July 9, 2025 - No. 28

In This Issue 

: Human Factors: Hidden wear and tear 

: FAA Expands Landing Gear Checks After Improper MRO Work

: American’s AstroJet Returns to the Skies

: Space Force Boosting an Ecosystem of GPS Alternatives in Low-Earth Orbit

: JetZero Faces $14M U.S. Air Force Funding Cut In Fiscal 2026 

: EASA and IATA Target 220% Spike in GPS Interference 

: Electric aircraft manufacturer accelerates U.S. factory opening 

: Covington Aircraft Engines to Conclude 53 Years of Radial Engine Service at End of 2025

: First A220 Stripped for Parts 

: US startup tests world’s most advanced rocket engine for military’s hypersonic drones 

: Boeing Calls For Next-Gen Engine Info For Future Single Aisle

: According to the FAA, I should be in a nursing home 


 


 


Human Factors: Hidden wear and tear
By William E. Dubois · June 18, 2025 

The aftermath of the accident.

The ink was barely dry on the bill of sale when the baby blue and white Champ fell from the sky, clipping a tree, then taking out a parked minivan on a quiet urban street.
The pilot and passenger walked away, but I can’t imagine a worse way to begin the journey of airplane ownership.

The Flight
The proud new owner took off from Waunakee Airport (6P3) on the west side of Madison, Wisconsin, a little after one in the afternoon, bound northeast for Brennand Airport (79C), north of Oshkosh, a flight of about 80 miles. But he didn’t get far.
On initial climb out, right over the departure end of the runway, the RPMs rolled back. Uh-oh.

He gently turns toward the lowest of the surrounding trees. He tries to identify the problem, but is unable.

He later wrote, “Identified place to land and went for it.” He hits a tree and a car “before crashing into minivan.”

The Pilot
The new owner was a 51-year-old male flying with BasicMed. He had a private ticket with a total of 328.6 hours, 68.1 of them in make and model — enough to really know the type — and he’d logged 27.8 hours in the previous month, so plenty enough to be on his game. He was properly tailwheel trained and endorsed.

The little Champ was equipped with three point harnesses, no doubt an add-on, but one that very likely saved the pilot and his passenger from more serious injury when they practically parked the airplane inside the minivan during the accident sequence.

The NTSB
The pilot, even after reflecting on the crash, had no idea what caused it.
In his report to the NTSB on Form 6120.1, Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report, he wrote, “the engine lost power and RPM and eventually quit, but I don’t know what caused it.”

A maintenance inspector from the FSDO, however, quickly found a smoking gun.
The engine fuel primer was unlocked and fully extended. And it was sufficiently worn-down that the inspector couldn’t get it to lock at all. He removed it and sent it to the NTSB’s Materials Laboratory for a more detailed look.

So now we need a quick primer on primers.
A primer is basically a manual piston-style pump installed in the fuel lines of carbureted-engine airplanes, which assists the pilot in starting the engine, especially for cold starts. Depending on the airplane’s design, it does this by delivering a volume of pre-vaporized fuel either into the induction system or into one or more of the cylinders.

To prime the engine for starting, the pilot rotates the primer handle to unlock it, pulls it back, which fills the primer tube with fuel, then smoothly pushes the plunger forward to deliver the cloud of fuel vapor. It works sort of like a syringe.

Most planes need two to three “shots” of prime to wake up. After delivering the shots, the pilot rotates the primer handle to lock it into place again.

The primer in a general aviation aircraft. (Photo by William E. Dubois)
The primer has a lock for good reason. If it is left open, as you apply power, excess fuel is pulled through the primer and into the intake system, over-richening the mixture to the point that your fuel-to-air mixture becomes a fuel-to-fuel mixture and won’t combust.

This is mentioned, briefly, in the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge’s chapter on aircraft systems. After a few sentences on what a primer is and how it works, the PHAK says, “It is important to lock the primer in place when it is not in use. If the knob is free to move, it may vibrate out of position during flight, which may cause an excessively rich fuel-air mixture.”

The primer locking mechanism itself is similar to what you see with coaxial cable: There are “nubs” that lock into a channel. The correct terminology for the nub is “locking pin,” while the correct terminology for the channel is the “retention lip.”

The locking pin is attached to the exterior of the primer handle (the shaft of the “syringe”), while the lip is inside the end cap, which is where the device passes through the instrument panel. Most of the primer itself is hidden behind the panel.

Piston with retention pin and pump housing end cap (piston in extended position). (Photo from NTSB docket)

On inspection of the Champ’s removed primer, the NTSB lab found that the retention lip was “worn away around most of its circumference, leaving only a 0.143 inch-long section.” That’s in the ballpark of 9/64s of an inch. The pin itself is 0.093-inches in diameter, so the remaining lip was about one-and-a-half times as wide as the pin. Not much of a lip for the locking pin to hang on to.

End cap exhibiting worn retention lip. Only a small portion 0.143 inch wide remained.
End cap exhibiting worn retention lip. (Photos from NTSB docket)

The NTSB’s final report states, “It is likely that a slight movement or vibration caused the retaining pin to move around the small piece of retaining lip that remained, resulting in the fuel primer pump becoming unlocked and extending.”

Backing this theory up, investigators noted that the spark plugs were found “in a carbon-fouled condition, consistent with an overly rich mixture.”

