Congressional Research Service Releases Background and Issues for Congress

The Congressional Research Service recently posted a comprehensive report on the US military’s V-22 Osprey rotorcraft and, let’s just say, it doesn’t paint the fleet in a very flattering light. The tilt-rotor aircraft has been plagued with issues over its service life and has been directly involved in the deaths of 65 military personnel and civilians.

North Shore Medevac Averts ‘Quite A Bad Situation’

A hiker stuck on North Vancouver’s Mt. Seymour was very lucky to have a cell signal to make a call that enabled him to be rescued after sustaining a “lower body injury” that kept him from moving further. North Shore Rescue (NSR), based in North Vancouver, saved the ill-equipped man from what rescuers called potentially “quite a bad situation.”

15th Payload Flight Also Took Thousands Of Postcards To Space

Blue Origin’s New Shepard booster rocket successfully completed the program’s 15th payload mission to space carrying more than 40 research and scientific payloads on a suborbital flight that was its 20th spaceflight without a crew. It was the 12th and final mission for the RSS H.G. Wells Crew Capsule, the dedicated vehicle for flying customer payloads.

Boeing Subsidiary Partners With the City of Fullerton for Infrastructure Development

Boeing subsidiary and air taxi developer Wisk Aero recently announced a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Fullerton, California, that works towards the integration of autonomous air mobility in one of the cities that needs it most: Los Angeles. The effort will center at Fullerton Municipal Airport (FUL) in Orange County.

IDIQ Deal For Aggressor Fleet Fighter Jet Services

Airborne Tactical Advantage Company, a unit of Textron Systems, announced it has received a $555 million indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps for training support under the Fleet Fighter Jet Services program, providing high subsonic and supersonic contractor-operated aircraft in simulated airborne threat scenarios for Navy and Marine Corps aviators.

Contract Negotiations With Airline Management Continue

Voting members of the JetBlue Master Executive Council (MEC) of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l re-elected by acclamation their union leadership for the 4,700-plus pilots of JetBlue.

Also: Mexico A/C Production, AI-Powered Smart NOTAMs, Drunk 787 Pilot, Renovating Runway Lighting

Spirit Airlines filed for its second bankruptcy in less than a year at the end of last month, and its competitors are now suggesting that this may be the beginning of the end. Speaking at an industry conference on Thursday, United CEO Scott Kirby called the ultra-low-cost carrier approach a “fundamentally broken business model” and argued that customers have already voted with their wallets. The Illinois Aviation Academy at DuPage County Airport (KDPA) in West Chicago, Illinois, announced it has been approved by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to train Vietnamese pilots under internationally recognized standards. IAA will now be able to support Vietnam’s burgeoning demand for pro pilots. Owners and operators of Piper’s M-Class line of single engine piston and turboprop-powered aircraft undertook three days of safe

Also: Douglas Day Event, Tidal Flight And DeltaHawk, Runway Lighting Systems, Supersonic Regs

British Airways suspended one of its pilots who was drunk while traveling as a passenger and caused a disruption in the cabin, with the captain returning to the departure gate at Edinburgh Airport (EDI/EGPH) and delaying the flight to London Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) for more than 90 minutes. Textron Aviation announced the rollout of the first production unit of its new Citation Ascend business jet from its manufacturing facility in Wichita, Kansas. The FAA is expected to certify the aircraft later this year. The Citation Ascend is the newest member of the 560XL series of business jets, and employees held a special celebration to note the program milestone. At the scene of a plane crash that killed 46-year-old Australian pilot Timothy Clark, authorities came across nearly 200 kilograms of cocaine… and, oddly enough, it was completely covered in SpaceX branding. Brazilian officials are now investigating in hopes of learning where the dr

Also: Tidal Flight And DeltaHawk Collab, Russian Drone Strikes, Vertical Aerospace Transition, Power Bank Rules

The FAA aims to accelerate the deployment of AAM, or advanced air mobility vehicles. The new technologies are full of potential to transform aviation, expand connectivity in rural America, reduce road congestion in urban areas, and enhancing medical and emergency transport services. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and AeroVironment announced their collaboration successfully completed the first-ever air launch of a Switchblade 600 loitering munition system from a Block 5 MQ-9A Reaper UAS and marks the first time a Switchblade has been launched from an unmanned aircraft. The SB600 was successfully integrated with the MQ-9A and flight testing was conducted from July 22-24 at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Grounds Test Range in Arizona. Personal aviation company Jetson recently completed the first-ever delivery of its ONE electric ver

MOSAIC-Centric Event Set For November 6-8, 2025... DON'T Miss It!

After a master strategy meeting this last week on the grounds of the Sun n Fun Aerospace Expo campus, details have been completed for the first MOSAIC-dedicated, MOSAIC-centric Affordable Flying Expo (AFE25). With the rule officially announced, AFE25 stands to be the best opportunity for MOSAIC-interested folks to get their questions answered and for the industry to show the aviation community that they are ready to serve this expanding niche.