There is an old axiom among pilots that says the three most useless things in aviation are fuel on the ground, air above, and runway behind. In the context of “runway behind,” similar themes thread through many runway excursions: an unstabilized approach, an attempt to salvage it instead of making a go-around, a short final too hot and high, a touchdown too long and too fast, improper use of braking and other slowing systems, and a delayed or improper decision leading to being unable to stop the aircraft before running out of control, options, and, ultimately, runway.

These scenarios were found in an AIN review of 164 excursions (33 percent) out of a total of 494 reported accidents and incidents of a selected group of aircraft make and models starting from the year when these airframes entered service.

Entrepreneur, pilot, commercial astronaut, and SpaceX Inspiration4 crew member Jared "Rook" Isaacman spoke to BJT at the recent NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas.

This was not the magazine's first encounter with Isaacman, who first talked with us in 2011. That's when he told us the amazing story of how he dropped out of high school at age 16 and founded the company that made him a billionaire.

Things went from bad to worse at Wheels Up in May, even as interim CEO Todd Smith had assured investors and the media that the company was positioned for a rebound. After the stock shed an additional 21 percent on May 9, financial network CNBC reported that the company is consulting with bankruptcy advisers and that Warren Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate owns NetJets, said he thought “there’s a good chance” that Wheels Up customers who prepaid for block hours “are going to be disappointed later on.”

Even as Wheels Up announced a first-quarter loss of $101 million, Wall Street eyebrows were further raised by the exit package crafted for outgoing CEO and founder Kenny Dichter. According to a Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) by the company, Dichter will receive his $80,000 monthly base salary for the next two years plus an immediate lump-sum payment of $3 million. He will also receive any additional bonus for 2023 on a pro-rata basis and 100 jet flight hours in Wheels Up aircraft and will remain in the company’s health plan. 

After a long delay, Malaysia has chosen the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) Fighting Eagle for its Light Combat Aircraft/Fighter Lead-In Trainer (LCA/FLIT) requirement. The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) made its choice in mid-2022, but the procurement was not confirmed until three months after a new government took power last November.

KAI said the order for 18 FA-50s was worth $920 million and that deliveries would begin in 2026. The Korean jet was preferred to three other contenders: the Indian Tejas, Sino-Pakistani JF-17, and Russian MiG-35. The RMAF retired its squadron of MiG-29s in 2017 without a replacement. That has left the service with two combat aircraft squadrons, one flying Sukhoi Su-27s and the other with Boeing F/A-18D Hornets, but the latter comprises only six aircraft, and the RMAF has been eyeing similar jets that are being retired by the Kuwait air force.

New York to Beijing nonstop at Mach .85. Shorter hops—up to 6,400 nautical miles—at Mach .90. And a top speed of Mach .925. Those are the capabilities offered by the $75 million, 7,500-nm-range G700, which Gulfstream unveiled in 2019 and expects to enter service shortly. 

Gulfstream’s new long-range, 107,600-pound (maximum takeoff weight) flagship builds on the success of the G650 and G650ER, offering the widest, tallest, and longest serial production bizjet cabin in the sky. The G700’s long legs and increased capabilities and comfort are derived from engines, curved winglets, avionics, flight controls, a flight deck, a cabin, and seating that build on the modern systems and design philosophy employed by its smaller G500 and G600 stablemates.

Vertical Aerospace has yet to comment on how damage to its eVTOL prototype aircraft during an August 9 flight test might impact its timeline for achieving type certification for the four-passenger vehicle by the end of 2026. The company has acknowledged that the first VX4 prototype was involved in “an incident” during untethered, remotely piloted flight testing at Cotswold Airport in the UK and reported that no one was injured.

Several photos of the VX4 circulating online show what appears to be significant damage to the starboard wing, as well as to one or more of the tilting propellers and electric motors, and part of the landing gear. 

A pilot with a revoked FAA airman certificate was serving as pilot-in-command of a Dassault Falcon 900EX EASy when it crashed off the end of the runway at San Diego Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport after he was unable to obtain rotation during takeoff. The aircraft was substantially damaged in the Feb. 13, 2021 accident, but all six occupants escaped without injury.

According to the NTSB's recently published final report, the pilot flying did not hold any pilot certificates at the time of the accident because they had been revoked in February 2019 due to falsification of logbook data. While employed as a check pilot for a Part 135 operator, he falsified logbook entries and records for pilot proficiency checks, competency checks, and training events on 15 separate occasions.

Protest Damage to Aircraft and Illegal Charters Fuel Insurance Concerns 

NTSB: Pilots’ Race To Land Led to Gulfstream G150 Overrun 

Private Jet Provider Wheels Up Sees Stock Plunge on Bankruptcy Rumors  

NTSB Releases Safety Alert on the Risks of Circle-to-Land Instrument Approaches 

Report: Air Methods Considering Bankruptcy 

Turkey Unveils MMU Fifth-gen Fighter and Anka-3 Unmanned Combat UAV

NTSB: Maintenance Implicated in Fatal Beechcraft King Air C90 Crash 

Air Crane Lands on Pickup Truck