Author: FlyMarshall Newsroom

The U.S. Air Force leaned into a dual-track training program for the new VC-25B, leveraging civilian 747-8s and a newly acquired $400 million training fleet. The U.S. Air Force is one step closer to fielding its next presidential transport. Aircrews are now undergoing specialized training for the Boeing 747-8, the base airframe slated to replace the current aging Air Force One fleet. The training milestone marks a pivotal shift in the services’ efforts to modernize the presidential transport mission away from aging Reagan-era airframes. While the Boeing-led conversion of the primary VC-25B aircraft remains delayed by years and faces mounting…

After an official announcement at Leonardo’s Yeovil plant on Feb. 26 was scrubbed at the last minute, it is now reported that the UK Treasury has finally given the delay-plagued program its approval.  At least 23 AW149 helicopters will be built at Leonardo’s Yeovil helicopter factory, which the company has repeatedly said would be at risk of closure without new contracts, in a deal worth £1 billion.After an official announcement at Leonardo’s Yeovil plant on Feb. 26 was scrubbed at the last minute, it is now reported that the UK Treasury has finally given the delay-plagued program its approval. AW149 Exclusive.…

According to congressional aides and US lawmakers, a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) drone mistakenly shot down a US military laser-based counter-drone system near Fort Hancock, Texas, thereby prompting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to expand flight restrictions along the US-Mexico border.   The FAA issued an expanded temporary flight restriction (TFR) around Fort Hancock for “special security reasons,” with the restriction listed as running through June 24, 2026, though such NOTAM timelines can be revised or lifted earlier.   FAA, Pentagon, CBP cite “seemingly threatening” unmanned aircraft  In a joint statement, the FAA, Pentagon, and CBP said that the military used counter-unmanned aircraft authorities to address a “seemingly threatening” unmanned aerial system operating within…

The National Transportation Safety Board has issued a safety alert warning first responders about on-scene hazards posed by ballistic parachute recovery systems when the rocket that deploys the parachute does not fire before or during impact.   In Safety Alert SA-102, the NTSB said ballistic parachute recovery systems, or BPRS, are “rocket-powered parachutes installed on some airplanes as an optional safety device” designed to help an airplane descend gradually during an in-flight emergency. But the agency warned that “they pose a hazard to first responders at an accident site if the rocket did not activate before or during ground impact.”    The…

Emirates SkyCargo has announced that it is to deploy two additional weekly freighter aircraft to India starting in March 2026, expanding cargo capacity as trade volumes grow between the UAE and India. The cargo division will launch a new weekly freighter to Mumbai on March 4, 2026, operating via Dubai and Singapore, plus a direct weekly freighter to Ahmedabad in March. A dedicated weekly freighter to Dhaka, Bangladesh, will also begin in April 2026. Current operations and trade volumes Emirates currently operates three weekly freighters to India: one to Mumbai and two to Ahmedabad, alongside bellyhold capacity on 167 passenger…

Private jet operator HansJet has taken pet care to a whole new level by training each one of its Pilatus PC-12 pilots to double as vets when flying with customers’ furry friends. The European private jet specialist confirmed that all its pilots had completed comprehensive pet aviation safety training and certification through ‘Pets On Jets’, a veterinary training program designed specifically with aviation professionals in mind. Under the program, the HansJet pilots have been trained across seven core disciplines, including basic competence in animal handling across species and creation of stress-free environments tailored to the needs of individual pets. They…

By Bjorn Fehrm and Henry Tam. February 27, 2026, ©. Leeham News: Last week, we looked at the development timeline for Part 25 airliner programs to reach Entry Into Service (EIS) after launch, Figure 1. We can see that development times have doubled from the 1960s to the 1980s, compared with development since the year 2000. The main change is the complexity of the aircraft, both in terms of highly optimized structures using new materials and avionics/flight control systems with many software code lines that require extensive verification. We concluded that modern toolchains, with the capability to produce so-called Digital…

René Armas Maes is a strategic advisor specializing in commercial development and strategy, with a focus on revenue optimization and margin enhancement.   As part of founding teams, he contributed to building a VIP business aviation operation from inception in the UAE and supported restructuring initiatives in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.  The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of AeroTime.  Accurately sizing a charter market requires more than relying on a single dataset or metric. The UAE-UK corridor functions as a bidirectional charter market, with material activity…

A five-year-old Colorado boy’s passion for aviation has led to an unexpected discovery that caught the attention of Southwest Airlines. The boy’s keen attention to detail earned him a VIP tour of the company’s headquarters. William Hines, a pre-kindergarten student, has been fascinated by airplanes and mechanical systems since infancy. His mother, Amber Hines, told CNN that his curiosity about how things work became apparent during “tummy time” (a period when babies spend brief periods lying on their stomach to strengthen neck and back muscles), when he would study wheel movements and disassemble toy cars to understand their mechanisms. William’s…

Qantas Airways is set to open its first overseas cabin crew base in Singapore in September 2026, marking a significant expansion of the Australian carrier’s international operations as it strengthens its position at one of Asia’s busiest aviation hubs. The airline intends to recruit 120 cabin crew members during the first year of operations, with ambitions to scale the Singapore base to 650 staff within five years. The positions will be available exclusively to Singapore citizens and permanent residents, with job advertisements going live on February 27, 2026. Network efficiency and operational strategy According to Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace,…