Fred Smith’s Company Now Hosts Over 500,000 Employees and 700 Planes

FedEx announced on June 22 that its founder and former executive chairman, Fred Smith, has died at 80 years old. The Marine Corps veteran’s creation stands strong today, having grown more than 50 times since its establishment in 1971.

“Skybound Scotts” and “Frozen Force” Take Home the Gold

All racers have made it across the finish line for the 2025 women’s Air Race Classic, marking the end of a 2,426-mile journey that brought competitors from Fairhope, Alabama, to Spokane, Washington. The “Skybound Scotts” and “Frozen Force” teams led their respective categories.

Manufacturer Sends Request for Information to Engine Makers

Boeing has begun the slow, careful steps toward replacing the long-troubled 737 family…this time without a MAX attached to the name. The company issued a request for information (RFI) to several leading engine manufacturers, seeking proposals for a ducted propulsion system rated around 30,000 pounds of thrust.

Pro-Palestinian Group Claims Credit

A pro-Palestine direct-action protest group claimed credit for two of its members breaking into the RAF Brize Norton Airbase west of London during the early morning of June 20 and defacing two KC2 Voyagers while they were parked on the ramp by spraying paint into the engines and the aircraft exteriors, causing an as-yet unknown amount of damage.

Also: Crewed-Uncrewed Teaming, FAA Collaborates, Complete Remote Pilot New Edition, magniX 

Eve Air Mobility has signed a Letter of Intent or LOI, with Future Flight Global to provide 54 eVTOL aircraft which will be deployed in Brazilian and U.S. markets. Future Flight Global invests in advanced air mobility (AAM) to deploy and operate aircraft globally. The future of advanced air mobility is looking increasingly bright for the US, with the President, Transportation Secretary, and Acting FAA Administrator all putting in the work to get air taxis in the sky. At the Paris Air Show, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau unveiled a roadmap to streamline certification and regulation of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft—eVTOLs. Elon Musk and SpaceX posted immediately after Starship Ship 36 experienced a catastrophic explosion and subsequent Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly as fuel was being

Partners Test RSAF’s H225M Helicopter Alongside the Airbus Flexrotor UAS

Airbus Helicopters will be working with Singapore’s Defense Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) in order to test crewed-uncrewed teaming capabilities. To do so, they will be putting the Singapore Air Force’s (RSAF) H225M Medium Lift helicopter to work alongside the Airbus Flexrotor UAS.

First Of Two Expected To Begin Fleet Ops In Q3/2025

Embraer announced, along with lessor Regional One, that Bridges Air Cargo will be the launch customer of its new E-Freighter E190F passenger-to-freight conversion aircraft. This aircraft is the first of two conversions and is expected to begin fleet operations for Bridges in the third quarter of this year.

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A team of US Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bombers was responsible for a three-target airstrike in Iran on June 21. The strikes, which hit several nuclear sites, marked the US’s first direct military involvement in the growing Iran-Israel conflict. The mission aimed to take out three nuclear-related targets, including Iran’s deeply-buried Fordow facility. The weapon of choice? The 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, justly known as the “bunker buster.” In case there was any lingering ambiguity, the FAA has now made it crystal clear: federally funded airports cannot restrict access to 100-octane low-lead avgas (100LL). Unless, of course, they’d rather violate federal law and potentially pay $5,000 per day in penalties. Landing Fee insanity almost strikes again.... In a move that surely disappointed no part of GA, the Los

Also: ENAC Orders 30 Elixir, Sporty’s New IFR Focus, Mental Health Bill, Enhanced Controller Training

King Schools and Four Forces announced a collaboration that integrates the Cessna Flight Training System’s Course Tracking Application with Four Forces' Flight School Management Software suite. The integrated software packages eliminate the need for double or triple-entry of flight training data between the flight lesson tracking system and the scheduling and billing systems. The FAA’s MedXpress website has been updated to assist pilots getting ready for the next visit with their AME, or aviation medical examiner, to renew their medical certificate. A comprehensive “Know Before You Go” document walks applicants through the steps necessary to prepare for the AME exam. This includes gathering medical records that must be submitted as well as any guidance on post-exam procedures that might be necessary. Bryan Bedford, Pre

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A SpaceX Starship second stage, Ship 36, mounted on a test stand loading fuel for a static fire test was destroyed in a huge explosion that was seen and heard for miles around Starbase in South Texas. SpaceX posted, “On Wednesday, June 18 at approximately 11 p.m. CT, the Starship preparing for the tenth flight test experienced an anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase..." The French government reportedly pressured organizers of the Paris Air Show to put up barriers to hide the booth exhibits of some of the Israeli companies that included displays of kinetic weapons, while the exhibits of the Israeli Defense Ministry and several other Israeli company exhibits remained open. The partitions were erected when the exhibitors reportedly refused to remove the weapons from the displays. The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome has cancelled a second weeke