Also: Bombardier’s Mach 0.95 Jet, Bristell Upgrade, Leonardo M-346, Happy Holiday! The effort to reunite a plane with its pilot has continued to rise through the ranks, reaching federal levels in a recent letter to the DoT and the Department of the Interior. The agencies are being asked to step in after a Stinson 108 was emergency-landed and held captive on the tribal land in northern Minnesota. The request centers on a 1946 Stinson 108 owned by Darrin Smedsmo which was flying over the Red Lake Indian Reservation toward Bemidji for training when his engine suffered a catastrophic failure, forcing a landing on Minnesota Highway 1. An early-morning aircraft theft at Van Nuys Airport (VNY) ended quickly, and surprisingly without leaving the ground, when a stolen LA Flight Academy Cessna 172 crashed into the side of a hangar. Authorities say the training aircraft struck the building while taxiing. Jared “Rook” Isaacman was sworn in on December 18, 2025, as the 15th Administrator of NASA by District Judge Timothy J. Kelly. Isaacman took the oath during a ceremony held at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C. In his new role, Isaacman will lead the agency in its pursuit of exploration, scientific discovery, and innovation. All this — and MORE in today’s episode of Airborne-Unlimited!!!
