Community Group Fights Against Its Skies Becoming an AI Test Bed

Archer Aviation’s plan to turn Hawthorne Airport into the heart of its Los Angeles air-taxi network earned it a big “WELCOME” from the mayor… and exactly the opposite from locals. Members of the community started the “Hawthorne Quiet Skies” group to express both confusion and disappointment with the decision.

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EHang has logged a major milestone in the development of its pilotless air taxi, logging its first human-carrying flight in the urban Middle East. Working alongside Qatar’s Ministry of Transport, the company flew its EH216-S autonomously between the Port of Doha and Katara Cultural Village in a series of trials designed to validate real-world air taxi operations. The Army’s 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade is running with the service’s push to boost drone integration by pairing Apaches, Black Hawks, and Chinooks with small unmanned aircraft to handle reconnaissance, route surveillance, and other jobs that used to rely on pilots squinting out the window. One of the bigger shifts is happening in the field workshops. The debut of SpaceX’s Starship Version 3 booster didn’t exactly go as planned, with its test campaign starting an

Agency Advisory Cites Troublesome Security and Increased Military Activity

The FAA has issued a fresh advisory urging airlines to use caution when flying in or above Venezuela, citing a “potentially hazardous situation” driven by deteriorating security conditions and increased military activity. The notice applies to all operations in the Maiquetia Flight Information Region (SVZM FIR), where tensions have escalated since early fall.

Milestone Comes Just Over Three Years into the Safran Engines Partnership

Bell Textron has logged a new sustainability landmark, announcing that its dedicated Bell 505 helicopter has surpassed 700 flight hours using blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The milestone, revealed at European Rotors 2025 in Cologne, comes just three years after Bell and Safran Helicopter Engines partnered to study how SAF affects performance and operating economics.

Water-Based Green Veriport Brings Much-Needed Flexibility to Urban Air Mobility

AutoFlight Aviation Technology recently unveiled and demonstrated its Water-based Green Veriport (WGV): an aircraft carrier-like platform that supports electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) operations rather than fighter jets. The system aims to fill a major gap in urban air mobility infrastructure.

Castagna Discusses Members, Advocacy, Safety, MOSAIC

Aero-News Network’s Rex Alexander talked with Curt Castagna, President and CEO of the National Air Transportation Association at the 2025 EAA AirVenture fly-in and air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. NATA currently has about 3,700 member companies representing all segments of business aviation interests and beyond. Those include FBOs, Part 135 charter operators, flight schools, maintenance & repair shops/MROs, fuel suppliers, insurance companies, and numerous other aviation-related businesses. The organization is very active in doing a lot of legislative and regulatory advocacy work in Washington D.C., and through its well-known Safety 1st platform on its website is their key program in advancing safety in the industry.

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The work of Elfin.aero founder Dr. Reiner Stemme, who passed on October 31, 2025, is already being reignited to honor the designer’s years of dedication to the still-unfinished elfin20: a high-performance, two-seat, self-launching electric glider. Development of the prototype is well underway. Gulfstream Aerospace announced that its newly certified ultralong-range G800 achieved its eight city-pair speed record on its flight from Phuket, Thailand to the Dubai Airshow 2025 in the United Arab Emirates. The feat was accomplished in 5 hours 38 minutes. This latest record brings the city-pair speed record total for the Gulfstream fleet to over 760... SpaceX checked off another benchmark this week by completing the 500th orbital launch mission using a reusable rocket booster. Falcon 9 lifted off at 12:21 am on November 17, sending Europe’s Se

Klyde's Getting A Little Sick of Media Priorities

FMI: www.klydemorris.com

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The NTSB's preliminary report on the UPS Flight 2976 crash has focused on the left engine pylon's separation and a subsequent fire that started even before impact. Imagery released by NTSB shows a clear left engine and pylon failure as the aircraft rotated for departure. The report indicates that the left engine and pylon separated from the wing shortly after takeoff, leading to a fire that ignited near the pylon's attachment point. NBAA, along with its fellow 60-plus aviation stakeholders in the Modern Skies Coalition issued the following statement supporting legislation that would prevent the FAA from being affected by future government shutdowns to ensure the continuation of normal FAA and aviation operations: “As members of the Modern Skies Coalition, we urge Congress to ensure that our nation’s aviation system and those who rely upon it are never

Dozens of Companies Unveiled Innovative Products Ahead of the 51st SnF Aerospace Expo

Kicking off the 51st SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo, we hosted the second annual SnF Innovation Preview to give more than 20 companies just enough time in the spotlight to debut their new planes, products, engines, accessories, and more… In other words… it was a LOT of news, and it’s all still up for your viewing pleasure.