West 30th Street Heliport Imperiled by Construction

Vertical Aviation International is worried that an NYC helicopter port is in danger of permanent closure courtesy of a recently introduced piece of legislation, and they want to stir up support to keep it alive. The legislation, A.10224/S.9408 by Simone & Hoylman, would permanently close the West 30th Street Heliport (KJRA) within New York City's Hudson River Park. The advocacy group has already had it on their radar for some time, noting the difficulty in bringing heliports back online once they're closed for pretty much any reason at all, even "temporarily".

Union Brass Gets Grilled By Company, Inflaming Tensions Anew

Just as they got themselves a new contract and everything seemed like it would head back to normal, things spiral out of control as the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots says "Managers use intimidation, aggressive interrogation tactics to silence the Union's voice." NJASAP VP Paulette Gilbert was rewarded for her "unblemished" 23 years with the company with a 3-hour "interrogation" by the company, too. The Union is none too pleased that the company felt it appropriate to grill her over "details about various matters, including the Union's lawful and protected activities conducted by the strategy group." Their Executive Board views it as a "direct attack on the Union, its memb

RARA and Roswell Announce Final Decision After A Year-Long Site Selection Process

The Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) has selected Roswell, NM as the new home of the National Championship Air Races (NCAR). Following a lengthy selection process by RARA, and after demonstrating its commitment to carry forward this one-of-a-kind event, Roswell has been chosen to host the return of the air races in 2025. The event will continue to feature seven classes of racing, static displays, military demonstrations and more.

Disputed Mogadishu FIR Appears to Return to Normal

For those operating near Africa, some funky happenings had started to catch the public's attention, with word of a "pirate ATC operator" raising eyebrows. In reality, it was less a "pirate radio station" than it was a territorial dispute, caused by two rivals claiming the same slice of airspace. Today, things should be largely done, now that the Somaliland Civil Aviation and Airports Authority has published a small map of its purview. At the beginning of 2024, Somaliland lay claim to a large swath of the Mogadishu FIR, extending out into the sea. 

Volunteer Association to Share, Collaborate as Industry Heads Into the Future

The International Aerospace Environmental Group (IAEG) has published an open release showing off a host of companies that have committed to evaluating pure, 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel across the board. The IAEG saw its sentiments quickly echoed by Boeing - the lead of the project - and its 'deputy lead' Airbus, who backed its assertion that team members will coordinate their 100% SAF testing efforts for voluntary and unilateral consideration and use by WG 13 members. 

Gulfstream G650 First in the Family to Get Jet ConneX

Satcom Direct's tail-mounted KA-band terminal STC has been approved by the FAA on the Gulfstream G650, granting operators yet another pathway to improved satellite service in flight. The company's Plane Simple tail-mount even received the blessing of Gulfstream Aerospace itself, since the firm assisted with Satcom Direct when sorting everything out for the STC. The Plane Simple antenna - cute name, BTW - is designed to complement existing Satcom Direct hardware, like their WiFi hub and Direct Gateway Router.

Also: Paramotor Champ's, Electric Ultralight, ICON BK Update, Burt Rutan at Oshkosh!

The Popular Rotorcraft Association is reaching out for help in rebuilding their private runway in Mentone, IN -- the home of the PRA, itself. "We are reaching out to you today on behalf of the Popular Rotorcraft Association because we need your help. We are dangerously close to losing a critical resource that if lost, will have a negative and lasting effect on the gyro community..." 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 ha

Also: Flt School Security, G600 Steep-Approach, Honduran Aid, PW545D Cert

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 m

From 2017 (YouTube Version): Updating A Classic SportPlane Program…

Murphy Aircraft introduced a new airplane at Sun 'n Fun in April; The Murphy Radical. Tyler Penner, General Manager & Sales for Murphy Aircraft Manufacturing, told ANN CEO and Editor-in-Chief Jim Campbell that the Murphy Radical is a Super STOL aircraft, and it is "an absolute rocket, it just wants to fly." The Murphy Radical has an 1,100 pound empty weight, and a wingspan of 36 feet. It is powered by a Titan IOX-370 engine developing 209 horsepower.

(Witness) Saw An Airplane Flying “On Its Left Side And On Fire In The Middle Of The Airplane.”

On May 5, 2024, about 0854 eastern daylight time, a Rockwell International 690A, N690BM, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Palmyra, Virginia. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to preliminary air traffic control information obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration, the airplane was in cruise flight at 20,000 ft when it reversed course. The controller queried the pilot, who replied “We have lost…We need to climb.” When the controller asked the pilot “what is your issue?&rd

Aero Linx: Division of Statewide Aviation (Alaska) Vast spans of wilderness in the last frontier separate 82% of our communities from the road system, creating a challenge totally unique to our state. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities maintains and operates the solution to that challenge through an expansive network of 235 airports. The Division of Statewide Aviation (SWA) oversees policies, procedures, and programs to develop, construct, operate, and manage those facilities in coordination with other functional groups across the department.

Sectional Aeronautical Charts (1:500,000) Designed for visual navigation of slow or medium speed aircraft. Topographic information on these charts features the portrayal of relief and a judicious selection of visual check points for VFR flight. Aeronautical information includes visual and radio aids to navigation, airports, controlled airspace, restricted areas, obstructions, and related data.

Send Them A Story -- We Don't Mind!

Do you need another set of eyes to see that story you can't believe Jim just wrote? Want to spread ANN's unique wisdom and perspective to the masses, or share the latest Klyde Morris with another member of the flying community? (Or perhaps to someone who just really, really likes ants?)

“We’re thrilled to bring our honored tradition of racing to Roswell and are confident that they have both the enthusiasm and resources to expand the future of our races for many generations to come. While Roswell was chosen, we are truly grateful for the overwhelming support, dedication and enthusiasm shown by all the communities who submitted their bids to host our event. It was incredibly difficult to select a final location as each venue had their own unique strengths and challenges. At the end of the day, we are thankful and deeply appreciative of the teams in Pueblo and Casper who invested their time and efforts in the process.” Source: Fred Telling, CEO and chairman of the board for the Reno Air Racing Associat