Elan Head

Hyundai eVTOL subsidiary Supernal lays off most of its staff in major retrenchment The struggling eVTOL developer will retain a skeleton crew in California focused on aircraft design.

Hyundai eVTOL subsidiary Supernal lays off most of its staff in major retrenchment theaircurrent.com/feed/dispatc... (via @elanhead.com) #staycurrent

Where in the World is Steve Giordano Podcast Episode · The Air Show · February 20 · 41m

This episode of @theairshowpodcast.com was a little different this week. We welcome Nomadic’s Steve Giordano of Cockpit Casual fame to the show and got to ask him about The Rehearsal and flying with Nathan Fielder. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Winter has grounded Ukraine's interceptor drones, gutting Kyiv's air defense From his base near the hotly contested town of Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, Vladyslav has, by his own estimates, downed upwards of 60 Russian drones using Ukrainian interceptor drones over the past...

"An interceptor drone was an effective device in good meteorological conditions — not in -20°, not in snow, not in rain. This merits attention," Anatolii Khrapchynsky, an aviation expert and reservist in the Ukrainian Air Force, told the Kyiv Independent.

The Sahara Desert Hasn’t Always Been a Dry, Desolate Landscape. Some Scientists See Signs It May Be Greening Again Petroglyphs on sandstone at a national park in Chad bear witness to wildlife that once roamed the area before the continent’s water largely receded 6,000 years ago. Could it return?

The Sahara Desert Hasn’t Always Been a Dry, Desolate Landscape. Some Scientists See Signs It May Be Greening Again.

www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

@thesundaylongread.bsky.social

How clashes between Sean Duffy and Bryan Bedford intensified FAA's year of turmoil ATC modernization and internal restructurings occurring amid tension between FAA and DOT chiefs

NEW from me: Clashes between FAA chief Bryan Bedford and Transpo. Sec. Sean Duffy have intensified a year of turmoil at the U.S. aviation regulator.

Tons of details on the 1DOT move and internal re-org in here, too:

More on @theaircurrent.com: theaircurrent.com/regulation/b...

Xcert AI wants to save human experts time, not replace them Startup’s v1 release focuses on requirements generation and document creation for aerospace certification, using LLMs with human involvement.

Xcert AI wants to save human experts time, not replace them theaircurrent.com/feed/dispatc... (via @elanhead.com) #staycurrent

NENA | 99 Luftballons [1983] [Offizielles HD Musikvideo] YouTube video by NENA

m.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpu5...

V-22 Ospreys have serious unresolved safety risks, NAVAIR review confirms X-53 inclusion risk previously reported by TAC is just one of many outstanding safety concerns for the V-22

Via @thedewline.bsky.social, a Marine Corps Osprey made an emergency landing on Feb. 3 due to a gearbox crack: aviationweek.com/defense/budg...

Context: theaircurrent.com/aviation-saf...

Newcomer ERC, now flight testing, keeps Germany’s eVTOL dreams alive Munich-based startup continues legacy of the country’s early eVTOL hopefuls with alumni from Lilium, Volocopter and Airbus

Newcomer ERC, now flight testing, keeps Germany’s eVTOL dreams alive theaircurrent.com/aircraft-dev... (via @elanhead.com) #staycurrent

The Air Current is always looking for great journalists to expand our coverage of aviation, aerospace, defense, manufacturing, and everything adjacent. If you're curious what that might look and feel like for your next act, please reach out.

How a Solar Impulse spinoff cleared a major battery certification hurdle A battery testing milestone by Swiss startup H55 advances the broader electric aviation industry.

How a Solar Impulse spinoff cleared a major battery certification hurdle theaircurrent.com/aircraft-dev... (via @elanhead.com) #staycurrent

How a Solar Impulse spinoff cleared a major battery certification hurdle A battery testing milestone by Swiss startup H55 advances the broader electric aviation industry.

The electric aviation industry has downplayed the challenges associated with certifying large lithium propulsion batteries, but it’s been a topic of intense negotiation behind the scenes. A milestone announced this week by H55 moves the entire industry forward: theaircurrent.com/aircraft-dev...

#40: Guardian Flight, the FAA & Three Fatality Crashes Guardian Flight crashed in 2019, 2022 & 2023; eleven people died.

Newsletter is out - this one on air ambulance operator Guardian Flight. I'm working on a lot of DCA midair and FAA stuff but we talk way too little about medevac, which is Part 135, and so I spent some time on these accidents. colleenmondor.substack.com/p/40-guardia...

Urged to develop guidance for identifying drunk passengers, FAA instead tasks operators with the job An NTSB recommendation stemming from the fatal FlyNYON helicopter crash in 2018 is only partially addressed by a recent FAA Information For Operators publication.

For more than six years, the NTSB has recommended that the FAA develop guidance to help pilots identify intoxicated passengers like the one whose actions precipitated the fatal FlyNYON helicopter crash in New York City in 2018. Now the FAA is passing the buck: verticalmag.com/news/urged-t...

