Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio, has purchased an Alia CX300 electric airplane and flight simulator from Beta Technologies to begin training student pilots and technicians on electric aircraft. In partnership with Beta, the public college intends to establish a framework for students and professional clients to earn credentials in electric aircraft systems, operations, and maintenance by participating in familiarization training.

UrbanLink has increased its order for Regent Craft’s all-electric seagliders to 47 Viceroys, up from the 27 it ordered last September. The South Florida advanced air mobility start-up plans to use the Viceroy vehicles to transport passengers in South Florida and Puerto Rico, with first deliveries expected in 2027.

Archer Aviation has been designated the official air taxi provider for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games and Team USA, the company announced on May 15. This means athletes, VIPs, and some visitors will have the opportunity to fly on Archer’s Midnight eVTOL aircraft to travel to and from key venues, including SoFi Stadium and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. According to Archer, the Midnight aircraft could potentially also support security and emergency services during the event.

Lawmakers in the House and Senate have introduced companion bills to pave the way for the return of supersonic operations. House aviation subcommittee chair Troy Nehls (R-Texas) and Senate Commerce Committee member Ted Budd (R-North Carolina) introduced the Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act in their respective chambers, calling on the FAA to issue or revise regulations within one year to permit operations at speeds of Mach 1 or more over land in the U.S. without special authorizations as long as no sonic boom reaches the ground.

For years in the latter part of the 20th and early 21st century, aircraft OEMs and start-up firms fielded supersonic business jet designs that never went further than highly detailed concepts. One of those designs, the Spike Aerospace Spike S-512, which was never built nor took flight, has been resurrected by company founder, president, and CEO Vik Kachoria.

German regional airline start-up Evia Aero has agreed to buy six of the hydrogen-electric powered versions of the Beech 1900D twin turboprop being developed by Australia’s Stralis Aircraft. The agreement, announced by the companies on May 14, covers options for another 10 of the Beech 1900D-HE model, for which the Hamburg-based operator will be the European launch customer.

Sikorsky and firetech developer Rain have demonstrated and tested the helicopter manufacturer’s Matrix autonomy system and Rain’s wildfire suppression planning software in a Black Hawk helicopter on a propane fire and burning brush piles. The testing took place in late April in Southern California and “familiarized firefighters with the potential of autonomy to help crewed and uncrewed firefighting helicopters find and suppress early-stage wildfires,” according to Sikorsky.

Horizon Aircraft’s hybrid-electric Cavorite X7 eVTOL aircraft prototype has notched a flight-testing milestone with its first successful transition from vertical lift to fully wingborne cruise flight. According to Horizon, it is the first aircraft to achieve this feat using a fan-in-wing design.