First solo flights for student pilots are typically a nerve-wracking affair. For one ill-fated student, that first flight became the last earlier this week, as the small trainer they were flying in crashed after, according to reports, both wings came off in flight. The Piper PA-28-161 crashed in Madagascar. While details are sketchy, at least …

Leonardo Delivers AW169M In New Skid Undercarriage Configuration
Main image: the new AW169M of the Guardia di Finanza (Image credit: Oscar Bernardi). In the boxes, the AW169 for Austria Photo: Daniel Trippolt / Bundesheer); the GdF AW169M in flight (Leonardo) and a close up view (Oscar Bernardi) The Austrian military and the Italian Guardia di Finanza are the first operators of the newest …

Israel Requests F-15EX Sale And F-15I Upgrade
An artist rendering of how the F-15EX might look like once in service in the Israeli Air Force. (Photo: Boeing) The Israeli Ministry of Defense reportedly sent a Letter of Request to the US government to acquire 25 Eagle II aircraft. After years of delays, it appears that Israel might finally get the newest F-15 …

That Close Call at JFK? It’s Worse Than We Knew.
The near-miss on the runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City last week got a lot of attention, and for good reason. The near-collision happened when an American Airlines 777 preparing to depart for London taxied onto an active runway as a Delta Airlines 737 bound for the Dominican Republic was …

HH-60W Performs First Combat CASEVAC During Maiden Deployment To Africa
File photo of a U.S. Pararescueman preparing to move a simulated casualty to a HH-60W combat rescue helicopter during a casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) exercise while his teammates secure the perimeter at an undisclosed Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa area of responsibility, Dec 8, 2022. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jayson Burns) The …

Here’s Our First Look At A British Supplied Sea King Helicopter In Ukrainian Service
Former British military Sea King in Ukrainian service (Frames from Oleksiy Reznikov’s video) First British Sea King helicopter has been delivered and received Ukrainian markings. The Ukrainian Navy has received the first WS-61 Sea King helicopter supplied by the UK. The video, providing a first look at the former Royal Navy helicopter sporting Ukrainian markings …

Up Close And Personal With The One And Only Kawasaki EC-1 Electronic Warfare Aircraft
The only Kawasaki EC-1 at Iruma AB, Japan. (Image credit: Misael Ocasio Hernandez) Japan Air Self-Defense Force EC-1 Electronic Warfare operations at Iruma Air Base. The Kawasaki C-1 is a twin-engine military transport aircraft developed and manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF). Developed beginning in 1966 with production started …

U.S. Air Force And Navy Aggressors Receive Upgraded F-16Cs From Air National Guard
A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon from Dannelly Field, Air National Guard Base, taxis into a hangar at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, Jan. 12, 2023. The replacement F-16 aircraft offers enhanced capabilities to replicate more advanced threats and provide more realistic training to pilots. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Ricardo …

Understanding the Near-Collision at JFK
There was a near-miss on the runway at JFK International Airport in New York City last Friday when an American Airlines 777 preparing to depart for London taxied onto an active runway—“active” meaning that takeoffs and/or landings were taking place on it—as a Delta Airlines 737 bound for the Dominican Republic was already on its …

Aviation to EPA: Slow Your Roll
The sides are aligning in what’s shaping up to be a new aviation cold war between owners and operators of aircraft that use 100 low lead (100LL) aviation gasoline and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which late last year issued what it calls an “endangerment finding” on the only leaded gas in the industrialized West. …