Decision Cites Lack of Commercial Availability and General Consensus

A California Superior Court judge recently ruled that GAMI’s unleaded avgas does not meet the legal definition of “commercially available,” meaning fixed-base operators (FBOs) and distributors in the state are not required to stock or sell it, particularly not in place of 100LL.

CEO Targets 47 Aircraft Per Month By 2026

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg recently expressed the company’s intent to ramp up 737 MAX production rates, churning out 42 planes a month later this year and 47 by early 2026. This reflects some extra wiggle room recently granted by US regulators.

Security Service Conducts Surprise ‘Spider Web’ Operation

Ukraine’s Security Service, or SBU, has reported carrying out a meticulously planned, 18-month operation it called “Spider Web” that struck 41 Russian aircraft including strategic bombers across multiple locations deep inside Russian territory.

Also: Williams International Builds Up, Marines v Drones, NBAA v Tariffs, New GAMA Members

Hermeus confirmed the flight of its Quarterhorse MK 1 aircraft at the Air Force Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, a significant step in the company’s pace of high-Mach and hypersonic aircraft development. Development of the Quarterhorse MK 1 went from clean sheet to flight-ready in just over a year, demonstrating its rapid pace in advancing the mission of Hermeus to make hypersonic flight operational. The Vertical Flight Society (VFS) held its 81st Annual Forum recently in Virginia Beach, Virginia. VFS officials indicated that this year’s 3-day for

Debut Customer For Super-Midsize BizJet In Region

Textron Aviation announced the first delivery of its Cessna Citation Longitude super-midsize bizjet to the Central America region to a long-time customer who intends to use it for business as well as personal use.

Blue Origin’s 12th Human Flight Brings Total To 64 In Space

Blue Origin successfully completed on May 31, 2025, its 32nd overall flight of the New Shepard rocket with a crew of six  on board, bringing the total number of people it has taken to space to 64 including four who have flown twice. Crews have come from many walks of life such as scientific researchers, educators, physicians, explorers, and entrepreneurs.

Also: AV-8B Harrier For CAF Arizona, Boeing Gets ODA, Army NG Rescue, Longitude To C. America

A California Superior Court judge recently ruled that GAMI’s unleaded avgas does not meet the legal definition of “commercially available,” meaning FBOs and distributors in the state are not required to stock or sell it, particularly not in place of 100LL. The decision follows a motion by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) seeking to enforce a 2014 consent judgment requiring fuel sellers to offer a lower-lead alternative when one becomes widely available. The FAA has required SpaceX to conduct an investigation of the Starship Flight 9 mi

Also: Horizon X7 eVTOL, Golden Dome, Merlin Exp A/W Cert, Rotors v Trees

SpaceX launched its ninth flight test of a complete Starship vehicle nearly on time after a few minutes of holds before getting a move on. This was a far tougher flight test than previous missions, especially for the booster which was subjected to some aggressive and adverse test conditions... which it did not survive before its scheduled landing in the Gulf of America. This was the second flight of the booster... Electra has conducted wind tunnel testing at the MIT Wright Brothers Wind Tunnel that confirmed its blown wing design delivers the high lift for takeoff and landing

Mark Korin Discusses Their Angle Of Attack System And HUDs

President and CEO of Apha Systems AOA Alpha Systems has been around since the early nineties so almost 30 years of product development, different versions, and they settled on a HUD version. Other companies make parts of AOA, and Mark’s background began as a medical device engineer. When designing medical devices, they are intended to save lives. Alpha Systems designs products that pilots will use to help them become better pilots. The highest number of fatalities are on base-to-final turns and accelerated stalls on takeoff, and AOA is a device that displays absolutely how much li

Also: Duffy Wants $$$, KS Airports, Morningside U’s Aviation School, New Airstrip In ID

After 6 were killed in a helicopter crash over the Hudson River, several US Representatives presented bizarre legislation that would ban pretty much all non-essential helicopter operations across New York City. The bill addresses a general heightened concern for growing air traffic rates in high-density areas and new irrational anti-aviation sentiment. Around 3,000 machinists from two Pratt & Whitney plants in Connecticut officially inked an end to a three-week strike over wages, job security, and retirement benefits by approving a four-year contract. The st

