Aviation news and analysis with Tower. FAA policy changes, industry trends, safety data, and what the headlines mean for the pilots who fly every day.
How metal fatigue tore the roof off Aloha Flight 243 at 24,000 feet in 1988 - and what it means for every pilot today.
Argentina has retired the Super Étendard, the Exocet-armed strike jet that sank HMS Sheffield in 1982, ending nearly 40 years of service.
Boom Supersonic's XB-1 broke the sound barrier over Mojave with no boom reaching the ground - here's what it means for civil supersonic flight.
Norway reversed its HH-60W purchase to pursue up to 21 UH-60M Black Hawks in a deal valued at up to $2.3 billion.
On a back course, a raw CDI reverse-senses - fly away from the needle; set the front course on an HSI and it flies normally.
Saab unveiled an uncrewed combat air system on Aug 22, 2026, joining the loyal wingman race that will shape civil airspace within years.
SyberJet says its SJ30-2 light jet set a coast-to-coast speed record on Aug 21, 2026 - here's what that claim actually means for pilots.
German startup Polaris flew the Cobra 600, a jet-powered drone built to launch IRIS-T air-to-air missiles, on August 22, 2026.
A laptop battery fire on an American Airlines flight burned four people - here's what lithium cells do when they fail and how pilots should prepare.
Radio Hangar explores The Navy Reveals the Aim Four Twenty-Four Malice, America's Answer to the Long-Range Air-to-Air Gap.
Yes - you can fly a visual go-around off an instrument approach, as long as you communicate and square away your IFR clearance first.
China's Shaanxi Y-15 tactical airlifter appears in the clearest photos yet, revealing a four-turboprop design built for rough, short-field military cargo runs.
Density altitude can make a 5,000-foot runway perform like 9,000 feet on a hot day - here's how to compute it and fly safely.
Under MOSAIC, legacy airplanes are cheaper to buy but variable to own, while new-builds cost far more upfront with predictable ownership.
Saab unveiled the A3-001 unmanned fighter and aims to fly a demonstrator within 18 months - here's what it means for pilots.
The six things every piston pilot should brief passengers before flight, and why skipping them causes preventable ramp accidents.
The FAA is expanding BasicMed to 12,500 lbs and seven occupants - but the rule isn't in effect yet. Here's what changes and what to watch.
How a 1990s-era FAA database triggered the first nationwide ground stop since 9/11 - and why NOTAMs still can't be legally skipped.
The leaded avgas era is ending by 2030 under the EAGLE plan - here's what the unleaded transition means for your airplane and fuel supply.
Basic VFR out of a Class Delta needs 3 miles and standard cloud clearances - but Special VFR can legally drop that to 1 mile, clear of clouds.