We speak with the Chief Pilot for a large European carrier about taking delivery of his airline’s first A321XLR, and with a fractional ownership pilot about changing from the Phenom to the Challenger Global 300. In the news, we look at lifting the supersonic flight ban, revamping the Army flight school, denying an unleaded avgas motion, reforming flight delay compensation, and considering the Fire Boss air tractor for fighting wildfires

Captain Al Evan is the Chief Pilot for a large European low-cost carrier. He was the Airbus and Pratt & Whitney liaison for the delivery of his airline’s first P&W-powered A321XLR. 

Stephen Ivey is a pilot for a large fractional ownership company. He recently changed from the Phenom to the Challenger Global 300.

Supersonic flight by civilian aircraft over the U.S. was originally banned in 1973 due to concerns about sonic boom noise pollution and potential damage on the ground. However, on June 6, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the FAA to repeal the ban and replace it with an interim noise-based certification standard. 

The Order instructs the FAA Administrator to establish a standard for supersonic aircraft noise certification that considers community acceptability, economic reasonableness, and technological feasibility.

The U.S. Army is overhauling pilot training to focus on fundamental skills. The change in 2013 from TH-67 training aircraft to the LUH-72A Lakota helicopters contributed to the need for training adjustments. The Army determined that the quick advancement of inexperienced crews was leading to unsafe situations. The Army is considering outsourcing pilot training to a contractor-owned-and-operated schoolhouse.

A California judge ruled that GAMI’s G100UL is not “commercially available” and therefore cannot be mandated for sale in California to replace leaded aviation fuel. This comes after a motion by the Center for Environmental Health to enforce a 2014 consent agreement that says FBOs and distributors must sell a lower lead alternative that is “commercially available.” The judge ruled that the fuel must first be universally available to all piston-powered aircraft. There must be a “general consensus” from the industry and potential customers that the fuel is safe and appropriate for their use.

The European Union’s flight delay compensation policy EC261 (sometimes called EU261), has been unchanged since 2014. Some EU transport ministers have been discussing reforms where passengers would have to experience longer delays before being eligible for compensation. 

Currently, compensation ranges from €250 to €600:

A new proposal would:

See DOT’s Airline Customer Service Dashboard.

Dave Frisch, the president of Portage Aircraft Specialties Ltd., sells Air Tractors designed for agricultural spraying. He says that if you add specially designed floats, these aircraft become a type of water bomber known as the Fire Boss. Being a small aircraft, the Fire Boss can scoop water out of smaller bodies of water and get into tighter spaces.

Video: Calls to use Fire Boss to battle wildfires

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Innovations in Flight

Max Flight, our Main(e) Man Micah, Rob Mark, and Max Trescott.