Mike Lippert Took Controls Of The X-59 For The First Time

NASA test pilot Mike Lippert put months of simulator training and ground preparation into practice, before completing his first flight in the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft. Lippert took off Oct. 21 from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, and landed one hour later. During the flight, he reached a maximum speed of Mach 1.4 and an altitude of 55,000 feet. Although the X-59 has flown numerous times, the flight marked Lippert’s first opportunity to fly an X-plane during his more than 21 years of flying high-performance aircraft, including 11 years as a test pilot.

Charged With First-Degree Grand Theft And Bond Revoked

Thomas Justin Smith has been arrested a second time by the Highlands County Florida Sheriff’s office on multiple felony charges, including first-degree grand theft over $100,000. He was also charged during his second arrest with first-degree organized scheme to defraud, meaning there was systematic on-going conduct related to misrepresentations. Smith, a 32-year-old aviation mechanic and business owner, was arrested for the first time this summer in Highlands County, Florida, in connection with grand theft and scheme-to-defraud charges involving an Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) chapter. Because of his second arrest and the compounding nature of these new aircraft-related fraud counts on top of his pending July 2026 non-profit embezzlement case, the court officially revoked his prior bail and he is being held in custody in the Highlands County Jail.

Project To Enhance Safety In Advanced Air Mobility Aircraft

A NASA project designed to enhance safety in advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft, such as air taxis and medical emergency drones, developed new layers of collaboration among NASA officials, project leaders, researchers and students from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and other partnering institutions at a recent meeting marking the project’s first year.

Graduation Ceremony Was At The Home Of English Rugby

Skyborne Training Academy has celebrated 186 graduates at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, a London suburb, in its biggest graduation ceremony to date. Those walking the stage have successfully completed UKCAA Integrated ATPL programs across Skyborne’s bases in Vero Beach, Florida, U.S., as well as in Gloucestershire Airport and Bournemouth Airport in the UK. Carla Booth, Group Commercial Director, Skyborne, said: “We continue to be impressed by the knowledge, skills and attitude shown by our graduates. On behalf of everyone who has supported our trainees throughout their journey – from engineers and flight instructors to support staff – we congratulate our newly qualified pilots and look forward to seeing them in the flight deck equipped to lead with confidence and professionalism.”

Manufacturing Plant For The EL9 Ultra Short 9-Passenger Aircraft

Government officials and business leaders gathered Wednesday afternoon to celebrate Electra’s first EL9 Ultra Short Aircraft production facility being placed in Springfield, Ohio. The aircraft is a 9-passenger aircraft that can take off and land in as little as 150 feet, meeting a demand for “direct aviation” allowing accessible point-to-point air mobility. “To make a plane that will land on 150 feet is revolutionary, and there's obviously some great poetic justice here that this is coming from the place in the area where the Wright brothers really learned to fly," said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. Electra selected Springfield out of more than 140 different locations, allowing Ohio to continue to be a national hub for advanced air mobility.

Purchase Order For Additional Bell 407GXi

HALO-Flight based in Corpus Christi, Texas has placed an order for the purchase of its seventh IFR-equipped Bell aircraft to perform critical missions every day. Textron Bell announced the order at the annual Air Medical Transport Conference (AMTC) 2026. “HALO-Flight’s work across South Texas calls for reliable, high-performing aircraft,” said Lane Evans, managing director, North America, Bell. “We are proud to support their mission with our aircraft built around reliability, safety and performance. The Bell 407GXi provides the power and safety that air medical crews count on every day.” HALO-Flight is a nonprofit air medical provider dedicated to providing life-saving air medical transport to the communities of South Texas, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. Serving 23 counties across approximately 24,000 square miles, HALO-Flight operates around the clock, responding to emergency scenes and interfacility transports to bring critical care to patients when

Colorado National Guard Blackhawk Hoist Rescues People, Pets Trapped Inside RV

Two people, three dogs, and two cats were saved from the trapped RV after it flipped on its side in the flood waters, according to the Colorado National Guard helicopter crew.  The National Guard posted a video showing an RV flipped on its side, held in place only by brush and branches while floodwaters rush around it. A Colorado National Guardsman dropped down from the Blackhawk and hoisted those trapped inside the RV. The rescue mission happened around 2 pm Friday near the Rio Blanco River, about 10 miles southeast of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, according to Maj. Shane Tracey with the Colorado National Guard. Tracey, who was the command pilot for the helicopter, said the crew flew in to rescue the couple after they loaded up their RV while trying to evacuate their home from the floodwaters.

Three Basler BT-67 Turbine-Converted Aircraft For Global Airborne Geophysical Surveys Configured With Advanced Sensor Technology

Montana-based Bridger Aerospace has announced a new agreement with Metatek Group to support airborne geophysical surveys around the world. The company estimates the first aircraft could generate approximately $58 million in revenue over 10 years, assuming the contract is extended beyond its initial five-year term. The partnership expands Bridger Aerospace's operations beyond aerial firefighting into international survey services. Under the agreement, Bridger will modify, operate, and maintain a fleet of three Basler BT-67 turbine-converted aircraft, each configured to Metatek's specifications to support onboard sensor and mission equipment.

Class A Defined By $2.5 Million In Damage And/Or Aircraft To Be Destroyed

The Navy saw the most Class A aviation and afloat mishaps in at least in a decade, according to Fiscal Year 2026 data recently released by the Navy Safety Command. The Navy had 16 aviation Class A mishaps, which include manned and unmanned flights, as well as ground aviation, between Oct. 1, 2025 and Sept. 30, 2026. A Class A mishap is defined by the Naval Safety Command as one that causes at least $2.5 million in damage and/or aircraft to be destroyed. A permanent disability or fatality would also put a mishap in the Class A category. Sixteen aviation mishaps are the most the Navy has had since Fiscal Year 2014, when the Navy had 17.

Third-Quarter Adjusted Earnings Declined 9% From A Year Earlier While Revenue Slipped 2%

Airbus logged lower earnings in the third quarter as it works to significantly boost plane deliveries to customers in the last few months of the year. The European plane maker said adjusted earnings before interest and taxes–its most closely watched measure of profitability–declined 9% from a year earlier to 1.77 billion euros, equivalent to $1.97 billion. Statutory net profit increased 20% to 1.34 billion euros. Meanwhile, revenue slipped 2% to 17.47 billion euros. Analysts had forecast adjusted EBIT of 1.78 billion euros, a net profit of 1.30 billion euros and revenue of 17.91 billion euros, according to market consensus provided by the company based on estimates from 22 analysts.