The Spirit of Santa Monica presents Douglas Day 2025, a free community celebration honoring Santa Monica’s legacy of aviation innovation and community resilience on Sept. 21.
Aircraft
Fly Kansas Air Tour prepares for takeoff
Stops on this year’s tour include airports in Wellington, Anthony, Strother Field, Augusta, Eureka, Parsons, Emporia, Herington, and Salina.
Sling Pilot Academy integrates AI into flight training
The collaboration will bring NAVI AI’s tools directly into the hands of student pilots and instructors, supporting everything from ground school preparation to real-time flight analytics and post-flight debriefs, according to officials with Sling Pilot Academy.
Pilot accidentally moves fuel selector to off
Probable Cause: Fuel starvation due to the pilot’s incorrect movement of the fuel selector valve to OFF, which resulted in a loss of engine power.
Picture of the Day: Seaplanes in Russia
Sergei aka asa34 submitted this photo and note: “Large aviation holidays have become more frequent. Here is a photo shot of one in Penza, Russia, of the seaplanes that attended. I also participated in my Tobago Socata TB10.”
A community celebration of aviation
Watsonville Municipal Airport (KWVI) in California has a rich aviation history that has evolved over several decades. Having last visited in 2013, I was curious to see the current incarnation of the airport’s annual fly-in, renamed Fire in the Sky: Watsonville Airport Open House.
Proposed rules would give drones right of way under 400 feet AGL
An analysis of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking released in August 2025 aimed at enabling enabling autonomous unmanned aerial system (UAS) operations beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) shows the proposed rule will have implications for all users of the National Airspace System “in ways large and small,” according to officials with the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA).
Bristell B23 gets FAA nod
The two-seat Bristell B23 from BRM AERO has received Type Certification from the FAA under Part 23 regulations, “marking the first certified variant in the company’s B23 series and opening new opportunities in the rapidly expanding U.S. pilot training market,” said officials with the Czech Republic-based company.
Picture of the Day: It’s an uphill journey
Nathan Mackey submitted this photo and note: “An H-295 Helio Super Courier from JAARS Inc. in Waxhaw, N.C., taxis up to the top of Strawberry Ridge airstrip in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The airstrip, which is just 1,150 feet long, has a significant slope on the last half of Runway 8. The pilot must basically employ full power to get to the top of the airstrip, turn around, and take off downhill. This strip and others like it are used as a ‘final exam’ for JAARS pilots who are completing their training and then will await their overseas assignments.”