Special Report: The night everything at DCA finally went wrong D.C. midair crash was the result of a complete collapse of the protections designed to keep aviation safe — and the institutions that design and maintain them

If you only read one article on the D.C. midair collision one year ago today (and oh boy are there some you shouldn't read) this is the one. From the inimitable @willguisbond.com theaircurrent.com/aviation-saf...

Member Graham: "There will be some times where individual errors may be noted throughout the course of the day in relation to this accident. But I want to make it crystal clear any individual shortcomings were set up for failure by the systems around them."

Follow along here and on @theaircurrent.com today as the investigation into one of the worst aviation tragedies in years comes to an end. I’ll be live blogging from the hearing room all day.

The accountability problem exposed by the first Garmin Autoland deployment Garmin and the FAA expected Autoland would be used following pilot incapacitation, an assumption that was overturned in December. What happens now?

The accountability problem exposed by the first Garmin Autoland deployment theaircurrent.com/aviation-saf... (via @elanhead.com) #staycurrent

Jeppesen ForeFlight CEO cites automation and AI in justification for layoffs Company completes first strategic restructuring since being spun off from Boeing

New from me: Jeppesen ForeFlight CEO cites automation and AI in justification for layoffs

A tumultuous week for a company many pilots know very well.

Read more on @theaircurrent.com:

theaircurrent.com/feed/dispatc...

In UPS crash, NTSB probing MD-11 engine mount issue first identified by Boeing in 2011 Rare mid-investigation update sheds light on previously disclosed engine attachment cracks

In UPS crash, NTSB probing MD-11 engine mount issue first identified by Boeing in 2011 theaircurrent.com/feed/dispatc... (via @willguisbond.com & @elanhead.com) #staycurrent

FAA formally warns operators of safety risks associated with faulty space launches Warning follows high-profile launch incidents that affected commercial flights over the Caribbean

BREAKING: FAA officially warns operators of risks associated with falling debris from faulty space launches, something it says “could significantly reduce safety.”

via @theaircurrent.com theaircurrent.com/feed/dispatc...

FAA delays release of safety continuum for eVTOL aircraft Final powered-lift safety continuum document now expected in mid-2026

FAA delays release of safety continuum for eVTOL aircraft theaircurrent.com/feed/dispatc... (via @elanhead.com) #staycurrent

Disabled passengers, airport wheelchairs and the pernicious myth of “Jetway Jesus” Clickbait hacks aside, perpetuating inaccuracies about disabled passengers and wheelchair users is wrong — and counterproductive for aviation

This 2,500-word feature article — and all our writing on disability and accessibility in air travel — is open to all for free on @theupfront.media.

An enormous thank you to our subscribers for funding our work.

theupfront.media/disabled-pas...

This was an awesome read and reporting like this is why I shell out for @theaircurrent.com, something I swear @jonostrower.com isn't giving me any kickbacks for saying.

Special Report: The night everything at DCA finally went wrong D.C. midair crash was the result of a complete collapse of the protections designed to keep aviation safe — and the institutions that design and maintain them

Special Report: The night everything at DCA finally went wrong theaircurrent.com/aviation-saf... (via @willguisbond.com) #staycurrent

Special Report: The night everything at DCA finally went wrong D.C. midair crash was the result of a complete collapse of the protections designed to keep aviation safe — and the institutions that design and maintain them

For the last few months, I've been working on a story about January's crash near Washington, D.C. What I learned was that it was simply an accident waiting to happen.

Special Report: The night everything at DCA finally went wrong (via @theaircurrent.com) theaircurrent.com/aviation-saf...

Almost 16 years to the day since the first flight of the 787 Dreamliner, Boeing has finally flown an all-new commercial aircraft — this one with four passenger seats and no pilot.

A bigger take from @theaircurrent.com on what this milestone means for the 797. Spoiler: A lot.

V-22 Ospreys have serious unresolved safety risks, NAVAIR review confirms X-53 inclusion risk previously reported by TAC is just one of many outstanding safety concerns for the V-22

V-22 Ospreys have serious unresolved safety risks, NAVAIR review confirms theaircurrent.com/aviation-saf... (via @elanhead.com) #staycurrent

The Air Current App - App Store Download The Air Current by JAO Aero Media LLC on the App Store. See screenshots, ratings and reviews, user tips, and more games like The Air Current.

So, what do you all think of the new @theaircurrent.com app? Keen to hear your feedback. apps.apple.com/us/app/the-a...

Tracking the helicopter certification slowdown: causes and consequences Certifying new rotorcraft technology has become increasingly challenging, particularly in the U.S. What’s the hold-up?

Why are helicopter folks so skeptical of eVTOL developers' projected certification timelines? In part, it's because the 🚁 industry has struggled to get even basic safety upgrades certified by the FAA in recent years, as I wrote about for Vertical Magazine: verticalmag.com/features/tra...