The probable cause: “A total loss of engine power during the initial takeoff climb due to a worn manual fuel primer pump locking mechanism, which resulted in an unlocked primer and an overly rich fuel mixture.”

Analysis & Discussion
One concerning aspect of this accident, which I haven’t gotten into yet, is that the sale, an annual inspection, and the failed ferry flight to the airplane’s new home all took place on the exact same day. In fact, all in the morning of that day.
Is this one of those cases of “free annual with purchase” that we often see in airplane listings?

Which raises some interesting questions. Does that mean the airplane had been out of annual prior to the sale? Who did the annual? Was the seller an IA? And just how thorough was that annual?

In fact, the airplane does appear to have sat out of annual for some time. Copies of the logbooks on the NTSB docket show an annual signed off on the day of the sale, May 21, 2023, but the previous annual was in August of 2020, suggesting it was about a year and a half out of annual pending sale.

All of that said, this accident was not the result of a bad inspection. There’s no inspection requirement, nor guidance of any kind, for the ongoing airworthiness of an engine primer.
Still, let’s think more about this inspection-less (but legal) primer. Pretty much every time you start a carbureted airplane engine you need to use the primer. I think the only exception is a quick stop on a hot day, when priming isn’t necessary.

This airplane had 6,165 hours on it. If, just for the sake of analysis, we assume the average of each flight was one hour, and 80% of the flights needed priming, then the primer would have been unlocked — the nub rotating in the channel — 4,932 times over the course of its service life. Then, of course, it needs to be relocked. So now we’re talking about 9,864 cycles. (The piston is operated three strokes, per the POH, but those are typically completed on a single unlocking, with the primer being locked at the end.)
But the actual number is almost guaranteed to be higher. As pilots of carbureted airplanes know, such engines can be… ah… stubborn… to start. For many, a first attempt engine start is a rare thing. Add to that we are talking aluminum that’s at least 60 years old, and you can see why it might give up the ghost. I mean, how many times do you need to bend a paperclip before it breaks?

But what’s interesting to me is that, while high-ish for its age, we’re not talking about a crazy-high number of hours on the airframe. Of course, in many cases, primers get replaced, so not every vintage airplane is still sporting its original primer.
And while I “knew” that primer locks could wear out, without really engaging in any deep thought about it, I assumed the little locking nubs wear down. Those you can see to verify condition. But as this materials analysis shows us, the nub is stronger than the lip inside of the end cap. So it’s the inside guts of the primer that wears out. That was an eye-opener for me.

The Takeaway
We talk about the value of systems knowledge as the last defense in flight when it comes to reversing system failures. And for engine fuel issues, I think most pilots are pretty good about working the throttle and the mixture.

Accident statistics show us we aren’t so good at the next most obvious links: The fuel selector (if equipped) and the carb heat.

So, if, as a group, we aren’t too great about remembering the tank selector or the carb heat knob, I’m guessing that the poor neglected primer, all the way over on the far side of the flight deck, is even further from the mind of a pilot in an emergency. Had the primer been part of the new owner’s mindset, he might have been able to save his new ride — and the innocent minivan.

So, to me, that’s the first takeaway. When you are troubleshooting dropping RPM in a carbureted engine, don’t neglect checking that primer.

The second — and perhaps more important — takeaway is a new understanding of how time affects the primer locking lip, hidden down deep inside the end cap where we can’t see it without serious disassembly.

What are we to do about that?
I think the best test is to give your primer a firm tug now and again. I’d do it as part of post flight. No point in ruining your day right at engine start, right?

The Numbers
Want to read more? Download the NTSB’s final report here or view the items on docket here.



 


 


FAA Expands Landing Gear Checks After Improper MRO Work
Sean Broderick 
July 07, 2025
Credit: AIAS

The FAA plans to order Boeing 737 and 757 operators to review maintenance or conduct inspections to ensure aircraft do not have improperly maintained landing gear components.

A pair of notices of proposed rulemaking set for publication July 8 would mandate the inspections, which Boeing recommended in January 2024. Checks would be required for specific part and serial numbers listed in Boeing’s service bulletins.

The issue stems from a 2020 incident in which an Omni Air International 767-300 landing at Bucharest Aurel Vlaicu Airport had its left main landing gear bogie collapse. Romanian investigators concluded the gear’s outer cylinder was damaged during a 2015 overhaul at an unidentified MRO facility.

They also determined that more than 300 outer cylinders for multiple aircraft types underwent the same “abusive” grinding process as the Omni gear that failed and recommended in a 2024 final report that Boeing and the FAA investigate the issue and take appropriate action.

Boeing’s recommendations focus on having all aircraft types in the affected fleets inspected or their maintenance records checked to ensure one of the suspect MLG cylinders is not installed. If suspect parts turn up, they should be replaced. The FAA’s proposed rules are based on Boeing’s instructions.

A similar program for the 767 fleet gave operators 30 months to conduct initial inspections and either 46 months or 130 months to replace parts listed, depending on certain parameters. The FAA mandated the 767 inspections in January.





 


American’s AstroJet Returns to the Skies
The aircraft has been out of service for seven months.

American’s AstroJet retro livery (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)
[ Planes ]July 7, 2025 10:09 am ET

By Ryan Ewing


Note: See photos in the original article. 


