Pilot Institute

MARCH 29, 2025

Many aspiring pilots feel discouraged before they even start training, believing that their height disqualifies them from taking to the skies. This misconception can shatter dreams and rob the aviation world of potential top-notch pilots. Heres the truth. There is no specific height requirement or limit in the civil aviation industry. Military aviation does have height requirements, but they vary based on the aircraft and service.

Pilot

Aerotime

APRIL 3, 2025

The automatic pilot (autopilot) has to be one of aviations finest technological inventions. Yet, it is also one of the earliest, having been introduced (in its most rudimentary form) in 1912, just nine years after the Wright Brothers first took to the air in their powered Wright Flyer in 1903. Since those early days, the autopilot has developed enormously, both in terms of capabilities and functionality.

Weight-Shift-Control

One Mile at a Time

APRIL 1, 2025

Flights divert all the time, for a variety of reasons. However, this is definitely one of the more eye-catching diversions that weve seen in some time. American 787 flies from New York to Dallas in 12+ hours This incident happened yesterday (March 31, 2025), and involves American flight AA167, scheduled to fly from New York (JFK) to Tokyo (HND). The flight was operated by an eight-year-old Boeing 787-9 with the registration code N829AN.

Jet

AV Web

APRIL 3, 2025

On Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced new measures to support air traffic controllers at Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA). The agency said it would be increasing the Operational Supervisor staffing from six to eight, reviewing Certified Professional Controller staffing numbers, and reassessing DCAs arrival rates, which are disproportionately concentrated in the final 30 minutes of each hour.

Air Traffic Control

Plane and Pilot

APRIL 3, 2025

The national transportaTion Safety Board (NTSB) has recently released final reports on two very similar fatal accidents that happened only a week apart. Both involved single-engine piston aircraft landing at their home fields. The first was an Extra 300 at Galt Field Airport (10C) in Wonder Lake, Illinois, on November 25, 2022. The second was a Mooney M20 at Falmouth Airpark (5B6) in Massachusetts on December 2, 2022.

Runway

Aerotime

APRIL 4, 2025

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued new safety recommendations in response to fears that Boeing 757 emergency slides may not deploy. On April 3, 2025, the NTSB said that, during an ongoing investigation of an emergency landing involving FedEx flight 1376, a bannis latch was found that did not comply with safety regulations. A FedEx Boeing 757-236 received an engine indication and crew alerting system message on October 4, 2023, indicating a failure of the left hydraulic sy

Airplanes

One Mile at a Time

APRIL 3, 2025

For the final segment of our royal visit to Versailles , I flew United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 first class on the 2hr20min flight from Washington (IAD) to Miami (MIA). I booked this flight because it was the most convenient way to get home, but I was excited about this because it would be my first flight with Uniteds new interiors. United has been doing an impressive job upgrading its cabins on narrow body aircraft, and it was nice to finally experience that.

Narrow-Body Aircraft

Vintage Aviation News

APRIL 1, 2025

“Vintage Aviation News staff did not write this article; the content comes via our partners who wish to help support our website.” Though the Wright brothers’ maiden flight in 1903 marked a turning point in aeronautical engineering, the principles of aircraft design are still anchored in the past. Aspiring aeronautical engineers can learn a great deal regarding aerodynamics, materials, propulsion, and structural advances that have defined modern aviation by studying ancient air

Drag

Aerotime

MARCH 31, 2025

Virgin Atlantic has posted its 2024 financial results, which show an Earnings Before Interest and Tax profit (EBIT) of 230m (US$297 million), an almost five-fold increase over the 48 million (US$62.1 million) posted the preceding year. In terms of revenue, 2024 was a record year for the UK-based long-haul carrier. Virgin Atlantics revenues went up by 183m (US$236.7 million) to a total of 3.3bn (US$4.27 billion).

Cargo

One Mile at a Time

APRIL 3, 2025

In this, I want to cover how to pre-order meals in Delta Air Lines premium cabins, including in domestic first class and Delta One business class. While Delta allows you to select your meal in advance when traveling in a premium cabin, the process isnt quite as straightforward as with American, so Id like to take a look at how that works (based on a recent flight experience).

Airline

Simple Flying

APRIL 1, 2025

United Airlines has received the approval of the Federal Aviation Administration for its first Starlink-equipped aircraft type, paving the way for further installation on other aircraft. The airline plans to install this technology across its entire fleet of regional jets by the end of this year.

Airline

Ask the Pilot

APRIL 2, 2025

November 5, 2019 I’ve pretty much had it with the safety demo arms race: the noise, the gimmickry, the hoary attempts at humor. The competition has been tight in this mad contest, with various carriers attempting to out-cute one another, setting their briefings to music, using animation, adding celebrity cameos, and so on. Some months ago, Virgin America brought us this unforgettable, five-minute fever-dream.

