Picture of the Day: May 7, 2026
Swiss Pilatus P3 warbirds were showcased at a fly‑in event at Lodrino Airport in Ticino. The five civilian‑registered P3s, originally used by the Swiss military in World War II, were displayed on the tarmac against a mountainous backdrop. Lodrino, once a military base, now operates as a civilian airfield and hosts aviation gatherings. The photo highlights the growing interest in preserving historic warbirds.
Guest Post: Mark Baker
Mark Baker’s guest post ahead of AOPA’s annual meeting urges pilots to back the organization, emphasizing that general aviation (GA) relies on AOPA’s advocacy amid ongoing regulatory, liability and airport‑closure pressures. He highlights AOPA’s presence in statehouses, Capitol Hill and...
Senate To Press FAA On DCA Crash Safety Changes
The Senate Aviation Subcommittee will interrogate FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford on May 19 about the agency’s oversight lapses that contributed to the 2025 mid‑air collision near Washington’s Reagan National Airport, which killed 67 people. The NTSB’s final report highlighted systemic...
NBAA Pushes New Effort To Curb CFIT Accidents
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is intensifying its push to curb controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) accidents after data showed 38 turbine‑aircraft incidents and 114 fatalities between 2017 and 2025. While commercial airlines have lowered CFIT rates through terrain...
Scottsdale To Fight Runway Excursion Lawsuit
The Scottsdale City Council has empowered its city attorney to defend the municipality against a lawsuit filed by Chromed In Hollywood Inc., the owner of the Learjet 35A that crashed at Scottsdale Airport on Feb. 10, 2025. The suit alleges the airport was...
Elixir Aircraft Begins U.S. Deliveries
Elixir Aircraft, a French manufacturer, began U.S. deliveries to Florida‑based Cirrus Aviation (10 aircraft) and Arizona’s Sierra Charlie Aviation, which has a pre‑order for 100 trainers. The first three U.S. aircraft will be showcased at AirVenture, marking the first time...
B-29 ‘Doc’ Returning To AirVenture
The restored Boeing B‑29 Superfortress “Doc,” one of only two air‑worthy examples, will appear at EAA AirVenture 2026 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. From July 20‑23 the aircraft will offer paid flight‑experience rides departing Appleton International Airport, then transition to a static display on...
Whiteman Airport Safety Motion Revives Closure Debate
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath introduced a motion demanding a seven‑day safety review of Whiteman Airport after an April 20 Cessna 172 crash injured its pilot. The motion asks the Department of Public Works to outline near‑term safety measures, costs,...
NTSB Expands Accident Dashboard With Findings Data
The National Transportation Safety Board has upgraded its U.S. Civil Aviation Accident Dashboard to incorporate accident findings, giving users direct insight into the agency’s conclusions on causative factors. The new interface consolidates the former General Aviation Accident Dashboard, expanding coverage...
Coalition Asks FAA To Review Slackline Obstruction Risks
A coalition of 37 aviation associations, led by Vertical Aviation International, has asked the FAA to review how slacklines and other temporary obstructions are handled under current marking, lighting, and pilot‑notification procedures. The request follows a Jan. 2 helicopter crash near...
Oregon Airports Awarded $3.1 Million In Federal Funds
The U.S. Department of Transportation has allocated more than $3.1 million in federal funds to ten Oregon airports for infrastructure upgrades. McMinnville Municipal Airport receives the largest share, $1 million, to install new fencing, gates, and a wind cone. Other airports will...
Dream Flights To Launch Texas Tour With Restored Stearman
Dream Flights will launch a Texas tour on May 6 with its newly restored 1943 Boeing Stearman, dubbed the Spirit of Texas. The open‑cockpit aircraft will visit nine cities through June 9, offering free flights to nearly 100 World War II, Korean War...
Sonex Reopens Under New Ownership
ON Capital Inc. has acquired the assets of Sonex LLC and reopened its Oshkosh‑based kit aircraft factory. Production resumed within three weeks, with High‑Wing tail kits slated to ship this month and full kits by mid‑summer. The new ownership appoints...
Business Aviation Fuel Use Draws New Scrutiny In Europe
European lawmakers have asked regulators to impose temporary limits on nonessential private jet flights as fuel prices surge and jet fuel shortages emerge. The proposal would restrict private aviation to emergencies, medical missions and critical government functions, and would curb...
House Bill Pushes SAF Into Federal Biofuels Policy
The U.S. House approved H.R. 7567, part of the 2026 Farm, Food, and National Security Act, to expand federal biofuel policy to include sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced from renewable agricultural feedstocks. Sponsored by Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson, the measure...
Spirit Airlines Prepares To Cease Operations
Spirit Airlines is on the brink of shutting down after a proposed $500 million U.S. government rescue package fell apart. The deal would have given the Treasury warrants for up to 90% of the airline’s equity, but bondholders and some Trump‑era...
Falcon Field, Mesa Gateway Delay Landing Fee Rollouts
Arizona’s Falcon Field Airport has postponed its newly approved landing fee, originally set for May 1, until no later than July 30 while it finalizes a third‑party flight‑tracking and billing system. Mesa Gateway Airport has likewise suspended its $24.35 itinerant landing fee...