American Airlines’ AstroJet – a Boeing 737-800 adorned with a unique retro livery – returned to revenue service last week. The aircraft has not flown since mid-December.

According to aviation watchdog JonNYC, the jet was damaged on the ground in Philadelphia. It remained grounded since Dec. 14, per Flightradar24 data.

On July 1, it ferried from Philadelphia to Chicago after Boeing assisted in completing the repairs. The 13-year-old aircraft – which is registered as N905NN – operated its first passenger-carrying flight since December from Chicago to Providence, Rhode Island, on July 2.

American Airlines Boeing 737-800 registered as N905NN (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)
Unique Retro Livery
American’s Astrojet livery is a retro-inspired paint scheme that pays tribute to the carrier’s branding during the early jet age. Originally introduced in 1962 with the arrival of the Boeing 707 and 727, the Astrojet design reflected the airline’s modern image at the time, featuring polished bare metal fuselages accented by a bold red-orange cheatline and a stylized eagle logo.

The carrier has applied this classic design to select aircraft as part of its heritage fleet, including N905NN. The retro livery features period-authentic details, such as the original “Astrojet” titling near the forward fuselage and the vintage American eagle logo on the tail.

American’s AstroJet retro livery (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

The livery has been applied to other aircraft in the past, including a 757-200. It was previously added to another 737-800 – registered as N951AA – which now bears American’s standard livery.

American has several different retro liveries, including throwbacks to PSA, Piedmont, Allegheny, and US Airways.





 


Space Force Boosting an Ecosystem of GPS Alternatives in Low-Earth Orbit
July 1, 2025 | By Shaun Waterman

The Space Force is playing midwife to a new ecosystem of commercial satellite constellations providing alternatives to the service’s own Global Positioning Service from much closer to the Earth, making their signals more accurate and harder to jam.  
A half-dozen companies, including two with research contracts from Space Force or Air Force tech incubators, are currently planning low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellations of hundreds of small satellites that will offer position, navigation, and timing services to augment or back up GPS. 

The military has long been concerned about its reliance on GPS, but over the past few years civilian users have experienced increasingly severe GPS interference around conflict zones in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. 

In particular, civil aviation has been hard hit, said Lisa Dyer of the GPS Innovation Alliance, a trade association that represents GPS receiver manufacturers, satellite operators, and user groups like boaters, surveyors, and autonomous vehicle developers.  
GPS jamming, used to stop drone attacks and smart bomb targeting, creates “unnecessary extra burdens on our air traffic controllers and flight crews, and it’s increasing risks to the safety of the flight crews and the passengers,” Dyer told Air & Space Forces Magazine. 

PNT signals from low-Earth orbit are harder to jam, experts say, because they are broadcast from much closer to the earth’s surface. New cryptographic techniques make the signals hard to impersonate with bogus data, a problem known as spoofing. And two of the new constellations also plan to use a completely different frequency band for their signals, which will also make jamming more difficult and more complicated.    
LEO satellites orbit between 100 and 1,200 miles above the surface of the Earth. GPS and its other major PNT constellations like China’s BeiDu, Russia’s GLONASS, and Europe’s Galileo are all in medium-Earth orbit, 11,000-15,000 miles above the surface. 

“There are some advantages to medium-Earth orbit and some advantages to low-Earth orbit,” said Dyer. 

The main advantage of MEO, she explained, is the smaller number of satellites required. From a higher orbit, a satellite is visible over a greater proportion of the earth’s surface. In MEO, 24 satellites is enough to offer near-global coverage. The current GPS constellation has 31 satellites in orbit, which means there’s some redundancy, Dyer said.  
The main advantage of LEO is the signal can be orders of magnitude stronger when it arrives at the receiver, making it easier to receive and harder to jam, said Patrick Shannon, co-founder and chief executive officer of TrustPoint, a LEO PNT startup that launched its third satellite last month. 

With several hundred satellites in a large LEO constellation, users can also see more satellites in the sky at one time, and therefore receive more triangulating signals, making LEO PNT potentially more accurate than MEO-based systems. 

TrustPoint staffers at the company HQ in Herndon, Va., watch the launch June 23, 2025 of Time Flies, their third LEO PNT satellite, from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Courtesy TrustPoint

The new GPS alternatives use cryptographic authentication, which means the user can be sure the data they’re getting is genuine and not a fraudulent replacement, or “spoofed” signal, designed to mislead. The new generation PNT systems also use encryption, which scrambles the signal so only those with the correct cryptographic key loaded in their receiver can use it. As well as guarding against spoofing, this makes subscription-only services easy to offer. 

Both the Air Force and Space Force technology incubators—along with Department of Defense-wide efforts like the Defense Innovation Unit—have sought to seed commercial companies working in this space, with the aim of easing the emergence of a new ecosystem of LEO PNT providers that can provide a secure alternative to GPS.  

Last year, TrustPoint was awarded three phase II research contracts from the Department of the Air Force: a Small business Technology Transfer (STTR) award of $1.6 million from AFWERX, the Air Force’s technology incubator; and two Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards worth a total of $3.8 million from SpaceWERX, the Space Force equivalent. The company is commercially focused, said Shannon, but is happy to be part of the Space Force’s Alt-PNT cadre of startups that are developing alternatives to GPS for military use, as well. 