Runway

Aerotime

APRIL 3, 2025

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced it is increasing support and oversight for the air traffic control team at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). In a statement released on April 2, 2025, the FAA said a Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team will be visiting DCA Airport in early April 2025 to provide confidential support for staff after stressful events.

Air Traffic Control

One Mile at a Time

APRIL 1, 2025

American AAdvantage has four published elite tiers (in addition to Concierge Key status , which is invitation-only). In separate posts, I wrote guides to Executive Platinum status , Platinum status , and Gold status. In this post, I want to take a look at the elite tier between those, which is Platinum Pro. Id argue that Platinum Pro is a sweet spot in the AAdvantage program, and that its the all-around most valuable mid-tier elite status at any of the big three US carriers.

Threshold

Universal Weather

APRIL 3, 2025

The UN Ocean Conference 2025 will take place in Nice, France, from June 9-13, drawing government delegations, industry leaders, and NGOs worldwide. Given the high-profile nature of this event, business aviation operators must prepare for significant logistical challenges, including slot limitations, restricted parking availability, and heightened security measures.

Clearance

Pilot Institute

APRIL 4, 2025

If you dream of becoming a pilot, you might be wondering if its a hard career to enter. You see those men and women in uniform and ask yourself, what will it take to get there? Just like the aircraft you will fly, youll go through highs and lows, and moments where youll have to correct your course. You might even have to crunch some numbers. But if you plan for the journey wisely and anticipate the obstacles ahead, your destination will be worth it.

Pilot

Aerotime

APRIL 3, 2025

Wizz Air announced on April 3, 2025, that it will be investing 14 billion over the next three years to enhance the customer experience it provides to its passengers. This plan, called Customer First Compass, aims to be comprehensive in its scope, covering four major customer touchpoints: product, price, service and communications. Although no specific figures have been provided by the carrier about the exact allocation of this investment among the airlines different areas, the official announcem

Approach

One Mile at a Time

APRIL 2, 2025

Air Frances impressive investment in its passenger experience is continuing, as the airline has today unveiled a refreshed lounge at its global hub. Air France Lounge Terminal 2E Hall K renovated, expanded On April 2, 2025, a new Air France Lounge has opened in Terminal 2E Hall K at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). I actually reviewed this exact lounge two years ago , and since then, it has undergone a renovation and expansion.

Runway

Simple Flying

MARCH 29, 2025

Airlines aiming for profitability on lower-demand long-haul routes are increasingly adopting the Airbus A321XLR and moving away from the aging Boeing 757. The 757 has historically performed exceptionally well in transatlantic and low-traffic routes, but the move is being driven by its high maintenance costs and increasingly uncompetitive fuel efficiency.

Jet

Plane and Pilot

APRIL 1, 2025

Clear prop! I pulled out the choke and turned the key. The Rotax engine jumped to life and smoothed out as I pushed the choke back in slowly. I set the speed at 1,400 rpm. I focused on temperatures and pressures for several minutes, waiting for the oil to warm. I went through another checklist: headset, radio, controls, fuel flow, and mag. Altimeter set.

Runway

Aerotime

MARCH 31, 2025

Germanys Lufthansa Group has declared that, from summer 2025, all ITA Airways flights at Frankfurt and Munich airports will be managed from Lufthansa terminals. On March 30, 2025, the German airline group announced that this change means ITA and other Lufthansa Group airlines will operate under one roof at all the Group’s hubs. The move follows a previous announcement in February 2025 , where the German airline outlined detailed plans for incorporating the newly acquired Italian carrier in

Airline

One Mile at a Time

APRIL 4, 2025

The United Kingdom has the worlds highest taxes for airline passengers, known as the Air Passenger Duty (APD). In this post, I want to look at how the APD works what is it, how much does it cost, when does it apply, and are there any tricks to minimizing it? The UK has made changes to the APD as of April 2025 , so Id like to go over what those changes mean for passengers.

Airline

Simple Flying

MARCH 30, 2025

United Airlines has formally started construction on a $315 million project to construct a cutting-edge maintenance facility at Orlando International Airport (MCO). Construction on the new facility, which the airline plans to operate in late 2027, started on March 27. This project is the largest private sector aviation investment in Orlando Airport's history and is regarded as a significant investment in Central Florida's aviation infrastructure.

Airline

AV Web

MARCH 30, 2025

Airbus says it is considering using an open rotor engine on its replacement for the A320. The company has been working with CFM to develop the engine, which has primary and secondary counterrotating turbine vanes on the outside of the engines rather than being encased in a nacelle. Exposing the turbines makes the bypass ratio a lot bigger and that improves efficiency.

Jet

Aerotime

APRIL 3, 2025

A fractured axle caused by overheating led an Aer Lingus flight to land in Belfast without one wheel, according to a report from the United Kingdoms Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB). On October 31, 2023, during its return flight from Edinburgh Airport (EDI), the aircraft, an ATR 72-212, executed an ILS approach and successfully landed on Runway 04 at Belfast City Airport (BHD).

