Sat, Sep 19, 2026
Bryan Bedford Told Congress That He Needs $16 Billion, More Than The $12.5 Billion Approved
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told Congress on Tuesday that phase one of the air traffic control modernization plan will cost $16 billion, almost $4 billion more than Congress has approved. On top of that he said phase two will require another $10 billion. “It’s costing $16 billion to do phase one,” Bedford said at a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee hearing. He said the FAA is funding the gap out of its facilities and equipment budget. He added the FAA wants at least another $10 billion for phase two of the project and Bedford urged lawmakers to approve it.
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Sat, Sep 19, 2026
AURA AERO Revives A Hybrid Electric Testbed To Advance Its 19 Seat ERA Aircraft
A proven aircraft is back in the air with a new name and a new job. X-VOLT has returned to flight testing at Rochefort Airport, bringing years of hybrid electric experience into AURA AERO’s next stage of development. Its next flights could help shape the propulsion system of the company’s 19 seat regional aircraft.
Sat, Sep 19, 2026
Texas Air National Guard F-16 Participating In Training Exercises
An F-16 fighter jet from Texas went down in rural Michigan during a routine training exercise on Thursday, and the pilot ejected safely, a military spokesman said. Sgt. Derek Gutierrez, a public affairs specialist with the 149th Fighter Wing, said the pilot was receiving medical treatment at a local hospital. Gutierrez declined to release details about the pilot’s identity or any injuries, citing military policy. A spokesperson with the Michigan Department of Military and Veteran Affairs told News 8 that the F-16 is a part of the 149th Fighter Wing from Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas. A recent social media post from the 149th Fighter Wing says student and instructor pilots were heading from Texas to Michigan to take part in Operation Northern Cactus out of the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center.
Sat, Sep 19, 2026
Orbital Flight Plans To Deploy Starlink V3 Satellites
SpaceX has pushed the next launch of its Starship rocket back to September 28. The company had originally targeted Sept. 22 for the first orbital flight of Starship, the fully reusable rocket that the company is developing to help humanity settle the moon, Mars and more. It gave no explanation for the delay. Liftoff, from SpaceX’s Starbase site in South Texas, will occur during a 75-minute window that opens at 8:15 a.m. EDT. The upcoming flight will be the 14th overall for Starship, which debuted in April 2023 and has flown twice so far in 2026. But the 408-foot-tall (124-meter-tall) vehicle’s first 13 jaunts were all suborbital, so Flight 14 will be a landmark.
Sat, Sep 19, 2026
Dan Hubbard Takes The Helm During Ed Bolen’s Leave As Heidi Williams Assumes A Bigger Operations Role
A major leadership change is unfolding at the National Business Aviation Association just weeks before its biggest annual gathering. Dan Hubbard is stepping into the association’s day to day leadership role while President and CEO Ed Bolen takes a leave of absence for cancer treatment. At the same time, Heidi Williams is moving into a newly elevated operations position that places her closer to NBAA’s work with regulators and the wider aviation industry.
Sat, Sep 19, 2026
China Is Targeting 2030 For Manned Lunar Mission
NASA is pushing hard to get astronauts back to the moon by 2028—and the urgency is driven in no small part by the national security implications of doing so before China does, Administrator Jared Isaacman said. Speaking at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber conference, Isaacman said collaboration between his civilian agency and the Pentagon, which are distinct from each other, is important and radically different from the People’s Republic of China’s lunar ambitions, which does not clearly distinguish between military and civilian operations. “Success in this endeavor will be measured in months, not years,” Isaacman said. “Our allies and adversaries are watching. So is every nation deciding whose technology to buy, whose standards to adopt, whose security relationships to deepen, and whose vision of the future to follow.”
Sat, Sep 19, 2026
David Rush Sets A Guinness Record By Folding And Flying More Than Six Aircraft Every Minute
David Rush has turned a sheet of paper into the centerpiece of another record-breaking aviation feat. The serial record holder produced 415 qualifying paper airplanes during a single 60 minute attempt. Every aircraft had to satisfy strict folding and flight requirements before it could count.
Sat, Sep 19, 2026
Also: 3rd GA Flt School Arrest, Greek Astronaut, King Air Bulletin, Middle Georgia State University
Two Oakland, California police officers have been indicted on charges of conspiring with a then-FAA safety inspector to obtain pilot certifications they didn’t earn, allegedly circumventing required test flights and leaving a paper trail of falsified documents. The officers, Brandon Mart and David Mac, and their co-defendant, William Miller, pleaded not guilty at a Thursday court appearance where the seven-count indictment was unsealed. The charges include conspiracy, defrauding the FAA, and falsifying records to obstruct the investigation. The USAF fighter fleet is nearly 50 aircraft short of the number required by Congress, according to a recent Congressional Research Service report. The fighter fleet inventory currently falls short of the statutory requirement of 1,145 fighters, with 1,098 aircraft currently in the fleet. The service also op
Sat, Sep 19, 2026
Federal Case Alleges Required Helicopter Check Rides Were Falsified, Putting The Pilot Certification Process Under Scrutiny
Two Oakland police helicopter pilots are facing federal charges over an alleged scheme involving falsified FAA check rides. Prosecutors say an FAA inspector helped create records for flight tests that allegedly never happened. The case puts renewed focus on why legitimate pilot certification depends on more than paperwork.
Sat, Sep 19, 2026
Also: Special Ops Chinooks, GPS-Free Navigation, Cleveland Air Show Fans, Airbus Deliveries
Japan is tightening measures against private jet pilots who fail to follow instructions from air traffic control (ATC), with three strikes resulting in a ban from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. The move comes as the government tries to attract business jets and other private jets to airports nationwide. But as the number of private jet flights increase, so too have pilots who fail to comply with traffic controls, which could lead to accidents. Last year, there were five instances of foreign-owned private jets not following instructions from ATC. Reports of two unauthorized drones interfering with aerial firefighting last week caused Arkansas firefighters to stop fighting wildfires from the air, delaying response to wildfires and increasing risk for ground crews. The suspension of aerial support means fire suppression may take longer. Ground crews must now rel