The awards helped TrustPoint develop technology to broadcast and receive PNT signals in C-Band, Shannon said, with a frequency just over five gigahertz. That’s much higher than the one to two gigahertz L-Band frequencies used by GPS and its state-backed alternatives.  

The higher frequency C-Band signals are more subject to degradation during adverse weather and when traveling through buildings than L-Band, but make up for that by being transmitted from satellites over 30 times closer to the Earth, Shannon said. And the faster fall off in signal power over distance for the higher frequency C-Band signal, called path loss, complicates jamming efforts as well. 

“The distance a signal travels is a function of the power behind it,” said Shannon, but a C-Band jammer loses power more quickly. An L-Band broadcast will travel three times as far as a similarly powered signal in C-Band, meaning someone trying to jam C-Band service will need many more jammers or much more powerful ones. They’ll also need new equipment, since existing GPS jammers are built to target L-Band broadcasts. 

“The infrastructure required and the physical complexity of denying C-Band makes it much more difficult and costly,” concluded Shannon. 

The satellites in TrustPoint’s constellation will be so-called microsats, only about the size of a four-slice toaster. The company aims to have about 350 of them in orbit by the end of the decade, but will be able to start offering a service with a fraction of that number in 2027, Shannon said. 

He also said that the small size of the satellites and advanced manufacturing technologies would allow the firm to put the entire constellation up for “$100 million, give or take, not billions.” 

The global market for assured, or hard-to-jam, PNT is predicted to grow almost 25 percent a year from $400 million a year in 2022, to $3.5 billion a year in 2032, according to one forecast.  

Shannon acknowledged that TrustPoint was already facing competition. “This is a massive problem,” he said of GPS jamming and spoofing. “Many industries, many nations, are experiencing these issues, and everyone’s looking for a solution. And that, of course, is an economic opportunity that a lot of companies are looking at.” 

Those competitors include other members of the Space Force’s altPNT cadre, like Xona, a California-based startup which launched its first production satellite last month and recently announced a series B funding round and other capital backing to the tune of $92 million.   

Xona aims for a constellation of 250-300 satellites and will broadcast signals in both L-Band and C-Band, according to its website. The company says it is partnering with receiver manufacturers to produce devices that can receive both GPS L-Band and LEO PNT C-Band signals. 

Xona, TrustPoint, and other LEO PNT startups will have to contend with an incumbent; Iridium, the first-ever LEO constellation, has been providing an L-Band PNT service for eight years, initially in partnership with Satelles, until Iridium acquired them last year. The partnership, said Satelles founder and now Iridium vice president of PNT Michael O’Connor, began as an ahead-of-its-time venture founded in the early years of the last decade, when concerns were only just starting to emerge about the fragility of GPS and the increasing dependence of the U.S. and global economy on it. 

Iridium, which launched in the 1990s, had an L-Band channel originally used to provide a global pager service, O’Connor said. Satelles’ engineers figured out how to design a signal that could use it for PNT: “You’re 25 times closer to the Earth, and that [pager] channel was a strong signal … 1,000 times stronger” than GPS, said O’Connor.  

By the time the service launched in 2016, North Korea had begun periodically jamming GPS signals over Seoul, and researchers from the University of Texas at Austin had shown how to take over drones by spoofing GPS signals. 

GPS antennas are generally able to receive the Iridium broadcast, explained O’Connor, and Satelles partnered with equipment manufacturers to update the software that interpreted the signal so it could get timing and positioning data from the signal.  

The initial customers were technology-driven businesses that used GPS for timing, rather than location, O’Connor said, like mobile phone network operators, cloud computing providers, and financial institutions. “We’re installed in major stock exchanges all around the world,” he said. “It turns out that if you can mess with the time at the New York Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ, bad guys can get up to all kinds of mischief.” 

Now that GPS interference is a reality, O’Connor said, Iridium’s LEO PNT is expanding into maritime, aviation, and other markets. “Industries out there are starting to recognize today that they have very serious problems around GPS jamming and spoofing. … 

Everyone’s seeing the writing on the wall that it is a problem, and you need a solution to that. And that’s our mission: To protect networks, protect our society, protect the fabric that keeps us connected.” 






 


JetZero Faces $14M U.S. Air Force Funding Cut In Fiscal 2026
Steve Trimble June 30, 2025
Credit: JetZero

About $14 million of the overall funding from the U.S. Air Force for JetZero’s Z4 blended wing body demo is at risk of being cut in the fiscal 2026 budget request. 
Newly released budget documents show the Air Force plans to cut $14 million in fiscal 2026 from previously scheduled payments to the Long Beach, California-based, startup aircraft developer.

“This reduction reflects a strategic realignment to optimize capability development and improve resource efficiency,” Air Force budget justification documents show.
An Air Force spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for an elaboration on the reasons behind the cut. A JetZero spokesperson declined to comment on the proposed funding cut.

The move could reduce the Air Force’s support for the public-private partnership established two years ago to fund JetZero’s full-scale demonstrator for the novel blended wing body configuration.

In 2023, the Office of Energy, Environment and Installations committed $235 million to help JetZero finance the project, with the funding to be released in annual tranches contingent on the company’s ability to raise additional private financing.

