Brand-New Offerings Incorporate Multiple Sources For Initial Applicants

A partnership between Aviation Supplies & Academics (ASA) and Sporty’s Pilot Shop has developed a brand new set of course offerings for initial applicants for the CFI Airplane, CFI Instrument, and Airline Transport Pilot certificates. The courses combine information from multiple sources to provide a comprehensive preparation for both knowledge and oral exams.

Air India’s B787, VT-ANB, Went Down At Ahmedabad, 12 June 2025, 0809 UTC

Barely a month after the tragedy of the first major Boeing 787 accident, a preliminary report has surfaced that indicates that something may have been amiss in the cockpit and neither the airframe or maintenance procedures is currently suspected as the Probable Cause for the tragedy that took the lives of 241 people in the aircraft (with one improbable survivor) and another 19 souls on the ground. The aviation industry has been bombarded with countless instant experts on the internet... some of whom should have known better than to guess so early into the investigation phase, but we tend to doubt that the Prelim will shut many of them up... even when they've clearly been off the mark time and time again. 

Single-Seat eVTOL an Excellent Steed for the First Guy On-Scene

Jetson got an unusual invite from the GOPR Polish Mountain Rescue Team: Try out a pair of their production single-seat eVTOLs in a rescue scenario. The team travelled to southern Poland with some Jetson ONEs in tow, trying out a number of practice scenarios in the local mountainscape. The single-seat nature of the ONE apparently didn’t cause much issue in terms of rescue ops, intended to provide rapid transport to the very first of the first-responders...

Also: Sully v Bedford, Embraer Scholarships, NORAD Intercepts 11, GAMA Thankful

Middle Georgia State University will be joining the Federal Aviation Administration’s fight against the air traffic controller shortage through its collegiate training initiative program, known as AT-CTI. It joins six other educational institutions from across the US. With the buzz of the 2025 competition settling down, the Air Race Classic (ARC) is ready to re-stir the pot by unveiling its 2026 route. The all-women’s cross-country will center around Illinois, taking pilots on a southern loop through 10 stops. The race is set to take place from June 23 to 26, 2026, kicking off in East Alton, Illinois, and winding through eight additional stops before finishing in Mount Vernon, Illinois. With an increasingly high rate of flying car customers proving to be non-pilots, manufacturer Samson Sky is introducing a new training program using its Switchblade vehicle.

Up Next: Building, Testing, Engineering…

Bell Helicopter has been down-selected for Phase 2 of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s SPRINT X-Plane program, but that’s a good thing! The wording is apparently a positive turn of DARPA phrase that indicates Bell Textron, Inc will move forward in the Speed and Runway Independent Technologies (SPRINT) X-Plane program and complete their design for a demonstrator. They’ll go as far as construction, ground testing, and certification of the aircraft eventually, hopefully giving their client an aircraft that can hover in place and still pull off a 450-knot cruise.

"OIQ"???—What The Heck Is That?

Pay attention, Oshkosh exhibitors... this is IMPORTANT. The OIQ is something essential for those of you doing any kind of business at AirVenture 2025— it's your OSHKOSH INNOVATION QUOTIENT, and it can be critially important to the success of your efforts. It determines your relevance, your ability to innovate, and your value to the aviation world.  And this year, we think there is no better way to display it than one of the most anticipated episodes of ANN's award-winning Airborne news program—dramatically scheduled for the Friday before AirVenture opens the gates. 

Carrier’s A350 Fleet Next Up For Connectivity Upgrade

Qatar’s flag airline Qatar Airways announced it has completed Starlink installations across its fleet of Boeing 777 aircraft and confirmed it will commence on installing the connectivity solution in its Airbus A350 fleet next.

From 2021: The Inside Skinny On What Being An ANN Oshkosh Stringer Is All About

By ANN Senior Stringer Extraordinare, Gene Yarbrough The annual gathering at Oshkosh is a right of passage or a pilgrimage to Mecca for many. However the rank and file public rarely have the opportunity to experience the FULL Oshkosh experience. Oshkosh, like onions and ogres, is a multi-layered microcosm within the enigma of the greater Wisconsin county in which it transpires. The Aero-News Network stringer has opportunity, and if so inclined, the access to every aspect of general aviation including the "behind the scenes" view few even know exist.

An Amazing Experience Awaits The Chosen Few...

Oshkosh, to us, seems the perfect place to get started on watching aviation recover the past couple of years... and so ANN is putting EXTRA effort and resources into our coverage of Oshkosh 2025... just a little under 90 days hence. We are now undertaking the process to seek talented stringers to help us present Oshkosh and the sport and general aviation community to the world around us. If you ever thought about joining us, this is THE year to do it. IF YOU want to be a part of this unique adventure, speak up NOW, rather than later, because we're going to be looking for the best volunteer folks we can find and are planning to do so ASAP. You've been warned (grin)....

Adriano Di Pietro Takes the Helm As Hydrogen-Electric Aircraft Moves Towards Certification

Australian hydrogen-electric VTOL developer AMSL Aero announced a new CEO in the form of Doctor Adriano Di Pietro, putting him in charge as they move towards Vertiia certification. Di Pietro brings two decades of experience in the defense, aerospace, and automotive systems industries, with a PhD in advanced aerospace manufacturing tech and a bachelors in engineering. He will lead the way on the second full-scale prototype of the Vertiia, and take point as they complete its first hydrogen-powered flight test program. Once they get certification for the Vertiia under CASA there, he plans to scale up manufacturing for global commercial expansion.