Pilot Institute
APRIL 12, 2025
The largest passenger aircraft flying today weighs more than 1.2 million pounds. How does it stay airborne, supported by nothing but thin air? Lift is the force that aircraft use to counter gravity. Newton’s Third Law is one of the key laws of physics that explains lift. Lets see what Newtons Third Law is, and why we need it to understand lift.
Vintage Aviation News
APRIL 21, 2025
By Kevin Wilkins On Friday, we published a press release from the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) announcing a poignant new initiative: Bringing the Boys Back Home a tribute to British WWII servicemen buried in the U.S. As part of the 80th anniversary commemorations of the Allied victory in World War II, the CAF is honoring the 423 British airmen who lost their lives while training in the United States.
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Aerotime
APRIL 13, 2025
In 2024, passenger traffic at European airports rose by 7.4%, surpassing pre-pandemic levels by 1.8%, according to newly released data from Airports Council International Europe (ACI Europe). While ACI data show that some smaller airports remain 34.5% below their pre-pandemic figures, three airports in North-East Europe, home to the Baltic states, have all overcome this challenge.
Cranky Flier
APRIL 10, 2025
The end of Mesa has finally arrived, and lucky for the airline, it was the rosier situation that prevailed. Instead of failing outright, Mesa has now been bought. No doubt many a United customer is now celebrating this turn of events. Republic is the winner, and that means that outside of wholly-owned regionals, there are really only two major regional carriers of note left: SkyWest and Republic.
AV Web
APRIL 17, 2025
The U.S. Air Force has taken down online content celebrating female aviators in an effort to comply with federal directives to remove DEI material from government websites. According to Newsweek, the purge includes numerous webpages, images, videos, and biographies that spotlighted groundbreaking achievements by women in military aviation. Among the most prominent removals was content featuring retired Colonel Nicole Malachowski, a 21-year Air Force veteran and the first woman to fly with the el
One Mile at a Time
APRIL 30, 2025
Thailands King and Queen piloted their government jet for their first official state visit, and thats kind of amazing (thanks to @jdeliens for flagging this) Thai King & Queen land 737 at Bhutans Paro Airport On April 25, 2025, Thailands King Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida made their first official state visit since ascending to the throne in 2019.
Simple Flying
APRIL 25, 2025
United Airlines has announced an investment that, if successful, will see it boost its sustainability credentials while taking its fleet to the next level. Specifically, as revealed yesterday, the US legacy carrier and Star Alliance founding member has teamed up with JetZero on a deal for a conditional order of up to 200 of the startup company's Z4 blended wing body (BWB) aircraft.
Aviator Connection brings together the best content for aviator professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Aerotime
APRIL 21, 2025
Space exploration is not usually among the topics that come to mind when thinking about Switzerland. This Alpine nation is most often associated with its mountain landscapes, cheese and love for precision clockwork. However, in late 2024, Starlab Space, a Houston-based joint venture developing a next-generation space station, selected it as the location of its European hub.
Cranky Flier
APRIL 21, 2025
It took me some time, because the Chicago Department of Aviation made me submit a FOIA request to get the new proposed gate allocation map at O’Hare AND, of course, I was on spring break with the family. But I have the map, and ooh boy is it different than I thought. United is jumping with joy while American is steaming with anger. The assignments, however, don’t get finalized until June 1, and American has wasted no time in trying to fight this.
AV Web
APRIL 24, 2025
Air show legend Rob Holland was killed today when his MXS aerobatic airplane went down at Langley Air Force Base. “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I am sharing that Rob Holland lost his life today, 24 April 2025, in an accident at Langley AFB, VA. The cause of the crash is not known at this time, and is under investigation by the FAA, NTSB, and DOD,” a notice on Rob Holland Aerosports’ Facebook page said at about 5 p.m.
One Mile at a Time
APRIL 22, 2025
Theres some exciting news for Thailand, and it presents some new opportunities for airlines from the country. FAA upgrades Thailand from Category 2 to Category 1 In 2015, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgradedThailands aviation safety rating from Category 1 to Category 2. This came after FAA inspectors conducted a review of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), and identified several areas of non-compliance with minimum safety standards.
Simple Flying
APRIL 25, 2025
A Lufthansa Airbus A380 flying from Los Angeles to Munich had to divert to Boston this week after a passenger lost their tablet in the structure of their business class seat. Given the safety concerns surrounding this incident, particularly regarding the potential for the device to overheat, the decision was taken to get the plane on the ground earlier than planned in order for technicians to address the issue.
Vintage Aviation News
APRIL 24, 2025
Inside every museum, every artifact has a story. At the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum in Lower Township, New Jersey, one Grumman F6F Hellcat has quite the story to tell. From crashing into the Pacific Ocean during WWII and spending 26 years on the bottom of the Pacific, to having a cameo in a 1980s romantic comedy and being displayed in three museums, this is the story of Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat, Bureau Number 66237.
