With Their Restructuring Plan Approved, Sportplane Legend's Prospects Looking Up

The court has approved Van's Aircraft's bankruptcy reorganization plans, settling a stressful period for the company with some pretty optimistic news. Van's Aircraft filed its Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization back in March, setting up their ideal path to recovery amidst some very expensive challenges, both internal and external. Van's founder Dick VanGrunsven and his family have really stepped up to the plate to back the company's finances, too, according to some of the outside experts brought in to herd cats during the process.

Cost-Cutting Managers and Tech-Focused Manufacturers May Herald End of Two-Person Cockpit

With the FAA's legislative life secure, industry lobbyists have moved on to the next battle, ensuring that flight decks across the country and around the world don't have empty seats in the interest of 'efficiency'. The Air Line Pilot Association International joined hands with the AFL-CIO's Transportation Trades Department to call on US Regulators to "aggressively advocate for at least two pilots on every flight deck here at home and in international forums."

Senate Confirmation Also Grants 5-Year Extension to Board Tenure

Jennifer Homendy has been approved to embark on her second 3-year term as Chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), coinciding with a confirmation to serve another 5-year term on the board itself. The selection was approved by a grateful industry, with General Aviation Manufacturers Association CEO Pete Bunce welcoming her back into the fold.

‘Nice Low Cost Carrier’ Well on its Way to All-A220 Fleety by 2025

Azorra has handed off its first leased Airbus A220-300, delivering it to Breeze Airways direct from Mirabel, Canada. The delivery marks the first of 22 such aircraft on order to the aircraft lessor, highlighting their faith in the narrowbody A220 as a hot ticket for regional airlines. The delivery continues building momentum for the ULCC as they keep moving on to become the third largest operator of the A220 family in the world.

Unusually Talky Industry Really IS Grateful for Some Legislation for a Change

The Alliance for Aviation Across America joined in the chorus approving of the passage of the Federal Aviation Administration's new reauthorization through the House of Representatives. Devin Osting, the interim executive director of the Alliance for Aviation Across America, said the industry really could not do without the bill. "This FAA reauthorization is critically important for general aviation and our national air transportation infrastructure. It includes vital investments in our local airports, increasing the authorization of the Airport Improvement Program from $3.4 billion to $4 billion annually, and promotes significant advancements in areas such as workf

Integration Begins Ahead of Instrument Evaluations

Skyfire Consulting has embarked on a partnership with Thales USA to integrate the Skyfire SF2 into the Vantis, North Dakota UAS test range. The SF2 offers a payload-agnostic design, enabling comprehensive testing of advanced airspace management tools and air traffic systems in the UAS ops range. Thales already took delivery of some SF2s for testing in warming springtime weather.

Also: SkyReach Parts Support, Piper Service Ctr, Airliner Near-Miss, Airshow London

The Judge overseeing Icon's convoluted Chapter 11 process has approved $9 million in Chapter 11 financing and set a June asset auction for the Icon A5 Program -- and said that objections had apparently been resolved (for the moment) by shareholders who claimed (not surprisingly) that Icon was being sold to an 'insider.' Judge Craig T. Goldblatt gave final approval to Icon's (DIP) debtor-in-possession financing and approved the sales schedule... but has yet to approve that previously disclosed stalking horse bidder. On April 12, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern Dis

Also: Vertical Flight Society, NBAA Maintenance Conference, GA Honored, AMT Scholarship

For the first time, students from Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach, Florida, campus took top honors at the AIAA Design/Build/Fly (DBF) Competition, held in Wichita, Kansas. A second Embry-Riddle squad, this one from the Prescott, Arizona, campus, also placed among the top teams, earning eighth overall. The Leadership in Flight Training, or LIFT Academy, has expanded its training fleet with a recent order with Diamond Aircraft, bringing on 56 new planes. The deal sees LIFT gain 50 new single-engine DA40s, and 6 twin-engine DA42s. The training facility has continued to exp

Also: SkyReach Parts Support, Piper Service Ctr, Airliner Near-Miss, Airshow London

The Judge overseeing Icon's convoluted Chapter 11 process has approved $9 million in Chapter 11 financing and set a June asset auction for the Icon A5 Program -- and said that objections had apparently been resolved (for the moment) by shareholders who claimed (not surprisingly) that Icon was being sold to an 'insider.' Judge Craig T. Goldblatt gave final approval to Icon's (DIP) debtor-in-possession financing and approved the sales schedule... but has yet to approve that previously disclosed stalking horse bidder. On April 12, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern Dis

Postaccident Examination Of The Engine Revealed That The Crankshaft Was Fractured At A Crank Cheek

Analysis: The pilot had recently finished building the airplane and it had amassed about 55 hours of flight time on the airframe and engine (A UL Power Engine--Ed). While the pilot was maneuvering at about 700-900 feet above ground level (agl), the engine made “rough” sounds and vibrated. About 20 seconds later the propeller seized and the pilot made a forced landing in the field below. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the crankshaft was fractured at a crank cheek, just aft of the journal of the No. 2 connecting rod. A materials analysis revealed that the crankshaft fracture resulted from fatigue cra

Aero Linx: VC-25 - Air Force One The mission of the VC-25 aircraft — Air Force One — is to provide air transport for the president of the United States. The presidential air transport fleet consists of two specially configured Boeing 747-200B's — tail numbers 28000 and 29000 — with the Air Force designation VC-25. When the president is aboard either aircraft, or any Air Force aircraft, the radio call sign is "Air Force One."

Flameout Pattern An approach normally conducted by a single-engine military aircraft experiencing loss or anticipating loss of engine power or control. The standard overhead approach starts at a relatively high altitude over a runway (“high key”) followed by a continuous 180 degree turn to a high, wide position (“low key”) followed by a continuous 180 degree turn final. The standard straight-in pattern starts at a point that results in a straight-in approach with a high rate of descent to the runway. Flameout approaches terminate in the type approach requested by the pilot (normally fullstop).

We're Everywhere... Thanks To You!

Even with the vast resources and incredibly far-reaching scope of the Aero-News Network, every now and then a story that should be reported on slips through our fingers. There's a lot of news out there, and sometimes we just don't get to all of it. Fortunately for us, we realized early on we couldn't be everywhere at once -- curse the laws of physics! -- so we came up with the idea of News-Spies. Just as the title suggests, a News-Spy is a reader who notices a news item -- be it in the newspaper, on television, or something they came across at their own airport, town hall, at the office water cooler or just by walking down the street -- basically, any item a reader may think is newsworthy, that pertains to the wo

"I want to sort of close out by repeating how excited we are about this juncture in our operation, and to again thank all our customers that have reordered kits, continue to reorder parts, and even place new orders. We look forward to a very bright future, and we just can't thank you enough." Source: From statements made by Van's Aircraft Founder Dick Van Grunsven, announcing that the company will shortly be out of bankruptcy, though hundreds of customers were quite negatively affected by the issues that led to the Chapter 11 filing.