Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron Has Blocked $3.3B in Narcotics Since October 2024

The US Coast Guard’s Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) recently surpassed a major drug bust milestone, intercepting its 1,000th suspected narcotic vessel nearly 400 miles off the coast of Acapulco, Mexico. The missions have blocked nearly $3.3 billion of illicit narcotics from reaching US soil since October 1, 2024, tripling its long-term annual average.

Anderson Composite Squadron Now the Charles Duke, Jr., Composite Squadron

The Civil Air Patrol’s South Carolina Wing recently renamed one of its squadrons to honor Apollo 16 astronaut and retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Charles Moss Duke, Jr. Formerly the Anderson Composite Squadron, the Charles Duke, Jr., Composite Squadron recognizes his career as a fighter pilot, test pilot, and the youngest person ever to walk on the moon.

Business Jets and Piston Planes Both Saw Drastic Year-Over-Year Improvement

The recently published Second Quarter 2025 General Aviation Aircraft Shipment and Billing Report, compiled by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), shows a solid uptick in shipments for the first half of this year compared to last. Business jets and piston airplanes both stood out, though helicopters and turboprops weren’t quite so promising.

Airline Completes Fleet Transition to the Next Generation Airbus A220-300

JetBlue has officially waved goodbye to its Embraer E190 fleet, marking the end of its five-year transition to the next-generation Airbus A220-300. The last standing E190 completed its final revenue flight on September 9, 2025, twenty years after the airline became the first in the world to operate the jet.

Also: SUN ‘n FUN’s EarlyBird, Rotax Advanced Start, Girls in Aviation Day, Lockwood RV-916!

The recently concluded Midwest Aviation Expo, hosted by the Mt. Vernon Outland Airport is a modest but overtly positive event in the sport aviation scheme of things. Led by Airport Boss Chris Collins, one of the best in the business, the event has been going on for 17 years and emphasizes a close and personal opportunity for companies to display their wares and for potential customers to spend time looking them over... There are a LOT of SportPlanes out there and while ANN’s Chief Test Pilot, Jim Campbell, has flown well over a 1000 unique types, there are still a lot of birds on his “Must-Fly’ List. One of them was the Flight Design F2. Jim says the F2 IS NOT a modified CT series bird... it is distinctively different and is most definitely not your Father’s CT. The Rotax 912iS powered F2 is a spacious, easily acces

Improves Flight Planning For Active-Winglet Equipped Aircraft

Tamarack Aerospace Group and ForeFlight announced an expansion of their collaboration to deliver improved flight planning data for aircraft equipped with Tamarack’s Active Winglet technology.

See Rare Aircraft, USCG Rescue and Bell 47 M*A*S*H Helos

The New Jersey Aviation Hall of Fame and Museum in Teterboro, New Jersey, announced it is holding an Open Cockpit Day on Saturday, September 13, 2025. Visitors will be able to sit in the cockpits of some rare aircraft such as the Lockheed Bushmaster, a U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Helicopter, and an example of a M*A*S*H Bell 47 helicopter that was made famous during the Korean War and of course by the long-running television series, M*A*S*H.

Also: Potential Mars Biosignature, Boeing August Deliveries, JetBlue Retires Final E190, Av Safety Awareness

Czech plane maker Bristell was awarded its first FAA Type Certification for the B23 two-seater, assisting its effort to get on the US flight training map. The bird totals more than 1,100 delivered since 2009. Nearly 100 B23s are already flying in the United States. Personal aviation company Jetson recently completed the first-ever delivery of its ONE electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, and to none other than Oculus and Anduril Industries founder Palmer Luckey. This comes as Jetson works to shift its business overseas, establishing new headquarters in California. The recently published Second Quarter 2025 General Aviation Aircraft Shipment and Billing Report, compiled by GAMA, shows a solid uptick in shipments for the first half of this year compared to last. Business jets and piston airplanes both stood out, though helico

Emerson Had Taken Mushrooms and Was Suffering With Depression During the Flight

A former Alaska Airlines pilot pleaded guilty in federal court after a combination of psychedelic mushrooms and mental health struggles put the lives of 80 passengers at stake. His attempt to cut the engines of an Embraer 175 at 31,000 feet in 2023 has already earned him 50 days in jail, five years on probation, 664 hours of community service, and $60,659 in restitution.

Also: Commercial A/C Certification, GMR Adds More Bell 429s, Helo Denial, John “Lucky” Luckadoo Flies West

CAF’s Col. Mark Novak has accumulated more than 1,000 flight hours in the two remaining airworthy B-29 Superfortress aircraft, Fifi and DOC, a feat that has not been accomplished in at least 65 years. Col. Novak has been a member of the CAF for more than 30 years and began flying Fifi in 2012 as the Second in Command. One year later he upgraded to Pilot in Command and flew the aircraft until 2022... On Friday, September 5, Texas pilots learned the hard way exactly how important it is to use tie-downs, with one plane being flipped by 75-mile-per-hour wind gusts and coming to rest on another. Several planes and hangars were damaged in the storms, but fortunately, no injuries were reported. The FAA has pushed back the expiration date for the Port-au-Prince flight ban from September 8, 2025, to March 7, 2026. The restriction, ori