Also: F-15 Rescue, Hartzell Top Prop, TSA Shoe Policy, SnF26 Morning Brief/Airborne Schedule! Air Tractor Holdings has announced it has acquired the stock of Thrush Aircraft, LLC., creating a powerhouse in the aerial application industry while maintaining the independent operations of both brands. “This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. It’s the best path forward to ensure the long-term sustainability of Thrush and Air Tractor,” said Jim Hirsch, Air Tractor CEO. “Air Tractor and Thrush will continue to operate as separate entities just as they do now…” ALL next week, Aero-News serves as SUN n FUN’s official media partner, with a number of special features and services. Among them is the Morning Brief., which goes live each morning at 0900ET with news, data, and interviews to guide you through each SnF26 day — at www.airborne-live.net. The FAA is desperate to get ATC staffing levels back to normal, requesting $95.4 million of the fiscal 2027 budget to bring on 2,300 new air traffic controller trainees. This is one part of a broader effort to close a gap that currently sits at roughly 3,500 fully certified controllers below target. One of the Air Force’s autonomous fighter candidates has been temporarily grounded after a takeoff incident in the California desert on April 6, marking the first, yet likely not the last, crash of the program. The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) YFQ-42A Dark Merlin is one of two being developed under the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. All this — and MORE in today’s episode of Airborne-Unlimited!!!