Five Killed In Cessna 421C Accident in Texas
Late Thursday night, a Cessna 421C crashed in wooded terrain near Wimberley, Texas, killing all five occupants. Emergency crews arrived around 11:05 p.m., and the wreckage was consumed by a post‑impact fire. Preliminary reports indicate the plane was traveling at high...
Duluth Replacing 70-Year-Old Tower
Duluth International Airport is proceeding with a new 143‑foot air traffic control tower to replace its 70‑year‑old structure, the third‑oldest operating tower in the United States. The $72 million project, bolstered by a $20 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant, will add...
AOPA Names Trustee Candidates Ahead of Annual Meeting
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) released its trustee candidate slate ahead of the May 12 annual member meeting in Frederick, Maryland. Nine incumbent trustees—Luke Wippler, Larry Buhl, Matt Desch, Amanda Farnsworth, Will Hudson, Dale Klapmeier, Charlie Lynch, Bill Roberts...
Vern Raburn, Eclipse Aviation Founder, Dies At 75
Vern Raburn, a former Microsoft executive and early Symantec CEO, died at 75 in Albuquerque. He founded Eclipse Aviation in 1998, steering the development of the Eclipse 500, the first certified very light jet (VLF). The Eclipse 500 prototype first flew in...
Praetor 600E Receives Triple Certification
Embraer announced that its Praetor 600E business jet has secured certification from Brazil’s ANAC, the U.S. FAA, and Europe’s EASA, clearing the aircraft for worldwide operations. The super‑midsize jet, unveiled in February alongside the Praetor 500E, offers a 4,018‑nautical‑mile range...
GAO Urges FAA To Set Timeline on Pilot Training Initiatives
The Government Accountability Office urged the Federal Aviation Administration to publish clear timelines for two pilot‑training initiatives mandated by the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act. The FAA has progressed internally on the Enhanced Qualification Program (EQP) and a national office for...
Duffy Floats Passenger Fee For FAA Upgrades
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy suggested a new passenger fee to create a steady funding source for the FAA’s ongoing air traffic control modernization. The proposal, announced at an American Airlines safety conference, mirrors the existing $5.60 September 11 Security Fee but...
Picture of the Day: April 29, 2026
AVweb’s Picture of the Day showcases a Piper PA-25 Pawnee operating as a glider tow plane at Montricher airfield (LSTR). The image features two children beside the aircraft, symbolizing the next generation of pilots. The photo highlights the Pawnee’s continued...
WACO Aircraft Shuts Down Operations
WACO Aircraft Corporation abruptly shut down its Battle Creek, Michigan plant, ending production of its vintage‑style biplanes and associated maintenance services. The closure was communicated by email, resulting in 40 employees being laid off while 20 remain to wind down...
Rhode Island Airport Could Lose Its Crosswind Runway
Quonset State Airport (OQU) in Rhode Island, a joint civil‑military field handling about 19,400 annual operations, plans to remove its secondary Runway 5/23 to accommodate General Dynamics Electric Boat’s expansion. The 4,000‑foot runway, favored by light aircraft for its alignment with...
Senators Seek Probe Into FAA Chief’s Airline Stock Divestiture
Senators Maria Cantwell, Tammy Duckworth and Ed Markey have asked the DOT Office of Inspector General to investigate FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford’s delayed sale of Republic Airways stock. Bedford, required to divest within 90 days of confirmation, waited until February—after...
FAA Expanding Weather Camera Network
The Federal Aviation Administration announced an expansion of its weather camera program, adding 64 new camera locations and 60 Visual Weather Observation Systems (VWOS) across Alaska by 2028. The network provides near‑real‑time, 10‑minute interval images and automated surface weather data...
IFly EFB Adds Dispatch Training Mode For Classroom Use
Adventure Pilot has launched a Dispatch Mode for its iFly electronic flight bag, targeting aircraft dispatcher education rather than pilot flight planning. The mode disables automated pilot‑focused tools, requiring students to manually compute nav‑logs, fuel loads, and en‑route times while...
Picture of the Day: April 28, 2026
AVweb’s Picture of the Day showcases a single‑engine airtanker releasing a red retardant line over a dry, hilly landscape. The image highlights how lightweight, low‑cost aircraft are being deployed to combat wildfires across the western United States. By using a...
Business Aircraft Market Holds Steady In Q1 2026
The International Aircraft Dealers Association reported that the business‑aircraft market stayed steady in Q1 2026, with 333 transactions—a rise from 316 a year earlier. Buyers remain broadly distributed but are more measured due to geopolitical and economic uncertainties. Average deal...
Lawmaker Calls on FAA To Permanently Ground MD-11
Rep. Morgan McGarvey, a Democrat from Kentucky, has asked the FAA to issue an emergency airworthiness directive that would permanently ground all remaining McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft. The request follows the fatal UPS Flight 2976 crash on Nov. 4, 2025, in Louisville,...
