Author: FlyMarshall Newsroom

Hypersonics startup Hermeus announced on April 7, 2026, that it has closed a $350 million Series C round.  This capital injection, which is structured as $200 million in equity and $150 million in debt, brings the total capital raised to $500 million and the company’s valuation to the $1 billion mark (what is known as a “unicorn” in venture capital parlance).   The new funding round has been led by prominent Silicon Valley venture capital firm Khosla Ventures, with the participation of Canaan Partners, Founders Fund, RTX Ventures, Bling Capital, and In-Q-Tel. Other investors, such as Cox Enterprises, Socium Ventures, Destiny…

Qantas Freight touched down in Singapore’s Changi Airport (SIN) for the first time as a dedicated freighter operator on April 3, 2026, marking a quiet but meaningful expansion of the Australian carrier’s cargo ambitions across Asia Pacific. The twice-weekly service uses an Airbus A330 freighter between Sydney, Shanghai, and Singapore every Friday and Sunday. Each flight carries upward of 50 tons of cargo capacity, a notable bump for shippers moving goods between Australia, China, and Southeast Asia. Until now, Qantas had relied solely on belly-hold space aboard its passenger jets to move freight through Singapore. The new dedicated freighter changes…

The second of STARLUX Airlines’ aircraft decorated with the eye-catching AIRSORAYAMA special livery was spotted in Toulouse, France, as it came out of the paint shop.  The fuselage and engines of this aircraft, an Airbus A350-1000, have been fully covered in gold paint, which gives it a unique metallic appearance.  This is the second aircraft of the series of special liveries designed by Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama for the Taiwanese airline.   The first livery of the AIRSORAYAMA series, which sports the same style but using silver paint, was spotted rolling out of the Toulouse paint shop on March 11, 2026. …

Vertical Aerospace has successfully completed the first piloted thrust-borne flight transition of its full-scale eVTOL demonstrator. The flight took place on April 2, 2026, although it was officially announced four days later.  During the flight, which was conducted at Vertical Aerospace’s test area at Cotswold Airport (GBA) in southwest England under the supervision of the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the aircraft took off vertically and tilted its rotors into a horizontal position for the cruise stage of the flight.  This movement is the first half of the two-way transition sequence, which involves switching seamlessly between vertical and horizontal flight…

Belgium has ordered five Cessna SkyCourier turboprops for its Special Operations Forces, becoming the first European military customer for the twin-engine utility aircraft.  Textron Aviation announced the contract on April 7, 2026, describing the selection as the SkyCourier’s “launch into the global defense market”. The aircraft will support troop transport, logistics, casualty evacuation, and crisis response missions.  A decade-long requirement  The order has roots stretching back nearly a decade. Belgium’s 2016 “Vision stratégique” defense white paper first outlined the need for STOL-capable light aircraft to support special forces insertions, extractions, and resupply. The requirement initially called for four aircraft, but that number grew to five by the time a procurement decision was reached in late…

Job Air Technic, one of Europe’s leading providers of aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, and a subsidiary of the FL Technics Group, has appointed Jakub Dvořák as Chief Executive Officer with effect from 1 May. He will succeed the current CEO, Imrich Czére.  “Imrich has played an important role in leading Job Air Technic over the past two years and supporting its development Job Air Technic,” said Zilvinas Lapinskas, CEO of FL Technics Group. “We thank him for his contribution and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.” Jakub Dvořák has been appointed as new CEO…

Not all airplanes have the same takeoff distance. Also known as obstacle clearance takeoff distance, takeoff distance is the total horizontal distance an airplane requires to accelerate and take off to a specific altitude — typically 35 to 50 feet — from a standstill. Some airplanes have a takeoff distance of just 3,000 or 4,000 feet, whereas others have a takeoff distance of over 8,000 feet. What factors affect takeoff distance exactly? Aircraft Weight One of the most influential factors in takeoff distance is aircraft weight. Heavy airplanes typically have a longer takeoff distance than lighter airplanes. They require more…

Four Seasons recently got into the cruising business (or at least the business of licensing out its name for a cruising venture), with the launch of Four Seasons Yachts. The company’s first ship has set sail as of March 2026, with voyages in the Mediterranean in summer, and Caribbean in winter. There’s a lot that makes Four Seasons Yachts unique, from the unparalleled amount of space dedicated to each passenger, to the plan to primarily tender guests into port (rather than using cruise terminals), to the pricing model for cruises. In this post, I’d like to take a look at…

Make of these comments what you will, but I really think things could heat up in the very near future… On CNBC today, United States Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was asked to comment on how there’s growing chatter about one of the “big four” US carriers potentially acquiring another airline. Specifically, this was in the context of the bulk of the industry profits being with two airlines, and the oil price situation making things even worse for airlines. Here’s how Duffy responded: “That’s going to come through us, but also President Trump loves to see big deals happen, he would…

“Artemis II is the start of something bigger than any one mission. It marks our return to the Moon, not just to visit, but to eventually stay on our Moon Base, and lays the foundation for the next giant leaps ahead.” Source: NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, commenting as NASA is officially making moves to put astronauts back on the Moon, launching a crew on the first lunar flyby mission since Apollo 17 in 1972. Artemis II lifted off at 6:35 pm on April 1 from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B to begin the 10-day mission.