By Garth Calitz As the year draws to a close and hangars grow a little quieter, the festive season offers us a welcome moment to pause and reflect on another remarkable yet difficult year in aviation. It has been a year shaped by innovation, adversity, resilience and the enduring passion that unites pilots, engineers, air traffic controllers, manufacturers, operators, regulators, and aviation enthusiasts across the globe. Despite ongoing challenges and rapid change, the aviat

By Rob Russell The DC 4 gets another panel beating and a new shape!!! Douglas Aircraft developed the C-124 from 1947 to 1949, from a prototype they created from a World War II-designed Douglas C-74 Globemaster and based on lessons learned during the Berlin Airlift. The aircraft was powered by four large Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major piston engines producing 3,800 hp (2,800 kW) each. The C-124 had its origins in the C-74. The Douglas C-74 Globemaster was a United States he

By Garth Calitz Ethiopia's geological "sleeping giant" has stirred, and its initial stirrings have thrown the global aviation industry into chaos. On Sunday, 23 November 2025, the Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia’s Afar region erupted for the first time in over 12,000 years. While the eruption has had a significant local impact on livestock and nomadic communities, the atmospheric effects have led to a logistical crisis extending from the Horn of Africa to the Indian subcontin

Robinson Helicopter Company (RHC) is making a strong case for its R66 turbine helicopter as the future of military initial rotary-wing training. The Torrance, California-based manufacturer recently announced that a combined fleet of just six R66 aircraft has surpassed 2,300 total flight hours in less than 7 months of operation. This substantial accumulation of flight time is currently being logged across a spectrum of U.S. military training efforts involving Army, Navy, Coast

In the high-stakes environment of naval aviation, where split-second decisions are the difference between mission success and catastrophe, the interface between pilot and machine is undergoing a radical transformation. On 12 December 2025, Collins Elbit Vision Systems (CEVS) announced a pivotal leap forward: the successful completion of the Critical Design Review (CDR) for the Zero-G Helmet Mounted Display System+ (HMDS+). This milestone represents a significant turning point

In a landmark decision underscoring Canada's commitment to strategic and sovereign aerospace capabilities, the Government of Canada has selected the made-in-Canada Bombardier Global 6500 aircraft to bolster the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) multi-mission air transport fleet. This significant procurement sees Bombardier providing six of its high-performance Global 6500 jets, a move that promises to enhance the RCAF's capacity for crucial worldwide utility and support missi

Boeing has reached a major milestone in the long-term modernisation of the U.S. Air Force’s iconic B-52 Stratofortress, delivering the first aircraft fitted with a new-generation radar system for dedicated flight testing. The delivery marks a critical step in ensuring that the legendary bomber remains operationally relevant and technologically dominant well into the 2050s and beyond. The aircraft, configured for the Radar Modernisation Program (RMP) flight-test phase, has bee

Gulfstream Aerospace has commenced the flight test program for its latest aircraft, the Gulfstream G300, after a successful first flight on 5 December 2025. This important achievement highlights the advanced development stage of the super-midsize jet, which was introduced slightly more than two months earlier on 30 September. Set to transform its category, the G300 is a significant enhancement to Gulfstream’s next-generation lineup. The inaugural flight of the first G300 test

By Garth Calitz Few modern aviation stories are as captivating or as uniquely South African as the tale of Sling Aircraft. Over the last two decades, this Johannesburg-based manufacturer has evolved from a modest startup into a highly esteemed name in the international light aircraft industry. Their journey is marked by bold flights, continuous innovation and a steadfast conviction that high-performance aircraft can be affordable, accessible and elegantly designed. The journe

By Garth Calitz Not many helicopters have made as big a mark on modern aviation as the Bell 206 JetRanger. With its sleek look, dependable performance and amazing versatility, it's been setting the standard in the light-utility helicopter world for over sixty years. Whether it's helping out news crews, keeping an eye on cities, flying VIPs, training pilots or even serving on military front lines, the JetRanger has become one of the most recognisable and trusted aircraft aroun