Kit Manufacturer Takes Advantage of MOSAIC to Build its Flight Training Reputation

Van’s Aircraft has spent decades shaping the experimental world, and in the process, it has entered the big leagues in a way no one could’ve anticipated. With MOSAIC opening the door for more capable Light Sport Aircraft, Van’s has found itself in a uniquely strong position to compete directly with long-established GA manufacturers.

Only Authorized Provider For Starter Product Line Repairs

Hartzell Engine Tech announced the naming of Quality Aircraft Accessories as its Recommended Service Facility for the Sky-Tec starter product line. This designation enables Quality Aircraft Accessories to be the only facility authorized by Hartzell Engine Tech to perform repairs on genuine Sky-Tec PM and LS series starters whether they are installed on certified or non-certified engines.

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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 Hawk hel

Ambitious Goal Aims for Total Overhaul of ATC Systems by End of 2028

The FAA has updated its website with a new section for their so-called FlightCommand system, a wholesale effort to upgrade air traffic control systems that will extend to every inch of the industry. The FAA believes it will implement a “brand-new air traffic control system by the end of 2028” via an expedited procurement process. “An innovative, first-of-its-kind contract will incentivize results and hold the Prime Integrator accountable for any missed deadlines and performance issues,” which does seem like an improvement from the usual contracting process. So what's on tap? The list is pretty long...

Expands Reach In GA Aftermarket Parts And Components

McFarlane Aviation announced it has acquired the extensive line of South Seas Ventures FAA-PMA products, significantly expanding McFarlane’s reach in supporting general aviation and legacy aircraft, particularly for Beechcraft Barons and Bonanzas.

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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-automated bill

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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 receive mental health treatment without fearing the loss of their careers. The Federal Go

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The General Aviation Manufacturers Association issued the Third Quarter 2025 General Aviation Aircraft Shipping and Billing Report, covering results worldwide, and the result for the first nine months of 2025, when compared to the same period last year, show increased shipments in the business jet sector as well as an increase in the overall value of aircraft shipments. Airbus released an update on the deployment of precautionary fleet measures on its approximately 6,000 A320 family of aircraft. The actions were required after several aircraft experienced an unexpected loss of altitude and Airbus issued an Alert Operators Transmission (AOT). Upon inspection, Airbus engineers traced the anomalies to corrupted altitude data believed to be caused by intense solar radiation that affected software vulnerabilities feeding the altitude data to aircraft systems. N

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Like most of the industry, kit manufacturer Sonex has been hit by the ever-increasing costs of parts and materials, and is being forced to pass some of the burden off to customers beginning December 15. Still, Sonex’s prices remain well under par, with many of its complete airframe kits available for under $40,000. The company detailed the price shifts for Complete Airframe Kits, Quick Build Kits, and AeroVee engine packages. Produced jointly by the Aero-News Network and SUN ’n FUN—in addition to the pre-show SNF Innovation Preview, the all-week SUN ’n FUN Digital Daily, Saturday Flight Live coverage, and our extensive daily news and video output—we are introducing something significant. MOSAIC Day Debuts Thursday at SUN ’n FUN and will designate Thursday as MOSAIC Day, featuring a full day of f

Nav Systems Find Great Test Range in the Mojave

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been working on their future Martian helicopters, after Ingenuity was such a smashing success. A recurring problem towards the end was the poor thing's navigational systems: It's hard to tell the difference from one featureless martian sand dune to another. So NASA folks headed to some of Earth's own featureless sand dunes to start training the next one...