So far, JetZero has raised more than $300 million in funding commitments for the Z4 demonstrator, CEO Tom O’Leary told Aviation Week in early May.

Of that amount, JetZero received $63.9 million from the Air Force in January 2024, according to Air Force budget documents. Another payment of $83.2 million is scheduled in July 2025. And a third payment of $6 million is expected to be made in November 2025. The latter would represent the only funds for the project that remain in the Air Force’s fiscal 2026 budget proposal.

Another $14 million payment from the Air Force was included in the 2023 agreement with JetZero, but it is not clear now if that funding will materialize.
JetZero still has the option of compensating for the potential cut through private fund raising.

The startup is working on a Series B financing round, O’Leary said in May.
“That’s going very well because we have a demand signal that’s very strong and very clear,” O’Leary said. “We have three airlines who have come into partnership with us in different ways, including investment. And then we have 15 airlines in our working group.”

The Air Force helped JetZero financially in 2023 to boost the startup’s chances of successfully fielding a commercial airliner, which would feature the promised aerodynamic efficiency benefits of a blended wing body configuration. The Air Force could then leverage the commercial aircraft to design a military derivative for air refueling and airlift roles. JetZero has unveiled a concept for a KC-Z4 air refueling variant to meet future Air Force requirements. 

[Editor's Note: The original version of this article incorrectly stated the amount of funding at risk of being cut in the fiscal 2026 budget request.]





 


EASA and IATA Target 220% Spike in GPS Interference
“GNSS disruptions are evolving in terms of both frequency and complexity”


By Jessica Reed • Writer & Editor
June 23, 2025

EASA and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced a strategic plan to address the escalating threat of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) interference following a joint workshop held in Cologne, Germany, last month.

The collaborative initiative addresses a 220% increase in GPS signal loss events between 2021 and 2024, according to IATA data from the Global Aviation Data Management Flight Data eXchange. Incidents of jamming and spoofing have proliferated across Eastern Europe and the Middle East, with similar occurrences reported globally.

“GNSS disruptions are evolving in terms of both frequency and complexity,” said Jesper Rasmussen, EASA flight standards director. “We are no longer just containing GNSS interference—we must build resilience.” The evolving threat requires a dynamic response that goes beyond traditional containment approaches.

The four-pillar framework encompasses enhanced reporting and monitoring, prevention and mitigation measures, infrastructure and airspace management improvements, and strengthened coordination among agencies. Key initiatives include standardizing radio call procedures for reporting interference, implementing standardized notam Q codes, and establishing real-time airspace monitoring capabilities.

Technical solutions under development focus on reducing false terrain warnings, improving situational awareness through portable spoofing detectors, and ensuring rapid GPS equipment recovery following signal disruption. The plan also emphasizes maintaining backup navigation aids and more effectively using military air traffic management capabilities.

“The number of global positioning system signal loss events increased by 220% between 2021 and 2024,” noted Nick Careen, IATA’s senior v-p of operations, safety, and security.
Attended by more than 120 experts from the aviation industry, research organizations, and government bodies, the workshop concluded that enhanced civil-military coordination and preparation for evolving threat capabilities, including drone-related interference, remain critical priorities for maintaining aviation safety and security.




 


Electric aircraft manufacturer accelerates U.S. factory opening
By General Aviation News Staff · June 26, 2025 · 5 Comments
Aura Aero’s Integral trainer. (Photos by Auro Aero)

French aircraft manufacturer Aura Aero is stepping up plans to start assembling planes for the North American market after receiving millions of dollars in additional support from the state of Florida.

Aura Aero unveiled its plans to build its first North American factory in Daytona Beach in Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Research Park at the 2024 Paris Air Show.
The company’s first 10,000-square-foot hangar will be home to US assembly, delivery, and customer support for Aura Aero’s INTEGRAL two-seater trainer with aerobatic capabilities, which is already certified in Europe and under the FAA fast track process for US certification, company officials said.

The hangar will also be home to two prototypes of INTEGRAL E, the all-electric version, that will soon fly in the skies of Daytona Beach to conduct a flight test campaign, with plans for first deliveries in 2027, according to company officials.

The company received $3.4 million in funding from Space Florida to outfit the hangar.
Eventually, the company will build a 500,000-square-foot factory in Daytona Beach that will build its 19-seater hybrid-electric aircraft, ERA. The company reports it already has 650 orders for the ERA.

A rendering of the ERA hangar. (Photo by Auro Aero)

This project, expected to create more than 1,000 jobs, recently got the green light from Space Florida, which has agreed to finance up to an extra $200 million.

For more information: SpaceFlorida.gov, Aura-Aero.com




 


Covington Aircraft Engines to Conclude 53 Years of Radial Engine Service at End of 2025
Covington Aircraft Engines has announced it will close its legendary radial engine shop at the end of 2025, concluding 53 years of service overhauling Pratt & Whitney Canada R-985 and R-1340 engines. With nearly 10,000 engines serviced, Covington leaves behind an unmatched legacy in the radial engine world.

Moreno Aguiari
Published July 1, 2025


Note: Be sure to see the beautiful "round engines" in the original article. 

PRESS RELEASE
After more than five decades of dedicated service to the aviation industry, Covington Aircraft Engines has announced that it will officially close its renowned radial engine shop at the end of 2025. Known worldwide for its expert overhauls of the Pratt & Whitney Canada R-985 and R-1340 radial engines, Covington has played a vital role in preserving and powering radial engine aircraft for over half a century.