Boeing, U.S. Navy Complete First Flight Of MQ-25A Stingray
Boeing and the U.S. Navy have successfully completed the first flight of the MQ-25A Stingray, an unmanned aerial refueling platform, in a two‑hour mission from MidAmerica St. Louis Airport. The test demonstrated autonomous taxi, takeoff, flight, landing and command‑and‑control integration....
DeSantis Signs Florida ADS-B Fee Bill
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 422, prohibiting airports from using automatic dependent surveillance‑broadcast (ADS‑B) data to assess landing, departure or airspace entry fees for aircraft weighing 12,499 pounds or less under Part 91. The law, which passed both chambers...
NTSB Cites Engine Corrosion In Fatal Hop-A-Jet Accident
The NTSB’s final report attributes the February 9, 2024 Hop‑A‑Jet Challenger 604 crash to corrosion in the variable geometry (VG) systems of both GE CF34‑3B engines, which caused near‑simultaneous compressor stalls and loss of thrust on approach. The aircraft, operating...
Video: The Neuroscience of Flight Anxiety
A new AVweb video features Pepperdine behavioral psychologist Dr. Jessica Cail discussing the neuroscience behind flight anxiety. She explains how passengers’ expectations, media narratives, and past experiences trigger fear responses, even when pilots view the flight as routine. Cail emphasizes...
Boulder Signals Long-Term Commitment To Municipal Airport
Boulder officials are moving to formalize a policy that keeps Boulder Municipal Airport open indefinitely after a narrow 5‑4 council straw poll. The resolution would enable the city to pursue federal FAA grants, effectively locking the 179‑acre site into aviation...
NWS Proposes Shift From VOR Reference Points for Aviation Weather
The National Weather Service (NWS) has proposed replacing Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range (VOR) beacons with three‑letter airport identifiers to define forecast and alert areas in aviation weather products such as SIGMETs, AIRMETs, Center Weather Advisories, and Meteorological Impact Statements....
CAA Warns of Emergency Flight Disruptions by Drones
The UK Civil Aviation Authority reported that nine air‑ambulance flights were disrupted in 2025 after drones flew too close to helicopters on emergency missions. The nation’s 21 air‑ambulance charities conduct roughly 134 missions each day, and the incidents caused delays...
NTSB Prelim: Stop Calls, No Alert Before LGA Collision
The NTSB’s preliminary report details a fatal collision at LaGuardia where an Air Canada Express CRJ‑900 struck a rescue vehicle that had been cleared onto runway 4 while the jet was on short final. The controller cleared the truck at...
Joby, Real Estate Firm Plan Los Angeles Vertiport
Joby Aviation and private‑equity real‑estate firm Reuben Brothers announced plans to transform the South Tower’s existing helipad at Park Elm Residences in Century City into an all‑electric eVTOL vertiport. The project will add charging infrastructure and the company’s first passenger...
Chinese Student Charged For Air Force Photographs
Federal prosecutors in Nebraska charged 21‑year‑old Chinese national Tianrui Liang with unlawfully photographing military aircraft at Offutt Air Force Base and near Ellsworth Air Force Base. Liang was arrested at New York’s JFK Airport while en route to his studies...
Louisiana Airports Receive $14.9 Million for Improvement Projects
Senator Bill Cassidy announced that Louisiana airports will receive $14.86 million in federal funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The largest allocations include $5.78 million for automated passenger‑exit lanes at New Orleans’ north terminal, $4.23 million for terminal reconstruction at Shreveport...
Kansas Awards $18.9 Million for 53 Airport Projects
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced $18.9 million in state funding for 53 airport development projects through the Kansas Airport Improvement Program. Local matching contributions are expected to raise the total investment to roughly $95 million. The projects, spread across all...
FAA Administrator Weighs In on ADS-B Fee Dispute
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford warned that using ADS‑B data for airport landing fees could tempt pilots to turn off the safety‑critical system. More than 100 U.S. airports have adopted fee structures that tie charges to ADS‑B transmissions, prompting pushback from...
Sporty’s, ForeFlight Roll Out Training Course
Sporty’s and ForeFlight have launched the ForeFlight Power Users Training, a subscription‑based program that teaches pilots how to maximize the electronic flight bag’s capabilities. The curriculum is split into three progressive levels—Fundamentals, Advanced, and Logbook—covering everything from basic setup to...
AERO 2026 Opens With Record Exhibitor Count
AERO 2026 opened in Friedrichshafen with a record‑breaking 860 exhibitors representing 50 countries, making it the largest gathering of aviation firms in the show’s history. The four‑day event features the biggest static aircraft display to date, spanning general aviation, business...
Picture of the Day: April 21, 2026
AVweb’s "Picture of the Day" for April 21, 2026 showcases a vivid Vermont sunset captured by photographer Peter Steinerman. The image was taken from the cockpit of a Cessna 182 flying over Lake Champlain while returning to Burlington’s KBTV airport. Steinerman’s description highlights the...
Maintenance Survey Highlights Pressures Across General Aviation
A TBX maintenance‑software survey shows 65% of general aviation shops are most worried about rising costs and supply‑chain strain, while almost half flag staffing and training gaps. Over 40% struggle to obtain technical publications and 72% cite inefficient maintenance processes....