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September 15, 2025

Airborne 09.15.25: Last Call For RV-3/4/6, Second B-21, Dubai Show Bars Israelis

Also: New NTSB Nom, Plan To Accelerate AAM, New GAMA Members, SC CAP Wing Honors Duke

Van’s Aircraft is giving potential buyers their final chance to pick up a kit for the RV-3, RV-4, and RV-6 aircraft before they move into retirement once and for all. The deadline for orders is September 30, 2025. After that, no more empennage, fuselage, wing, or finish kits will be offered for the three models. Northrop Grumman announced that the second B-21 Raider stealth bomber flew from Palmdale, California, to Edwards Air Force Base after conducting a strenuous test flight. At Edwards, the U.S. Air Force will move forward with integration of weapons and mission systems as well as sustainment upgrades developed through an enhanced software

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Trump Nominates 787 Captain to Fill Brown’s NTSB Spot

John DeLeeuw of American Airlines would Take Over the Controversially Vacant Spot

Amid controversy from his firing of NTSB Vice Chair Alvin Brown earlier this year, President Trump is pushing to fill the board’s empty spot with Captain John DeLeeuw. The nominee flies Boeing 787s at American Airlines and serves as the carrier’s Managing Director of Safety and Efficiency.

USAF Pushing Weapons & Mission Systems Integration, Sustainment Planning

Northrop Grumman announced that the second B-21 Raider stealth bomber flew from Palmdale, California, to Edwards Air Force Base after conducting a strenuous test flight. At Edwards, the U.S. Air Force will move forward with integration of weapons and mission systems as well as sustainment upgrades developed through an enhanced software package.

Legacy Kits Move to Retirement With Thousands in the Air

Van’s Aircraft is giving potential buyers their final chance to pick up a kit for the RV-3, RV-4, and RV-6 aircraft before they move into retirement once and for all. The iconic birds have been on the market for decades, earning thousands of happy customers around the world before the spotlight shifted to the newer lineup.

Narrows Gap As Airbus Records Just Four More

Boeing announced it delivered 57 commercial aircraft in August 2025 to record its best August since 2018 and trailed its European competitor Airbus by just four deliveries for the month, tightening the gap from 19 fewer deliveries in July.

Rep. Nehls: Supersonic Bans “Outdated And Ridiculous”

U.S. House Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX), Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Subcommittee on Aviation, says that bans on overland commercial supersonic flight are outdated and ridiculous, and he wants to get new designs flying before the end of the decade.

ALPA Honors Pilots, Addresses Industry Issues At Safety Conference

Reiterates Call For Secondary Barriers On September 11 Anniversary

The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l held its 69th Annual Air Safety Forum, and took the opportunity to honor two pilots with its Superior Aviating Award for overcoming significant operational challenges during in-flight emergencies. The Association also used the anniversary of the attacks on September 11 to restate its call to airlines to implement secondary flight deck security barriers.

Pilot Projects To Accelerate eVTOL Integration

The National Business Aviation Association welcomed the announcement of a pilot program by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy to accelerate the adoption of advanced air mobility aircraft and their integration into the national airspace system.

Acubed’s Modified King Air Collecting Data for AI-Powered Autonomous Tech

Airbus’s Silicon Valley innovation shop, Acubed, touted its new autonomy systems testbed at this year’s EAA Oshkosh AirVenture. The modified Beechcraft King Air C90 fills the shoes of the company’s old Baron to collect airport runway imagery and data from hundreds of fields. “Our main job is to bring technology innovation and software from all over the world, from machine learning [to] artificial intelligence, into the Airbus ecosystem,” said Paul Smith, Director of Flight Test and Operations for Acubed. The King Air offers more

Also: Sikorsky-CAL FIRE Collab, Big WestJet Order, Southwest Fined, AA's 1000th Mainline Aircraft

The folks at Deltahawk took us up on an invitation to join us at the Midwest Aviation Expo in Mt. Vernon Illinois... where Jim Campbell conducted a reacquaintance test flight in their SR20 testbed... 2 and half years after he flew it the first time... the first aviation journalist to enjoy the distinction. The next generation of Deltahawk Diesel, as installed in the SR20 is an astounding 277 pounds lighter... The aviation world, occasionally, has to put up with its share of nutballs... this time from a 57-year-old man from North Bend, who is now facin

Improper Installation Of The Fuel Line That Connected The Fuel Pump To The Four-Way Distributor

Analysis: The airplane was on the final leg of a flight to reposition it to its home base. This was the fourth flight since the airplane had been reassembled after it was manufactured, disassembled, and shipped. The pilot reported a normal takeoff, and during the initial climb the airplane performed normally. Upon reaching 2,200 ft mean sea level (msl), the airplane lost all engine power. The pilot turned back toward the airport and attempted to restart the engine multiple times without success.

Aero Linx: Beechcraft Heritage Museum A one-of-a-kind aviation museum that traces the lineage of Beechcraft. The Museum began as the Staggerwing Museum Foundation, incorporated in October 1973 under the auspices of the Staggerwing Club. In April 2007, the Museum was renamed Beechcraft Heritage Museum to reflect our commitment to promoting aviation education and preserving the heritage of all Beechcraft models from 1932 through the present.

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (09.15.25): Decision Altitude (DA)

Decision Altitude (DA) A specified altitude (mean sea level (MSL)) on an instrument approach procedure (ILS, GLS, vertically guided RNAV) at which the pilot must decide whether to continue the approach or initiate an immediate missed approach if the pilot does not see the required visual references.

“With the arrival of the second B-21 Raider, our flight test campaign gains substantial momentum. We can now expedite critical evaluations of mission systems and weapons capabilities, directly supporting the strategic deterrence and combat effectiveness envisioned for this aircraft.” Source: Troy Meink, Secretary of the U.S. Air Force, discussing the first flight of the second B-21 Raider next-gen bomber.