Founded in 1972 by Bob Covington and Paul Abbott, the company began by focusing on radial engine support for air cargo operators, particularly those flying automobile parts. With a commitment to craftsmanship, integrity, and customer service, the shop quickly expanded and became a trusted name among pilots, operators, and aircraft restorers alike. Over the decades, Covington built a loyal customer base not only in the cargo sector but also in the warbird and agricultural aviation communities.

Vintage Aviation News’ publisher, Moreno Aguiari, flying an Air Tractor 301 equipped with a 800 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1340 engine

In 2025, the company will achieve an unmatched milestone—servicing its 10,000th Pratt & Whitney Canada radial engine—further cementing its legacy as the most prolific provider of radial engine overhauls in the world.

de Havilland Beaver powered by a 450-hp Pratt & Whitney R-985 radial engine. Photo via Covington Aircraft Engines

“The decision to wind down our radial operations was not an easy one,” said Aaron Abbott, President of Covington Aircraft Engines. “These engines are the very foundation of our business. They built our reputation and allowed us to grow into the company we are today. We are incredibly proud of the legacy we leave behind and honored to have been part of keeping these iconic engines flying for so many years.”

Covington will continue to overhaul R-985 and R-1340 engines throughout the remainder of 2025 and will fully honor all existing warranty commitments on its work. As the aviation industry marks the end of an era, Covington Aircraft Engines celebrates a rich legacy built on 53 years of excellence, reliability, and dedication to radial engine heritage. 

For more information, visit www.covingtonaircraft.com.





 


First A220 Stripped for Parts
Azorra and Delta have completed dismantling the first A220 for parts just six years after the aircraft’s debut.

A Delta A220 at Paine Field. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Katie Zera)

By Caleb Revill

Aircraft lessor Azorra has disassembled one of its Airbus A220s for parts to be used by Delta.

The decision to scrap the six-year-old A220 comes amid ongoing supply chain challenges for the aviation industry and airline disruptions caused by the A220’s troubled Pratt & Whitney engine type.

In April, Azorra and Delta announced a partnership that would see former EgyptAir A220s acquired by Azorra scrapped for replacement parts to supply Delta’s A220-300 aircraft. Azorra also began leasing engines to Delta for its existing A220 fleet.

“This strategic partnership with [Delta Material Services] is a clear example of Azorra’s creativity in helping alleviate the challenges seen across commercial aviation today,” said Azorra President Ron Baur in a news release about the partnership. “Airlines globally are working through [aircraft on ground] disruptions and we’re proud to play a role in helping our partners overcome these.”

“We’re big believers in the Airbus A220 and it remains a highly valuable and important asset to Azorra,” he continued. “Parting out this used airframe and leasing its engine is a creative solution that will generate long-term opportunity for the A220 to continue to thrive. We are honored to partner with an industry leader such as [Delta Material Services] to create this win-win result for our A220 customers.”

On Monday, several social media posts showed a picture of the now-dismantled A220 fuselage reportedly photographed at the Arkansas International Airport.





 


US startup tests world’s most advanced rocket engine for military’s hypersonic drones
Unlike most current aerospace engines that burn RP-1 or liquid hydrogen, Mjölnir runs on liquid natural gas, a cleaner-burning hydrocarbon fuel. 
Updated: Jun 25, 2025 11:30 AM EST

Kapil Kajal

Washington-based company New Frontier Aerospace (NFA) has completed an important round of fire tests on its Mjölnir rocket engine, marking a major step forward in the race to redefine propulsion for next-generation hypersonic vehicles and space systems. 

The engine, compact but engineered around a full-flow staged combustion cycle, represents the current state-of-the-art efficiency and sustainability for liquid-fueled propulsion.

World’s most advanced 3D-printed engine
Unlike most current aerospace engines that burn RP-1 or liquid hydrogen, Mjölnir runs on liquid natural gas (LNG), a cleaner-burning hydrocarbon fuel. 
The engine becomes net carbon-negative when sourced from bio-waste, offering a rare convergence of high performance and environmental responsibility. 

Developed with support from the National Security Innovation Capital and backed by NASA for its full-duration fire campaign, Mjölnir is the first compact pump-fed rocket engine of its kind to demonstrate this performance in testing.

Bill Bruner, CEO of NFA, highlighted the significance of the milestone. “Mjölnir’s compact design, unmatched efficiency, and clean fuel make it a game-changer for hypersonic flight and space propulsion,” he stated. “It is poised to power our ambitious roadmap and open new possibilities for our customers.”

To power hypersonic drones
The engine is slated to power two flagship NFA platforms. First is Pathfinder, a hypersonic vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial system (UAS) that will enter hover flight testing in early 2026. 

Pathfinder is designed to explore rapid response logistics and military strike applications, offering high-speed maneuverability with vertical launch and recovery. 
The second application is Bifröst, an orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) intended to debut in 2027. Bifröst will leverage Mjölnir’s high-efficiency cycle to reposition payloads in low Earth orbit with minimal propellant consumption.

Mjölnir is now a standalone commercial product targeting customers developing their reusable space vehicles or high-speed atmospheric platforms. 
This decision signals NFA’s intent to field its systems and become a propulsion provider to the broader aerospace ecosystem.

