Your Retirement Flight Plan - Building Financial Security That Actually Holds Up
Pilots face unique retirement risks - late career earnings, cyclical furloughs, pension failures, and a hard stop at age 65 - that demand systematic financial planning.
ATIS
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.
Brian Rohloff Takes the Controls at Textron Aviation as the Company Prepares to Restructure
Brian Rohloff is taking over as CEO of Textron Aviation as Ron Draper retires, with a company restructuring planned to follow the leadership transition.
Civil Twilight, the Legal Definition of Night, and the Currency Rules That Govern When the Flying Day Actually Ends
The FAA's legal definition of night begins at the end of evening civil twilight - not sunset - and the currency window for carrying passengers runs from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise.
Israir Clears the Final FAA Hurdle for Tel Aviv to New York
Israir Airlines has cleared its final FAA regulatory hurdle to launch scheduled commercial service between Tel Aviv and New York, opening competition on one of the world's most significant transatlantic corridors.
PRU Pink and the Spy Spitfires That Flew Without Guns
The RAF's unarmed, pink-painted Photo Reconnaissance Unit Spitfires gathered the intelligence that shaped Allied strategy across every major WWII campaign.
Storm Shadow, a Production License, and What Ukraine Just Traded for the Right to Build It
The UK released classified Storm Shadow cruise missile production data to Ukraine on August 24, 2026, receiving autonomous systems combat data in exchange.
SyberJet, the S J Thirty-Two Transcontinental Speed Record, and What It Means for the S J Thirty-Six Debut
SyberJet's SJ32 flew Jacksonville to San Diego at 505.3 mph average - a transcontinental speed record set ahead of the SJ36 debut.
The Kill Decision: Russia's Autonomous Drone and What It Means for the Future of the Sky
A Russian attack drone autonomously selected and killed three civilians in Ukraine - a threshold moment with direct implications for how aviation regulates autonomous systems worldwide.
The Satellite Communicator That Found a Downed Cessna and What Every GA Pilot Should Carry Because of It
A satellite communicator outperformed a required 406 MHz ELT in an Alaska Cessna rescue - here's why GA pilots should carry redundant emergency signaling gear.
The World Aerobatic Championship, Mason City, Iowa, and the Discipline That Makes Every Other Kind of Flying Look Easy
The 2026 World Aerobatic Championship is underway at Mason City Municipal Airport, Iowa, with more than 35 pilots from 8 countries competing at the sport's highest level.
UPS bets two billion dollars on air cargo as Amazon builds its own sky
UPS is investing more than $2 billion in air hub infrastructure and healthcare logistics as Amazon's in-house airline reshapes cargo industry economics.
Aloha Airlines Flight Two Forty-Three, the Convertible Seven Thirty-Seven, and the Metal Fatigue That Peeled the Roof Off at Twenty-Four Thousand Feet
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 Retires the Super Étendard, the Falklands Warbird That Sank Ships and Outlived Its Fleet
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 Breaks the Sound Barrier Over Mojave and the Boomless Cruise Bet to Bring Civil Supersonic Flight Back
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 Picks the UH-60M Black Hawk, Reverses Course on the HH-60W, and What a Two Point Three Billion Dollar Deal Signals
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.
Reading the Back Course Localizer, Reverse Sensing, and Which Way to Push That Needle When You're Left or Right of Course
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 Unveils an Uncrewed Combat Air System, and What the Loyal Wingman Race Means for the Rest of Us
Saab unveiled an uncrewed combat air system on Aug 22, 2026, joining the loyal wingman race that will shape civil airspace within years.
SyberJet Claims a Light Jet Coast to Coast Speed Record With the SJ Thirty Two
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.
The Cobra Six Hundred - Germany's Jet Drone That Launches Air-to-Air Missiles
German startup Polaris flew the Cobra 600, a jet-powered drone built to launch IRIS-T air-to-air missiles, on August 22, 2026.
The Laptop Battery Fire on American Airlines and What Lithium Cells Really Do When They Let Go in the Cabin
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.