Aerotime
APRIL 28, 2025
Widespread travel chaos is unfolding at airports across the Iberian Peninsula as power networks across Spain and Portugal have failed, bringing both countries to a standstill. Not only is aviation affected, with public transport and transport infrastructure, domestic and commercial customers, and widespread access to the internet all said to be significantly affected by the outage.
Cranky Flier
APRIL 1, 2025
In the post-pandemic world, airlines have been struggling to figure out how to deal with the massive variability in demand by day-of-week. Every airline has been forced to make adjustments, but now Spirit is going one step further. It will stop flying on off-peak days entirely. Just recently, Spirit began to transition to this plan. In June of 2024, off-peak days operated at 95 percent of the peak day departure numbers for the airline.
AV Web
APRIL 15, 2025
On Sunday (April 13), Jason Costello, director of operations for New York Helicopter Charter, agreed by email to voluntarily suspend operations at a request from the FAA. Within 16 minutes, Michael Roth, CEO of NY Helicopter notified the FAA that the agreement to suspend operations had been reversed and Costello was no longer an employee. The FAAs telephone request to Costello on Sunday followed last Thursdays fatal accident involving one of the operators Bell 206L LongRangers.
One Mile at a Time
APRIL 8, 2025
Hello from somewhere over the Atlantic, as Im on the return journey of my quick trip to Paris. Let me start by disclosing that Im traveling as a guest of Air France today its the first airline media flight invite that Ive accepted in about 15 years. So, whats the occasion? Air France recently unveiled its new La Premiere first-class suite , and Im on the very first flight featuring the new cabins.
Simple Flying
APRIL 11, 2025
Three Delta Air Lines flights experienced cabin pressurization issues between April 6 and April 10, 2025, prompting emergency procedures and flight diversions. The most recent occurred on April 10, when Flight DL17 from London Heathrow Airport to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport made an emergency landing in Dublin Airport , Ireland. All aircraft landed safely, with no injuries reported, according to Delta.
Vintage Aviation News
APRIL 15, 2025
After a series of successful engine runs in recent weeks, the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) A-26B Invader Night Mission (s/n 41-39427/N240P) took to the skies yesterday for the first time since 2021. This flight marks a significant milestone following years of dedicated restoration work by the volunteers of the CAF A-26 Invader Squadron , which was established in February 2009 with the mission to return the aircraft to flying condition.
Aerotime
APRIL 24, 2025
Generally speaking, any commercial flight these days that exceeds ten hours (or so) is considered long, or at least certainly long-haul. Some of the longest airline flights operating today exceed even that length, with some lasting anything up to 17 or 18 hours flying time. Yet, as long as these flights may be, they are not even in contention for the accolade of the worlds longest-ever commercial passenger air service in terms of duration.
Cranky Flier
APRIL 22, 2025
It had been nearly a decade since I last flew Frontier, so I was excited to see that the airline had a perfectly-timed flight from SFO to Orange County that would let me get on the airline again on my return from United’s event. (It’s been a couple weeks, so you may have forgotten about the outbound part of the trip already.) Even better, the fare was a cheap $59.98 — for some reason the Basic fare was the same as the Economy fare with a carry-on and seat assignment — so
Flying Magazine
APRIL 30, 2025
Would you pay $23 for self-serve fuel and a portable toilet? Thats a question for pilots who intend to fly into Californias Humboldt County need to ask themselves because the county has contracted with Vector Airport Systems PlanePass to manage the landing and transient parking tracking and billing program at the four county-run airports. As of March 1, transient pilots received a bill for landing at California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport (KACV), Murray Field (KEKA), Rohnerville Airpor
One Mile at a Time
APRIL 29, 2025
It sure has been quite the 24 hours when it comes to JetBlue and its potential partnerships. Weve known that JetBlue has been looking for a domestic airline partner , and yesterday, and it seemed like either American or United would be the best fit. Yesterday, American revealed it was no longer in discussions with JetBlue about a possible partnership, leading many of us to believe that a United partnership (or something) was incoming.
Simple Flying
APRIL 28, 2025
Etihad Airways has revealed a range of exciting details regarding how it plans to configure its incoming Airbus A321LR twinjets. While some passengers have expressed concerns that such narrowbodies will not be able to replicate the luxury of twin-aisle aircraft, particularly when it comes to premium cabins, the UAE flag carrier has looked to allay these fears with lie-flat luxury in business and first class.