New engine technology
The technical backbone of Mjölnir lies in its full-flow staged combustion architecture, a cycle employed only by a few operational engines globally, including SpaceX’s Raptor. 

In this configuration, fuel and oxidizer are fully gasified before entering the combustion chamber, allowing for higher efficiency, greater thrust-to-weight ratios, and improved engine longevity, which is critical for reusability.
Mjölnir is 3D-printed, reducing manufacturing time and cost while allowing rapid iteration.

The fire tests demonstrated stable ignition, precise throttle response, and consistent thermal performance across multiple test cycles. 
The data collected confirms Mjölnir’s reliability as a main propulsion system and a modular powerplant for integrated aerospace platforms.
NASA funding
NFA’s test campaign was conducted under stringent technical oversight, with NASA funding and government engagement through the Defense Innovation Unit. 





 


Boeing Calls For Next-Gen Engine Info For Future Single Aisle
Guy Norris June 19, 2025
Credit: Boeing

PARIS—Boeing has issued a request for information (RFI) to engine makers for advanced ducted propulsion systems in the 30,000 lb.-thrust sector suitable for powering a future single aisle replacement for the 737.

Boeing says the RFI is part of ongoing moves to assess the latest state-of-the-art engine concepts and confirms its continued preference for ducted propulsion systems over open rotor or open fan engines for its next-generation studies.
The RFI, which is believed to be the fourth such request to industry of its type, comes as Boeing continues low-profile future product development studies of a 737 replacement for the 2030s and beyond. Although Boeing has backed away from any potential new product launch in the near-to-mid-term while it returns to financial health and production stability, assessments continue of technology capable of delivering efficiency improvements of at least 20% or more over the current 737 MAX family.

The emergence of the RFI is in line with statements by Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg who recently told Aviation Week, “in terms of what’s next, I view it as different work streams: One: ‘When is the market ready?’ Two: ‘When is the technology ready?’ And three: ‘When are we ready and can financially handle that?’”
“We’re not ready on any of those work streams today, but we need to be when the market is ready for a new aircraft,” Ortberg said.

Respondents are expected to include Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney, both of which are also proposing geared, ducted turbofans to Airbus for its next-generation single aisle (NGSA). General Electric-Safran joint venture CFM is also expected to supply details of a ducted engine based on technology now being developed under its Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engine (RISE) program. Although the main thrust of RISE is the development of an unducted open fan, tests of which will be conducted with Airbus, elements of the initiative such as the high-pressure core would be applicable to a ducted version.

Safran has previously indicated a ducted-fan RISE version would be more affordable but would offer lower performance. Speaking in November 2024 on the sidelines of an engine event in Belgium, Eric Dalbies, Safran’s CTO and EVP of strategy said, “while RISE targets a 20% fuel burn reduction, the ducted-fan variant’s benefit would stand at between 10% and 12%.”

The ducted RISE version, believed to be called the Advance, is thought to be configured with an 85-in. diameter fan. Although CFM declines to comment on the ducted design, program sources say the engine could also be flight tested for possible use on the Airbus NGSA using the same A380 testbed designated for evaluations of the open fan. Proposals for modifying the testbed for tests of ducted engines have been made under the most recent call for projects being considered by the European Clean Aviation research program.

Boeing Calls For Next-Gen Engine Info For Future Single Aisle





 


According to the FAA, I should be in a nursing home
By General Aviation News Staff · July 3, 2025 · 23 Comments

Back in better days when Scott had flying privileges. (Photos courtesy R. Scott Savell)

OPINION By RICHARD SCOTT SAVELL

I’m a U.S. Air Force veteran, private pilot, husband, and father. I also serve as chief academic officer for a nationally accredited school that trains chaplains in clinical pastoral education. I manage a full schedule, mentor future spiritual care providers, and still find time to take out the trash.

But according to the FAA, I’m apparently on the fast track to memory care.
Since 2018, I’ve been trying to get back in the air under BasicMed — the very program Congress created to help pilots like me who are medically stable but tired of navigating the FAA’s bureaucratic obstacle course. Unfortunately, what Congress gave, the FAA has decided to bury in red tape.

My original special issuance application was filed in 2019. Since then, I’ve received two denials, each granting me the right to appeal directly to the Federal Air Surgeon — who, if I had to guess, hasn’t read a word of those appeals.

They disappear into the FAA’s opaque and unaccountable review process where logic goes to die.

And then it got weird.
One denial cited untreated PTSD as the reason for grounding me.
Problem: I’ve never been diagnosed with PTSD. I’ve never been treated for it. I’ve never even claimed to have it.

Another letter claimed severe cognitive decline. Again completely fabricated. I’ve never been diagnosed with any such condition and every medical professional I’ve consulted has affirmed my full cognitive functioning.

I’ve undergone thorough neurological and psychological evaluations. I even met with an FAA Human Intervention Motivation Study (HIMS)-designated psychiatrist — at the agency’s request — who concluded I was mentally sound and had no disqualifying conditions.

The FAA’s own internal neurology panel also reviewed my case in depth and issued a formal conclusion: “No further workup in neuro needed.”

