Radia’s WindRunner Much Anticipated Guest

The Paris-Le Bourget Airport will be the host of this year’s Paris Air Show, running from June 16-22, will be waiting with excitement for the first appearance of what’s being billed as the world’s largest aircraft, the WindRunner, made by Radia, based in Boulder, Colorado.

Midnight Aircraft Moves to Next Phase of Testing Regimen

Archer tackled a photo opportunity with their Midnight aircraft, giving it a chance to show off its piloted capability ahead of future flight tests. “Put simply, the performance of Midnight continues to demonstrate the strengths of our design decisions for this aircraft platform,” said Adam Goldstein, CEO and founder of Archer. 

White House Runs Mandated National Security Review of Chinese Tech

Upcoming executive orders under President Trump could put an end to the game of tag that has left Chinese drone manufacturer DJI on the run from a US import ban for years. The orders aim to target alleged security risks and boost domestic production rates.

Name Commemorates Army Birth Year, Mission, But No Word Yet on a Name

Bell’s new tiltrotor prototype has been officially given a name under the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft program, designating it the MV-75. Those in the game for a while may recall the aircraft used to be called the Bell V-280 Valor, but that was its old, square, commercial name, replaced by a cooler military designation instead. "MV" is for "Multi-Mission Vertical (Takeoff)", and -75 is to commemorate the Army's founding year of 1775.

Company Reorganization Clouds the Crystal Ball

FedEx pilots remain locked in negotiations with their employer, languishing in federally mediated bargaining amidst a shifting corporate landscape. ALPA bargainers aren't pleased with corporate at all, especially since FedEx is planning to separate its Freight division in 2026. Pilots are beginning to feel like the company is dragging its feet, especially since they're still pretending the contract will apply to the old FedEx structure. Frankly, it sounds like a mess, and a very protracted process to be in so many years after the rest of the industry finished their negotiations.

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A California Superior Court judge recently ruled that GAMI’s unleaded avgas does not meet the legal definition of “commercially available,” meaning FBOs and distributors in the state are not required to stock or sell it, particularly not in place of 100LL. The decision follows a motion by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) seeking to enforce a 2014 consent judgment requiring fuel sellers to offer a lower-lead alternative when one becomes widely available. The FAA has required SpaceX to conduct an investigation of the Starship Flight 9 mission, which lasted significantly longer than the two previous flights but still resulted in the loss of the Ship upper stage vehicle after a propellant leak led to a loss of control and a controlled termination of the mission. Jordan Dwayne Jackson, 36, of Houston, Texas, was sentenced to 15 months

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Hermeus confirmed the flight of its Quarterhorse MK 1 aircraft at the Air Force Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, a significant step in the company’s pace of high-Mach and hypersonic aircraft development. Development of the Quarterhorse MK 1 went from clean sheet to flight-ready in just over a year, demonstrating its rapid pace in advancing the mission of Hermeus to make hypersonic flight operational. The Vertical Flight Society (VFS) held its 81st Annual Forum recently in Virginia Beach, Virginia. VFS officials indicated that this year’s 3-day forum exceeded 1,000 attendees and represented some of the highest caliber of cutting-edge vertical flight experts and entrepreneurs from around the globe. According to officials 262 technical papers were presented in conjunction with 60 invited speakers, 9 in-depth special sessions, and 66 exhibitors

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Not only have the folks at Van’s Aircraft designed a new wing for the RV-15, but they just started flying it. One of the most anxiously awaited aircraft expected at Oshkosh 2025 seems to be hitting its final strides before Van’s freezes the design and starts on a path to kithood. The new wing offers a number of upgrades including an expansion of fuel capacity to 60 gallons, and the first flight apparently met with the approval of those involved in the initial flight test, though data is slim at this point. The first in the Scalebirds Lite Fighter series is nearing design completion after extensive flight testing and some final load tests. The first of their birds, a P-36 (to be followed by a P-40), has been flying for some time now and some kits are in the process of being distributed and evaluated by test builders. A novel Sonex Waie

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SpaceX launched its ninth flight test of a complete Starship vehicle nearly on time after a few minutes of holds before getting a move on. This was a far tougher flight test than previous missions, especially for the booster which was subjected to some aggressive and adverse test conditions... which it did not survive before its scheduled landing in the Gulf of America. This was the second flight of the booster... Electra has conducted wind tunnel testing at the MIT Wright Brothers Wind Tunnel that confirmed its blown wing design delivers the high lift for takeoff and landing within just 150 feet, or about 10% of the distance required by conventional aircraft of similar size. Elektra Solar announced that its Elektra Solar Trainer aircraft successfully completed a 900-mile trip from southwestern Germany through Austria and Hungary, terminating in Brasov, Romania. The tri

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After 6 were killed in a helicopter crash over the Hudson River, several US Representatives presented bizarre legislation that would ban pretty much all non-essential helicopter operations across New York City. The bill addresses a general heightened concern for growing air traffic rates in high-density areas and new irrational anti-aviation sentiment. Around 3,000 machinists from two Pratt & Whitney plants in Connecticut officially inked an end to a three-week strike over wages, job security, and retirement benefits by approving a four-year contract. The strike, which began on May 5, marked the company’s first labor stoppage since 2001. H55, Swiss-based developer of electric aircraft, announced the conclusion of the Arizona segment of its Across USA Tour for its Bristell B23 Energic aircraft with 104th landing up to this point. This was the thir