Also: Commercial Airline Pay, EAA Learn-To-Fly Week, AF Pilot Incentives, Flexjet Buys Gulfstreams AOPA released Rules for the May 12th Annual Meeting. The rules arrive at a moment of heightened scrutiny following months of controversy and internal concern, and in that context, several provisions stand out. Member participation, for example, is sharply constrained. Only 20 members will be permitted to speak during a designated feedback session, each limited to two minutes, with access granted on a first-come, first-served basis for those attending in person. For an organization representing a substantial national membership, that effectively reduces direct member input. After a very brief but very real scare, Sonex Aviation is back in operation… and it claims to have learned its lesson. The beloved sportplane maker will be running under new ownership this time around, picking up where it left off with production of its brand-new High Wing kit. The Oshkosh-based company announced its initial closure in a March 27 video message from owner Mark Schaible, citing a “perfect storm” of declining sales, rising production costs, and mounting debt, even amid the much-anticipated release of its Highwing kit. Spirit Airlines has shut down after failing to get a $500 Million bailout from the Trump administration to keep operating. “It is with great disappointment that on May 2, 2026, Spirit Airlines started an orderly wind-down of our operations, effective immediately,” the carrier said in an online statement early Saturday morning. All this — and MORE in today’s episode of Airborne-Unlimited!!!
