“May'st Hear the Merry Din"

A group of aerial hobbyists in northern Illinois is contending with the daunting possibility that an unidentified flying object shot out of U.S. skies last week by a $400,000 AIM-9 Sidewinder missile fired from a $334-million Lockheed-Martin F-22 Raptor might have been their $12 balloon.

In Defense of Free Markets

The White House and the Justice Department are making ready to jointly assert their opposition to the proposed JetBlue-Spirit Airlines merger by dint of an antitrust action to be brought by the Biden administration. The suit is the latest action taken by Democrat lawmakers against America’s free-market airline industry, and has prompted concerns over the Biden administration’s growing interest in regulating air-travel.   

On Progress’s Rising Tide

On 14 February 2023, New York’s Blade Air Mobility, Inc.—a purveyor of local and regional, by-the-seat, Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and jet travel services—and BETA Technologies—a Burlington, Vermont-based manufacturer of electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft—announced the successful test-flight of BETA’s ALIA-250 EVA (Electric Vertical Aircraft) at the Westchester County Airport (HPN) in White Plains, New York.

Go Not Quietly Into the Night

On 15 February 2023—two-years to the day after the loss of N13AT and all souls aboard—the family of pilot Maria Rodriguez has filed a lawsuit against numerous defendants, including the manufacturer of the failed engine. Plaintiff’s attorney Christopher Kroblin stated: "This is a lawsuit seeking damages from a horrific helicopter crash occurring on the island of St. Thomas wherein the pilot and passengers were killed."

Over Bold New Horizons

MissionGO, the Baltimore, Maryland-based aerospace manufacturer and purveyor of Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) solutions and services has lauded the introduction of bipartisan legislation aiming to create a streamlined and actionable approval process by which federal regulatory agencies—primarily the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)—may assess and certify UAS Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS) operations.

Flying the Grid

The New York Power Authority (NYPA)—America’s largest state public power organization and the operator of 16 generating facilities and more than 1,400-circuit-miles of transmission lines—announced on 16 February 2023 that it had received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to employ its Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS) operations.

Aero Linx: The European Society of Aerospace Medicine The European Society of Aerospace Medicine was founded in 2006 as an umbrella organisation in the field of Aerospace Medicine. As a pan-European, independent forum, it works to promote the safety and health of all persons involved in aviation and space operations , and to coordinate European aerospace medical interests across all national and organisational boundaries.

National Airspace System   The common network of U.S. airspace; air navigation facilities, equipment and services, airports or landing areas; aeronautical charts, information and services; rules, regulations and procedures, technical information, and manpower and material. Included are system components shared jointly with the military.

“We are excited to deliver this compelling combination that turbocharges our strategic growth, enabling JetBlue to bring our unique blend of low fares and exceptional service to more customers, on more routes. Spirit and JetBlue will continue to advance our shared goal of disrupting the industry to bring down fares from the Big Four airlines. This combination is an exciting opportunity to diversify and expand our network, add jobs and new possibilities for crewmembers, and expand our platform for profitable growth.” Source: JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes said of an agreement yet to be approved whereby JetBlue and Spirit would become one of the larger airlines extant, nearly overnight -- if the Feds approve.