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Czech plane maker Bristell was awarded its first FAA Type Certification for the B23 two-seater, assisting its effort to get on the US flight training map. The bird totals more than 1,100 delivered since 2009. Nearly 100 B23s are already flying in the United States. Personal aviation company Jetson recently completed the first-ever delivery of its ONE electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, and to none other than Oculus and Anduril Industries founder Palmer Luckey. This comes as Jetson works to shift its business overseas, establishing new headquarters in California. The recently published Second Quarter 2025 General Aviation Aircraft Shipment and Billing Report, compiled by GAMA, shows a solid uptick in shipments for the first half of this year compared to last. Business jets and piston airplanes both stood out, though helico

Software Detects and Summarizes Weather Patterns for Dispatchers

In an intriguing technological development for pilots and dispatchers, the Weather Company (TWC) has debuted its Smart NOTAMs software. The system leverages artificial intelligence to track trends, summarize points, and spotlight priority information within airport notices, aiming to streamline preflight decision-making.

Training On Advanced Capabilities In High-Fi Sim Environments

Lockheed Martin announced a contract with the Republic of Korea to upgrade its Air Force’s F-16 Block 52 flight simulators with the new advanced capabilities of its upgraded F-16 aircraft. The upgrades include enhanced mission capabilities and provide high-fidelity sim environments for the Korean Air Force pilots to train like they fly.

Also: SUN ‘n FUN’s EarlyBird, Rotax Advanced Start, Girls in Aviation Day, Lockwood RV-916!

The recently concluded Midwest Aviation Expo, hosted by the Mt. Vernon Outland Airport is a modest but overtly positive event in the sport aviation scheme of things. Led by Airport Boss Chris Collins, one of the best in the business, the event has been going on for 17 years and emphasizes a close and personal opportunity for companies to display their wares and for potential customers to spend time looking them over... There are a LOT of SportPlanes out there and while ANN’s Chief Test Pilot, Jim Campbell, has flown well over a 1000 unique types, there are still a lot of birds on his “Must-Fly’ List. One of them was the Flight Design F2. Jim says the F2 IS NOT a modified CT series bird... it is distinctively different and is most definitely not your Father’s CT. The Rotax 912iS powered F2 is a spacious, easily acces

Also: Commercial A/C Certification, GMR Adds More Bell 429s, Helo Denial, John “Lucky” Luckadoo Flies West

CAF’s Col. Mark Novak has accumulated more than 1,000 flight hours in the two remaining airworthy B-29 Superfortress aircraft, Fifi and DOC, a feat that has not been accomplished in at least 65 years. Col. Novak has been a member of the CAF for more than 30 years and began flying Fifi in 2012 as the Second in Command. One year later he upgraded to Pilot in Command and flew the aircraft until 2022... On Friday, September 5, Texas pilots learned the hard way exactly how important it is to use tie-downs, with one plane being flipped by 75-mile-per-hour wind gusts and coming to rest on another. Several planes and hangars were damaged in the storms, but fortunately, no injuries were reported. The FAA has pushed back the expiration date for the Port-au-Prince flight ban from September 8, 2025, to March 7, 2026. The restriction, ori

Also: Commercial A/C Certification, GMR Adds More Bell 429s, Helo Denial, John “Lucky” Luckadoo Flies West

CAF’s Col. Mark Novak has accumulated more than 1,000 flight hours in the two remaining airworthy B-29 Superfortress aircraft, Fifi and DOC, a feat that has not been accomplished in at least 65 years. Col. Novak has been a member of the CAF for more than 30 years and began flying Fifi in 2012 as the Second in Command. One year later he upgraded to Pilot in Command and flew the aircraft until 2022... On Friday, September 5, Texas pilots learned the hard way exactly how important it is to use tie-downs, with one plane being flipped by 75-mile-per-hour wind gusts and coming to rest on another. Several planes and hangars were damaged in the storms, but fortunately, no injuries were reported. The FAA has pushed back the expiration date for the Port-au-Prince flight ban from September 8, 2025, to March 7, 2026. The restricti

From 2011 (YouTube Edition): A Unique, Affordable and Isolated way to Enjoy Ballooning

Ballooning is both a unique as well as eclectic pursuit... and it attracts (naturally) a pretty unique brand of aviator to its ranks. But solo balloons are particularly rare... though an undeniably cost effective way to play in the sky. While there have been a number of single seat experimental and ultralight balloon systems offered over the years, Cameron says its Sky Hopper is a smaller, lighter and simpler concept.

During Takeoff, The Gyroplane Pitched Up And When The Pilot Attempted To Arrest The Motion, The Backstick Forces On The Control Stick Were Greater Than Expected

Analysis: The pilot was performing a post inspection test flight of the gyroplane. Prior to the flight, the pilot noticed the control stick pressures were greater than he had experienced with other gyroplanes he had previously flown. The gyroplane’s owner and a mechanic explained the gyroplane’s trim system to the pilot who then adjusted the trim to a setting he assumed would be sufficient to maintain control when the gyroplane was airborne. During takeoff, the gyroplane pitched up and when the pilot attempted to arrest the motion, the backstick forces on the control stick were greater than expected.

 

 

Spirit Airlines filed for its second bankruptcy in less than a year at the end of last month, and its competitors are now suggesting that this may be the beginning of the end. Speaking at an industry conference on Thursday, United CEO Scott Kirby called the ultra-low-cost carrier approach a “fundamentally broken business model” and argued that customers have already voted with their wallets. The Illinois Aviation Academy at DuPage County Airport (KDPA) in West Chicago, Illinois, announced it has been approved by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to train Vietnamese pilots under internationally recognized standards. IAA will now be able to support Vietnam’s burgeoning demand for pro pilots. Owners and operators of Piper’s M-Class line of single engine piston and turboprop-powered aircraft undertook three

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