Also: Emergency Notice for Embraer, 7 Organic Molecules On Mars, Drone Interferes w/Rescue, Piper Diode Cooler The Air Force is extending the life of the A-10 Thunderbolt II attack plane until at least 2030, pausing the service’s plan to retire the close air support aircraft amid active combat in the Middle East. The move spares the aging but beloved close air-support aircraft, which has played an important role in Iran, from an earlier retirement deadline of 2026. Elixir Aircraft introduced the Elixir+ at the opening of AERO Friedrichshafen April 22, which introduces modifications designed to improve the flight trainer, alongside further modifications to make it more suitable for launch into the U.S. market later this year. The Elixir+ marks a new milestone in the development of the 4th generation aircraft, dual-certified by EASA and the FAA. Blue Origin has been forced to put flights of its New Glenn rocket on pause after a launch that mostly worked… up until it didn’t. The issue came during the upper stage portion of the mission, where the vehicle failed to push its payload into the intended orbit. The FAA quickly stepped in, classifying the event as a mishap and grounding the rocket until an investigation proves the rocket is ready to return to flight. All this — and MORE in today’s episode of Airborne-Unlimited!!!