Also: NBAA v Tariffs, B-29 DOC/P-51 Tour, Alberta Int’l AirShow Kaput, First D328eco Test Aircraft

Jared ‘Rook’ Isaacman has been dropped, shortly before a final confirmation vote, as the Trump admin nominee to head NASA. The move has shocked the space community, who seemed fairly well aligned in their support for the two-time private astronaut. A routine paragliding equipment test went wrong when a strong updraft pushed the pilot to an altitude of 28,000 feet. He was able to regain enough control to get back on the ground, where he will stay for the next six months due to the flight ban imposed thereafter. Experienced Chinese paraglide

Also: Hermeus Quarterhorse MK1, Seaplane Rating Guide, Vietjet A330neos, SFO Wacky Weed Bust

As the air traffic controller shortage trudges on, the US Department of Transportation is rolling out even more financial incentives (aka bribes) to encourage experienced controllers to remain on the job beyond retirement age. The latest offer is a 20% annual bonus. Vertical Aerospace announced that its VX4 eVTOL performed its first successful winged flight with a pilot at the controls, marking the first piloted wingborne flight of a winged eVTOL in open European airspace. The flight, piloted by Chief Test Pilot Simon Davies, came on the heels of approval by the

New Fighter Jets Bring Significant Changes

The 125th Fighter Wing of the Florida Air National Guard is transitioning from the F-15 Eagle to the F-35A Lightning II fighter jet, and the professionals of the 125th Logistics Readiness Squadron made sure that the changeover was streamlined and efficient by having the personnel, equipment, and resources in the right place at the right time.

‘Prior Associations’ Cost Isaacman His Candidacy for NASA Administrator

President Donald Trump recently confirmed that the former pick to head NASA, Jared Isaacman, has been pulled from the running due to “a thorough review of prior associations.” He is expected to announce a new candidate shortly. Isaacman was nominated in December 2024.

Also: Warbirds In Review Schedule, Yak-55M Gets Tossed, DOGE-NTSB Budget Cuts, Joint Base Andrews

The Ercoupe Owners Club announced its 2025 National Convention will be held from Tuesday, July 15 to Saturday, July 19, at the Wausau Downtown Airport (KAUW) in Wisconsin. This year’s event will celebrate the 85th anniversary of the ‘Coupe’s Type Certificate. After the convention, the group will depart for the EAA AirVenture fly-in at Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH) in Oshkosh. Federal Air Surgeon Susan Northrup, MD, PHD, discussed on the FAA’s YouTube channel “Pilot Minute” what came out of the Aviation Rulemaking Committ

Pilot Made A Radio Call To The BJC Control Tower Stating, “We Had A Door Pop, We Need To Come Back Around.” 

On May 17, 2025, about 1003 mountain daylight time, a Beechcraft 95-B55, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Broomfield, Colorado. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger sustained fatal injuries. The flight was being operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to family members, the owner was providing a cross-country familiarity flight to the pilot-rated passenger who had recently purchased a similar airplane. Preliminary air traffic control (ATC) radar data showed the airplane depart runway 30R from the Rocky Mountain Metro Airport (BJC), Broomfield, about 100

Aero Linx: South Carolina Aviation Association (SCAA) Airports in South Carolina support the state’s economy and are themselves economic generators. Residents, businesses, and visitors also rely on the airport system for health, welfare and safety needs. Further, South Carolina’s military airfields are also important to our national security. All types of businesses in South Carolina rely on aviation––through both commercial service and general aviation airports––for the efficient transport of people and goods. Airports are a critical part of the transportation infrastructure needed to retain and attract business development in the state.

NORDO (No Radio) Aircraft that cannot or do not communicate by radio when radio communication is required are referred to as “NORDO.” 

New Form Makes Subscribing, Unsubscribing Even Easier

While we're very proud of our newly-redesigned website, we know that some folks really enjoy the convenience of having their Aero-News dropped into their e-mail boxes every day. Our new site makes that process even easier than before.

“...had the testimony been subject to cross-examination, it is rather likely the Court would have ended up with a very different set of ‘evidentiary facts’, upon which to base its opinion, and the outcome would have, in this old lawyer’s opinion, been very different.”

Source: Co-founder George Braly explaining some of his dissatisfaction with recent court decisions regarding the 100LL controversy.