AV Web
APRIL 30, 2025
The Safford City Council unanimously voted to eliminate landing fees for aircraft under 4,000 pounds at Safford Regional Airport in Graham County, Arizona. The decision came during a meeting on April 28, 2025, as part of a broader effort to make the airport more accessible and welcoming to the general aviation community. City council members also voted to retract landing fees for touch-and-go operations involving aircraft over 4,000 pounds, effective immediately.
Aerotime
APRIL 30, 2025
Hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) because of telecommunications and equipment issues at an air traffic control center in Philadelphia. The flight delays began on April 28, 2025, and continued into the evening. The airport confirmed that it was experiencing “ residual delays ” on April 29, 2025, and advised passengers to check with their airlines for flight updates.
Cranky Flier
APRIL 24, 2025
You know that I love watching the drama between United and American in Chicago, but get ready for a new favorite battle: San Diego. Both Alaska and Southwest appear ready to fight as the new terminal prepares to open. Alaska fired its most recent shot by adding three new routes and increasing frequencies on others. San Diego is a good market. And, importantly, it’s a constrained one.
Vintage Aviation News
APRIL 10, 2025
Tim Savage, warbird collector and longtime publisher of Warbird Digest , has added another rare aircraft to the impressive lineup at Vintage Flying Machines : AD-5W Skyraider BuNo.135178 (N62466). This Korean War-era aircraft now joins a prestigious collection that includes the iconic Douglas DC-3 Western Airlines , the combat-veteran C-47 The Wabbit Express , and the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk Skeeter.
One Mile at a Time
APRIL 27, 2025
On January 29, 2025, we saw the tragic collision of an American Eagle CRJ-700 and Black Hawk helicopter near Washington National Airport (DCA), claiming 67 lives. This was the first fatal commercial aircraft crash in the United States since 2009, so suffice it to say that this made a lot of people uneasy. In the few months since the accident, weve gotten more and more details about what happened.
Simple Flying
APRIL 18, 2025
Airbus and Boeing remain the world's two primary passenger jet airplane makers. The last decade has seen Canada's Bombardier exit the commercial passenger jet maker and China's COMAC enter it. Meanwhile, Brazil's Embraer continues to be the world's third commercial airplane maker. A decade ago, in 2015, Boeing was doing well. However, since 2018, Boeing has not had a "normal" year and Airbus has consistently outdelivered it every year since.
Flying Magazine
APRIL 29, 2025
A budget reconciliation proposal put forward by the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure would set aside $15 billion for the FAA to modernize air traffic control (ATC) systems. The money would help replace outdated ATC technology, update aspects of the system that need improvement, and facilitate the hiring of new controllers, the committee said in a statement on Tuesday.
Aerotime
APRIL 25, 2025
Korean Air, the national airline of South Korea, has reintroduced its Boeing 747-8i fleet onto the carriers nonstop route from Seoul to Atlanta in the US, making it the longest route flown by a passenger-configured Boeing 747 by distance. The reintroduction of the type onto this particular route for the summer of 2025 sees the airline steal the crown for this accolade from German carrier Lufthansa, which was the holder until April 25, 2025, when the Seoul-based carrier brought its jumbos back to
Cranky Flier
APRIL 28, 2025
I continue to be confused by Southwest Airlines. This is a company that had a credible start to a plan to modernize the business, then was forced to sell its soul to make more money more quickly, and now… I am at a loss. The airline is preparing for its first modified airplane with extra legroom seating options, but it can’t seem to get its story straight.
AV Web
APRIL 4, 2025
The FAA has ordered a $127.50 software upgrade for 157 Boeing 787s in the U.S. fleet to fix a potentially problematic glitch with their radios. Apparently, the radios will randomly toggle between active and standby frequencies without pilot input. “The uncommanded frequency changes could result in missed communications between the flight crew and Air Traffic Control,” the agency said in an AD issued more than a month ago.
One Mile at a Time
APRIL 20, 2025
For a long time, weve heard about United Airlines potentially introducing new Polaris business class seats on some upcoming aircraft deliveries. Were starting to get a sense of what that will look, with United planning on configuring some 787s in an ultra-premium layout, with an all-new passenger experience. United plans 787-9s with 64 Polaris business class seats United already has a massive fleet of 75+ Boeing 787s, and the airline has an additional 140+ of these aircraft on order, which will
Simple Flying
APRIL 21, 2025
In March 2021, American Airlines launched a direct flight between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and London Heathrow (LHR). For an airline primarily focused on hubs like Dallas-Fort Worth and Miami, this move raised eyebrows. What prompted American to operate this transatlantic route from Seattle, a city not traditionally central to its operations?
Vintage Aviation News
APRIL 4, 2025
PRESS RELEASE The Lockheed Constellation C-121A, widely regarded as one of the most elegant and visually striking airliners ever built, is set to return to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in 2025. This historic aircraft will be on display for the duration of the 72nd annual Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) fly-in convention, taking place from July 21-27 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
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