Make Best of Extra Space

The US Air Force unloaded 12 pallets of humanitarian cargo at a Honduran air base this month, under the long-running Denton Program, a DoD transportation effort. The program serves a number of functions, often fulfilling humanitarian goals for hot spots around the world, using space available on already scheduled flights. It's a pretty efficient system, overall, with little cost added to trips that are already going to be taken - delivering donated goods, no less.

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UVify is claiming a new Guinness World Record for the most unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) airborne simultaneously. This event took place in Songdo, Korea, where UVify orchestrated a display of 5,293 IFO drones that lit up the night sky. The fleet of IFO drones created intricate patterns and visuals above the crowd, showcasing UVify's programming and drone control technology. The record-breaking feat exceeded the previous record. Airbus has completed the acquisition of US-based Aerovel and its unmanned aerial system (UAS), Flexrotor. Flexrotor is a small tactical unmanned aerial system designed for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions at sea and over land. The AAIB has disclosed its findings after an accident befell an unmanned, remotely pilots test vehicle which suffered a forced landing following power unit failure, at

Massive Aviation News Event Started 2024 Off With a Plethora of Exciting Info

Last year, we introduced the SnF Innovation Preview in which 25 companies introduced over 30 new planes, products, engines, accessories, and more… in other words… a LOT of news. Rotax previewed the powerful 916iS, CubCrafters showcased the Carbon Cub UL, Bose introduced the A30, Aerox revealed the Boomula… and so much more. This year, we went beyond that... way beyond all that, with a larger selection of news announcements that covered ALL aspects of sport, general and commercial aviation... all at the start of the 50th Annual SUN n FUN Aerospace Expo... the undisputed start to the aviation year. This year was also a major news-breaker... especially with the announcement that the DeltaHawk Diesel engine folks were working with Piper Aircraft on an STC for the PA44 Seminole. It also hosted the first forma