But apparently, those internal clearances carry no real weight. Whoever serves as the final arbiter is free to ignore the FAA’s own expert panels and issue a denial anyway — which is exactly what happened in my case.

On top of that, I’ve had every kind of cardiology workup imaginable, all leading to the same conclusion: Stable with very low likelihood of incapacitation. I’m now nine years post-heart surgery, and every test shows I’m in good shape to fly.

Yet the FAA still cites “cardiology” as a basis for denial — ignoring expert consensus and leaning instead on vague hand-waving and fear-based justifications.

Here’s the kicker: They tell you a one-time special issuance is required to qualify for BasicMed, but what they don’t tell you is this: You’ll never get it. The FAA has no intention of approving you. It’s a bureaucratic shell game designed to appear compliant with Congressional intent while doing the exact opposite.

And just when you think you’ve cleared one hurdle, they stall. The FAA often takes a year or more to respond to submissions. By the time they do, they claim your labs, tests, or letters are “too old,” forcing you to repeat the process all over again.

Sometimes they suggest that if you just get one more test and it comes back favorable, you’ll be cleared — only to dredge up something else, often a condition already addressed or even previously cleared internally, like the neurology issue.
It’s not a process — it’s a trap.

I’ve spent thousands of dollars out of pocket. I’ve met every demand the FAA has made and still they keep moving the goalposts. At this point, it feels less like a medical process and more like a war of attrition. The FAA, it seems, is simply hoping I’ll give up.
But I’m not going anywhere. All I’ve got is time.
Richard Scott Savell.

I share this not just for myself, but for every pilot who’s been buried under this bloated and arbitrary system. BasicMed was supposed to offer relief. Instead, the FAA has turned it into a mirage — visible, promising, but always just out of reach.

I’m not asking for a free pass. I’m asking for due process, transparency, and for the FAA to follow the law that Congress enacted. If it can’t — or won’t — do that, we’ve got a bigger problem than outdated paperwork. We’ve got an agency that believes it’s above the very statutes that govern it.

Until then, I remain grounded — not because I’m unfit to fly, but because the FAA keeps inventing reasons to keep me from doing what I’ve already proven I’m capable of.

In recent months, I’ve also reached out to every elected official who represents me. Senator Mitch McConnell’s office submitted an official inquiry to the FAA on my behalf, although I haven’t seen the contents of that inquiry, so I can’t say whether it will carry much weight.

Separately, I’ve contacted the FAA administrator, the Secretary of Transportation, the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General, and even the FAA’s own Medical Ombudsman.

At this point, I’m hoping someone — anyone — with the authority to act will take this seriously and intervene. The system isn’t just broken — it seems willfully indifferent.

My FAA Medical Timeline
Pre-2016
I held a valid medical certificate with no history of denials or disqualifying conditions. I was actively flying with no medical restrictions prior to my heart surgery.
2016
I underwent successful heart surgery. Since then, I’ve remained stable, with excellent follow-up cardiology and a low risk of incapacitation confirmed in multiple evaluations.
2018
I began the process of returning to flight under BasicMed. My health was strong, and I believed I met the intent and requirements of the program Congress had created for pilots like me.
2019
I submitted my first special issuance application. The FAA requested additional testing, which I completed and submitted. At the time, I mistakenly believed that if the results came back favorable — which they did — I would be granted the special issuance. COVID-19 soon disrupted FAA processing times, causing additional delays.
2020
I underwent full neuropsychological testing as part of the FAA’s requirements. The results confirmed my mental fitness to fly and revealed no disqualifying conditions.
2021
I received my first denial from the FAA. The letter cited “untreated PTSD” — a condition I’ve never been diagnosed with, never treated for, and never even claimed to have. I was permitted to appeal to the Federal Air Surgeon, which I did, though I have no indication that the appeal was ever reviewed.
2021–2024
During this time, I completed a wide range of FAA-requested evaluations. I met with an FAA HIMS-designated psychiatrist, who concluded that I had no disqualifying mental health conditions. The FAA’s own internal neurology panel reviewed my case in depth and issued a formal finding: “No further workup in neuro needed.”
Despite this, in 2024 I was again required to undergo neuropsychological testing. The results once again confirmed my cognitive and psychological fitness. Still, the FAA continued to cite shifting concerns, often revisiting previously resolved issues.
2025
I received a second denial. This time, they claimed I was experiencing “severe cognitive decline,” again without any supporting diagnosis or clinical basis. I appealed to the Federal Air Surgeon once more, but to date have heard nothing in response.
Ongoing
The FAA often takes a year or more to respond to my submissions. When they finally do, they claim that my test results or specialist letters are “too old,” forcing me to repeat everything.
They frequently suggest that if I just complete one more test, everything will be resolved — only to raise a new concern, even one already addressed or cleared.
When it comes to the so called one-time special issuance for cardiology and neurology, they don’t stop there. They dig down as deep as they can to paper wall the process.
Recent Actions
I’ve reached out to every elected official who represents me. Senator Mitch McConnell’s office submitted a formal inquiry to the FAA. I’ve also contacted the FAA administrator, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, the Department of Transportation Inspector General, and the FAA Medical Ombudsman.

Additionally, I reached out to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Although I am not currently a member, they responded and noted that while they hear stories like mine often, mine may be the longest-running unresolved BasicMed case they’ve encountered.




 
Curt Lewis