By Garth Calitz Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Magaliesburg foothills, between Olifantsnek Pass and Buffelspoort Dam, Airspan Airfield once again came alive for the Sun ’n Fun 2025 Fly-In. With its 900-meter tar runway, friendly atmosphere, excellent facilities and scenic surroundings, Airspan provided the perfect venue for a weekend celebrating the spirit of aviation. Many of the attendees were planning on making a weekend of it, camping under their wing, but

By Garth Calitz When an aircraft manufacturer reaches a three-digit delivery milestone, it signifies the maturation of a product, production system, and owner community. For Epic Aircraft, delivering its 100th certified aircraft marks its evolution from a boutique builder to a sustained producer of high-performance turboprops. On September 19, 2025, Epic announced this milestone at its 11th Annual Odyssey Fly-In in Bend, Oregon, revealing that the 100th aircraft, an E1000 AX

By Garth Calitz In just ten months, Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, has reimagined the iconic UH-60L Black Hawk into a fully autonomous aircraft system: the S-70UAS U-Hawk. This next-generation unmanned helicopter marks a significant leap forward in vertical lift autonomy, offering 25% more cargo space and a design tailored for flexibility, endurance, and affordability. Unveiled at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) exposition, the U-Hawk demonstrates how a

Exercise Volfa 2025, held from September 22 to October 10, 2025, stands as the French Air and Space Force's premier annual high-intensity combat training event. Hosted in southwestern France, this exercise brought together over 1,000 personnel and approximately 50 aircraft from four NATO nations, including France, Italy, Greece, and the United Kingdom. The primary objective was to enhance interoperability among allied forces and prepare them for operations in contested airspa

By Garth Calitz In a landmark move symbolising deepening defence ties between the United States and Qatar, the two nations have agreed to establish a Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF) facility at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. The announcement, made on October 10, 2025, by US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth and Qatari Defence Minister Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, marks the first time that Qatar will operate a dedicated military facility on US soil. The new faci

In a groundbreaking step for both healthcare and aviation, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has unveiled plans to establish the United Arab Emirates’ first hospital-based vertiport, in collaboration with Archer Aviation. The initiative marks a bold leap into the era of advanced air mobility (AAM), promising faster, quieter, and more sustainable transport options for patients, visitors, and time-critical medical logistics. The planned vertiport will provide direct eVTOL (electric ve

By Garth Calitz In a continued vote of confidence for Boeing’s rotorcraft modernisation efforts, the US Air Force has awarded the aerospace manufacturer a $173 million contract for the production of eight additional MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters, including comprehensive training and sustainment support services. The latest order reinforces the Air Force’s commitment to replacing its venerable UH-1N “Huey” fleet, which for decades has safeguarded America’s nuclear missile fiel

The sixth edition of the Leonardo Drone Contest, held on 1–2 October 2025 as part of Italian Tech Week, saw Tor Vergata University emerge as the overall winner. The team was awarded on stage for their outstanding performance, with Politecnico di Milano securing second place and the University of Naples Federico II finishing third. This year, over 50 university students from seven Italian institutions competed in the event, which has become a cornerstone of Open Innovation in

By Garth Calitz If you've been following South African general aviation, even just casually, the last few months might have felt like...

By Rob Russell The Edgley EA-7 Optica was a British light aircraft designed for low-speed observation work, and intended as a low-cost...

In Peru today, Beechcraft aircraft are playing a crucial role in saving lives, particularly in remote and underserved regions where...

The Kingdom of Sweden has procured four C-390 Millennium multi-mission aircraft from Embraer. The contract also includes seven additional...

Gulfstream Aerospace has unveiled the Gulfstream G300, a next-generation super-midsize business jet designed to succeed the G280. This...

Since early 2025, an H145 helicopter has been engaged in offshore missions in the Ivory Coast with International Aircraft Services (IAS)....

Less than a year after demonstrating the flight efficiency and reliability of its groundbreaking rotor-blown wing VTOL (Vertical Take-Off...

Bombardier announced that its Global 7500 business jet, renowned for its industry-defining capabilities, has achieved a new performance...

By Garth Calitz Arriving at Heidelberg on Saturday, the final Speed Rally of the 2025 season looked rather doubtful due to the nasty...

The Aero Club d’Italia hosted the 24th FAI World Rally Flying Championships in the town of Ferrara, 20nm northeast of Bologna. This was...

By Ian Beaton This was to be the first truly long cross-country in our fantastic machine. Theo and I spent a long time building our RV-10...

Textron Aviation recently welcomed over 100 members of the International Birddog Association (IBDA) at its East Campus to celebrate the...

Have you ever contemplated how pilots are trained to handle a wide range of scenarios, from navigating challenging weather conditions...

Daher Aircraft has announced the establishment of a permanent presence in Brazil to support the increasing demand for its TBM and Kodiak...

The aviation history community is mourning the passing of George Hardy, a World War II veteran, who died this week at the age of 100....

Embraer, a global leader in the aerospace industry, and Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), a prominent entity in aerospace and national...