Runway

One Mile at a Time

APRIL 4, 2025

Airline logistics are incredibly complex, and while the diversion as such was outside of Virgin Atlantics control, the handling of this leaves a lot to be desired (thanks to PYOK for flagging this). Virgin Atlantic medical diversion suffers hard landing This incident started on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, and involves Virgin Atlantic flight VS358, scheduled to operate the 4,487-mile service from London (LHR) to Mumbai (BOM).

Airline

World Airline News

APRIL 4, 2025

By the end of 2025, Air Canada’s ground operations atQubec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB) will fully electrify its main ground support equipment (GSE) Supports Air Canada’s midterm target of 30% greenhouse gas (GHG) net reductions from ground operations compared to a 2019 baseline by 2030 Air Canada’s Qubec City Ground Operations to be Airlines First Station with Fully Electric Main Ground Support Equipment on Vimeo Air Canada Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 C-FSDQ (msn 61209)

Approach

Jetwhine

APRIL 2, 2025

Flying an airplane smoothly demands dozens of subtle, often repetitive movements, like adjusting engine power each time the aircrafts pitch attitude changes. Any repetitive process is, of course, perfect for some form of automation. Leonard Greene understood that nearly 70 years ago when he created the first commercial autothrottle system. Greene founded the New York-based Safe Flight Instrument Company, also known for its angle-of-attack and stall warning systems.

Cockpit

Aerotime

APRIL 4, 2025

Few people in the airline industry can match the entrepreneurial record of Carlos Muoz. In just under a decade, Muoz launched two of Europes most successful airlines. After the sale of his first success, Vueling, to Iberia (now part of the International Airlines Group), he launched Volotea in 2012, an innovative low-cost carrier connecting Europes small and mid-sized cities.

Airline

One Mile at a Time

APRIL 3, 2025

Air France first class (marketed as La Premiere) is regarded as one of the worlds best first class products. Best of all, the airline is in the process of rolling this out a brand new first class suite , which takes the current experience to the next level. Air France has just scheduled its first flight with the new first class, so in this post I want to recap which routes feature La Premiere, and which routes have the new product.

Jet

Northstar VFR

MARCH 30, 2025

By Josh Page, CFI One of the things youll learn early on in your flight training journey are ground reference maneuvers. They might seem simple at first mention flying circles around a point on the ground or doing an S-turn across a road but these maneuvers require coordination, an understanding of the winds, and some serious precision! Before we get into the steps, lets talk about why these maneuvers matter.

Groundspeed

Aviation Bussiness News

APRIL 2, 2025

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released its February 2025 data on the global air cargo markets, noting a slight decline in demand overall, although some regions saw improving figures. The report highlighted the first decline in total demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTK), since mid-2023, with a decrease of 0.1% compared to February 2024 (+0.4% for international operations).

Cargo

Aerotime

APRIL 3, 2025

ITA Airways has received official approval to begin its integration into Star Alliance, following a decision by the Star Alliance Chief Executive Board (CEB), which brings together the CEOs of its 25 member airlines. ITA Airways started its integration with the Lufthansa Group back in February 2025 , revealing more detailed plans for incorporating the newly acquired Italian airline into its global operations.

Airline

One Mile at a Time

APRIL 2, 2025

For the transatlantic return segment of our royal visit to Versailles , I flew Austrians Boeing 787-9 business class on the nine hour flight from Vienna (VIE) to Washington (IAD). Ive long been a fan of Austrian, and its my favorite Lufthansa Group carrier in terms of business class soft product. Whats exciting is that the airline recently started taking delivery of 787s , representing a new era for the carrier.

Approach

AV Web

APRIL 4, 2025

The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) has confirmed the Air Legends Foundation of San Antonio, Texas will bring its Lockheed C-121A Constellation to AirVenture this year, reprising a 2023 visit. The 72nd running of the AirVenture event will take place at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconisin, July 21-27. The Connie, wearing military livery, will be on display at Boeing Plaza.

Tail

Aviation Bussiness News

APRIL 4, 2025

Austrian Airlines has completed the installation of AeroSHARK surface technology on four of its Boeing 777-200ER aircraft, making them the first in the world to feature this aerodynamic innovation on this aircraft type. Developed by Lufthansa Technik in collaboration with BASF, AeroSHARK is a biomimetic surface film that mimics the structure of sharkskin.

Drag

Aerotime

MARCH 31, 2025

PLAY Airlines, the Icelandic low-cost operator has announced that it has received the Air Operators Certificate (AOC) for its new Malta-based subsidiary company, to be known as PLAY Europe. The announcement of the awarding of an AOC by the Maltese Civil Aviation Directorate was made on March 28, 2025, as the carrier hosted a special event at the new subsidiarys headquarters in Malta.

Cabin Crew