Aviation News

A private moon landing attempt ended with the likely destruction of the lander. Japanese firm ispace said it lost contact with the Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander when it apparently ran out of propellant needed to slow the vehicle. “It apparently went into a freefall towards the surface as it was running out of fuel to […]

The nasty labor dispute between NetJets and its pilots took a legal turn last week when the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots launched a suit over a company policy on talking to passengers and aircraft owners about the negotiations. Specifically, NetJets has ordered pilots to not refer clients to the website the union created […]

The FAA has grounded SpaceX’s Starship program while it investigates last week’s explosive test launch of the full system. This time, however, the agency appears to be at least as interested in the scorched mess left behind by the booster as it is the explosion that was triggered a few minutes later when the second […]

Textron Aviation announced on Tuesday that it has delivered its 400th Cessna Citation CJ4 series business jet. The aircraft, a Citation CJ4 Gen2, went to Easton, Pennsylvania-based Koch Holdings. The Citation CJ4 received its FAA type certification in 2010 and the Gen2 version was introduced in 2021. “This milestone delivery for the Cessna Citation CJ4 […]

Menominee, Michigan-based Enstrom Helicopter recently announced the Zambian Air Force (ZAF) has signed a contract for two Enstrom 480B helicopters, which will be among the first new-build 480Bs to cross the factory finish line since Enstrom’s new ownership. Terms of the sale, administered by the country’s Ministry of Defense, include training for pilots and support […]

The Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) opened the doors today (April 24) for its 66th annual International Convention & Trade Show in Orlando, Florida. Participants include more than 1,400 avionics manufacturers, repair stations, maintenance organizations and “other general aviation professionals,” according to AEA, which says the four-day event is “the largest gathering of avionics manufacturers, distributors […]

Last Thursday, a Russian Sukhoi Su-34 fighter/bomber “accidentally” released unspecified ordnance that exploded on the streets of the Russian city of Belgorod, about 25 miles from the Ukraine border. Two days later, more than 3,000 citizens of Belgorod were evacuated after officials found another undetonated explosive. It’s not clear if the second weapon was also […]

Simple Flying is reporting British firms Britten-Norman and Cranfield Aerospace Solutions are merging to create a series of hydrogen-electric fuel cell aircraft, the first of which is expected to be in service in 2026. Britten-Norman still makes the Islander light twin commuter and cargo aircraft, and the first hybrid design from the new company will […]

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help a family-owned flight school whose fleet of training aircraft was all but wiped out in a freak weather event on Thursday. Eight aircraft belonging to ATD Flight Systems were destroyed and three were damaged after what the National Weather Service says may have been a “gustnado” […]

Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen has announced he’s leaving the agency this summer, leaving an even bigger leadership void in an organization that hasn’t had a Senate-confirmed leader for more than a year. Nolen announced his departure in a letter to FAA staff first reported by the Wall Street Journal. He told staff he wants […]