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uAvionix and Jeppesen ForeFlight announced SkyPlay on Tuesday, a connected avionics platform that will place ForeFlight mapping, routing and flight-planning functions on panel-mounted displays. The companies plan to introduce the system publicly next week at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. The first product, SkyPlay Mini, uses a high-resolution display sized for a standard 3-inch instrument opening.

Civil Air Patrol Cadet Capt. Sebastian Vargas became the 200th CAP student pilot supported by the Ray Foundation to earn a private pilot certificate. Vargas completed his FAA check ride June 24 through McCreery Aviation at McAllen Miller International Airport in Texas, according to a recent CAP release. Vargas belongs to the Texas Wing’s Wild Horse Desert Composite Squadron in Edinburg. His training was funded through a James C. Ray Flight Training Scholarship under CAP’s Cadet Wings program.

CACI International said Monday it has received a Pentagon contract to deploy its SkyValor counter-drone system along the U.S. southern border. The company said the award will move the system into full-rate production, though it did not disclose the contract’s value, the number of systems ordered or a deployment schedule. SkyValor is a transportable counter-unmanned aircraft system designed to detect, track and stop drones.

German investigators found that the nose landing gear downlock pin was not installed before a Lufthansa Boeing 787-9 retracted unexpectedly at Frankfurt Airport on June 4. The German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation said 23 people were injured, including two seriously, and the aircraft was substantially damaged. The Lufthansa 787 had arrived from Austin, Texas, and was being prepared for a flight to Los Angeles.

Embraer announced the Phenom 300EV on Tuesday as the latest version of its single-pilot light business jet. The manufacturer said the “EV” designation stands for “Evolution.” Initial deliveries are expected in 2028. The Phenom 300EV will include Garmin Emergency Autoland, which can activate automatically or manually following pilot incapacitation and complete an automated landing. Embraer said the Phenom 300EV will be the largest business jet equipped with the system.

Jeppesen ForeFlight announced today that it will add artificial intelligence-generated summaries of NOTAMs to its mobile and web flight-planning platforms following EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. The ClearNOTAMs feature will display a shorter, plain-language explanation as the primary text for each notice. Pilots can toggle the feature on or off, and are able to expand each summary in order to view the original NOTAM alongside the translation.

The North Central Texas Council of Governments has opened a $1 million funding program for electric-aircraft charging equipment at public-use airports in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. Applications are due Aug. 7 at 5 p.m. CDT. The money was initially approved in September 2024 for a potential advanced-air-mobility demonstration connected to the 2026 World Cup. That plan did not proceed as originally envisioned.

X/Twitter This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. AirVenture is just a week away. What's your plan this year? Going, with a plan for must-see aircraft, forums and events. Going, but with no particular plan; I’ll see what catches my eye. Following the news and coverage from home. Sitting this one out. Δ

Both engines of a NetJets Citation Latitude flamed out during final approach to Laredo International Airport before the airplane landed on a highway June 16, according to the NTSB’s preliminary report. One passenger was killed, a pilot was seriously injured and five people, including a motorist in another vehicle, received minor injuries. The flight’s crew noticed a low-frequency vibration and humming noise early in the flight from Los Cabos, Mexico, to Austin, Texas.

The Oregon Department of Aviation released a training and testing template July 10 for public agencies that operate drones. This new template provides additional model standards that public agencies may adopt and customize for pilot qualifications, recurrent training and public-safety missions. The FAA requires Part 107 certificate holders to complete online recurrent training every 24 calendar months, in an effort to maintain aeronautical knowledge recency.