Flying Magazine

The Pentagon appears to have intervened to lift the suspensions of eight South Carolina Army National Guard pilots, who were recorded flying AH-64 Apache helicopters low over a crowded beach on the Fourth of July. The pilots were suspended immediately after landing, a source close to one of the airmen told WPDE-TV in Florence, South Carolina. CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT Sign up to keep reading Create a free account to continue. Already a member? Sign in below.

The FAA has approved a set of airworthiness and environmental regulations that will apply to the Electra EL9 Ultra Short, marking a significant step toward the introduction of hybrid-electric aircraft. Electra this week said the agency closed the G-1 issue paper for the EL9, which is intended for operations out of soccer field-sized spaces requiring only 150 feet for takeoff and landing. The approved G-1 establishes a formal certification basis for the aircraft under Part 23 regulations.

The FAA and U.S. Transportation Department’s (DOT) highly anticipated trials of precertified electric air taxis, autonomous cargo drones, and other novel aviation technologies—expected to span at least three years and 26 states—are officially underway.

A passenger aboard a Ryanair 737 was nearly ejected from the aircraft when the cabin window failed mid-flight. Multiple sources stated the window may have been struck by a piece of the aircraft’s engine, which caused the structure to fail, but the airline has not verified this. The aircraft, operated by Malta Air for Ryanair, took off from the Greek city of Thessaloniki just before 6 a.m. local time on Friday. The flight was heading to Memmingen, Germany.

Boeing Plaza, the large aircraft ramp of the EAA AirVenture showgrounds, becomes the center of the aviation universe in less than two weeks when Oshkosh 2026 gets underway. The fly-in convention runs from July 20-26, and the aircraft on display on the central grounds will likely change day by day.

Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily. Today’s Top Pick is a 1976 Piper PA-32R-300 Lance. Aircraft manufacturers are known for developing existing models into new ones. Often this method makes more economic sense than embarking on a clean- sheet project.

When my wife agreed to an extensive avionics upgrade to our Piper Arrow, I was pleased that she immediately understood the safety value of the endeavor despite the eye-watering cost. Based on our experience of a vacuum pump failure, an intermittent dual comm failure, and the fact that the entire system was aging, it was time for a change. Avionics shops don’t just install a standard instrument panel template for a 54-year-old airplane.

There is a youth movement taking place in the world of private aviation as young technology sector workers benefit from an explosion of growth. In June, SpaceX raised a record $85.7 billion in its initial public offering (IPO), and the company’s valuation now hovers around $2 trillion. The New York Times estimated that around 4,000 SpaceX employees could become millionaires once they sell their stock. CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT Sign up to keep reading Create a free account to continue. Already a member?

Mary Wallace “Wally” Funk, the youngest member of the first “Women in Space Program,” later known as the Mercury 13, died at her home in Grapevine, Texas, on Wednesday night. She was 87. In 1961 Funk at 22 volunteered for the Women in Space program, which was created to train women as astronauts. The program was privately created by physician William Lovelace II and funded by Jacqueline Cochran, who in 1943 created the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs).

The FAA rejected a request on behalf of NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman to fly his personal, Cold War-era F-5 Tiger II fighter jets over the National Mall in Washington, D.C., as part of celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary. The regulator cited safety concerns. But the space agency found a workaround to the FAA’s objections. CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT Sign up to keep reading Create a free account to continue. Already a member? Sign in below.