DC Air: The Nation’s Capital Airline That Never Was

Robert L. Johnson, better known as Bob Johnson, the founder and CEO of BET, was at the forefront of a historic aviation endeavor. His vision: to launch DC Air through a merger between United Airlines and US Airways, potentially marking the first African-American-owned airline in the United States. The airline that was a component of the merger between US Airways and United. It was never to be but the story behind it is fascinating. (avgeekery.com) More...

The State of Israel’s Aviation Industry During the Israel-Hamas War

Israel's commercial aviation industry has suffered severe losses as a result of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict that escalated immensely in October. El Al and low-cost carriers have reported major losses due to necessary cancellation refunds, and foreign carriers have reduced capacity into Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) near Tel Aviv. (aeroxplorer.com) More...

US Air Force grounding its fleet of CV-22 Ospreys

Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, commander of the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), issued a directive for an operational standdown of the Air Force CV-22 fleet on December 6, 2023. (defence-blog.com) More...

US Conducts Military Flights in Guyana to Prevent Possible Venezuelan Invasion

The U.S. will conduct joint military flights with Guyana as growing border tensions with Venezuela create the potential for a Venezuelan invasion of the country. Guyana, which currently has a small aviation industry due to its small size and population, will likely see a major expansion in the coming years. The discovery of vast oil reserves in Guyana is expected to create strong demand for business travel, with United Airlines already announcing a direct route connecting Houston: the global hub… (aeroxplorer.com) More...

Airbus wants to bring Beluga to USA

“ Airbus Beluga Transport applies for permission to operate in the US, aiming to expand its services to transport outsized cargo for commercially contracted customers.” (simpleflying.com) More...

A plane took off and landed from a Northern California airport with no pilot on board.

The flight was operated by Reliable Robotics, a Mountain View-based company founded in 2017 by former SpaceX and Tesla employees. The Reliable Robotics flight made history as the first large cargo aircraft to fly with no one on board, according to the company. A converted FedEx Cessna 208B Caravan took off Nov. 21 from Hollister Municipal Airport and was in the air for about 12 minutes. A pilot commanded the flight from a Reliable Robotics control center, according to the company. (www.sfchronicle.com) More...

Russian airliner forced into emergency landing after engine fire — report

A Boeing 737 en route from Novosibirsk to Moscow made an emergency landing on Dec. 8 following an apparent engine fire (english.nv.ua) More...