This episode:
ETOPS flights could be impacted by the closing of an airport on a tiny South Pacific island.
FAA rescinds Cessna Citation single-pilot exemptions.
Heart Aerospace unveils the ES-36 hybrid-electric 30-seat regional commercial aircraft and JSX purchase agreement for up to 100 aircraft.
A Congressman questions the FAA deployment of the Strategic Management of Airspace Routing Trajectories (“SMART”).
The Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board determined that incorrectly positioned variable vanes caused the F-16 crash in December 2025.
A Boeing 737 MAX software glitch could disrupt a navigation feature.
Boom Supersonic loses the launch customer for their land-based Superpower stationary powerplant.
And pilots are accused of being in a “club” of furry fetishists.
Aviation News
Midway Atoll’s Airport Has No Flights, But Its Closure Could Disrupt Airlines Worldwide
Midway Atoll Airport (MDY) in the South Pacific, also known as Henderson Field, is a public airport on Sand Island. Midway Atoll is a 2.4-square-mile unincorporated territory of the United States. With a 7,800-foot runway, the airport primarily serves as an emergency diversion point for transpacific flights. The DOT estimates that the airport needs at least $100 million to stay certified. The Airline Dispatchers Federation (ADF) opposes closing Midway Atoll Airport because it will affect airline operations across the Pacific.
ETOPS ratings (“Extended-range Twin-engine Operations Performance Standards) apply to twin-engine jets and specify how many minutes a plane is allowed to fly on a single engine to get to the nearest suitable diversion point. The FAA grants approval for each airframe-engine combination and again to each operator, based on its maintenance and dispatch program.
The ETOPS rating process is informal. The FAA grants two separate approvals, one for the design and one for the operator, and both are needed before an airline can fly a route:
Type design approval (Aircraft Certification Service)
The manufacturer shows that a specific airframe-and-engine combination is suitable for extended diversions. It involves:
Design and systems review. The FAA assesses ETOPS-significant systems such as fuel, electrical, hydraulic, APU, cargo fire suppression, and pressurization for redundancy and their ability to keep working through the maximum diversion time, including time-limited systems.
Propulsion system reliability. Assess in-flight shutdown (IFSD) rates and the engine’s overall service record. For new engine/airframe combinations without an in-service history, an early or accelerated ETOPS relies on design assessment, testing, and a demonstrated reliability program instead of accumulated fleet hours.
The Configuration, Maintenance, and Procedures (CMP) document defines the required airplane configuration, maintenance tasks, and operating procedures that an ETOPS-approved airplane must follow.
Operational approval (Flight Standards)
Type design approval doesn’t let any airline fly ETOPS routes. Each operator must be authorized through its FAA certificate-holding district office (CHDO). The airline must show that it can:
Maintain the airplane to the CMP standard, with an ETOPS maintenance program, ETOPS-qualified maintenance personnel, and procedures such as verifying critical systems after work and monitoring reliability.
Dispatch properly, including selecting ETOPS alternate airports with suitable weather and services, and planning for time-limited systems, fuel, and diversion scenarios.
Train crews and dispatchers on ETOPS procedures.
Conduct a validation process, which for new operators or new airplane types may include proving or validation flights.
The FAA conducts ongoing oversight and monitors IFSDs and other events that could affect ETOPS. It can restrict or revoke an approval if reliability degrades.
For detailed ETOPS information, including EDTO (Extended Diversion Time Operations), see How Do Planes Fly Over the Pacific? (ETOPS Explained) from Aeruxo – Flight Ops Insights.
FAA Rescinding Cessna Citation Single-pilot Exemptions
The FAA is rescinding exemptions that allow some Part 25-certified Cessna Citation jets to operate with a single pilot. The exemptions date back to 1984 and had been based on a lack of data showing any negative impact. The FAA’s decision is based on an 18-year review indicating that older Citation jets operated by a single pilot have a significantly higher accident rate than other models. Also, investigations revealed issues such as incomplete training records and unauthorized use of training devices among exemption holders.
The ruling is effective September 28, 2026, and affected pilots must operate these aircraft with a qualified second-in-command. Pilots who previously held single-pilot exemptions will lose their privileges.
The FAA has been issuing single-pilot exemptions for transport-category CE-500 variants for over forty years, starting with Exemption No. 4050 to Cessna in 1984. The eight variants covered are the 500 (Citation and Citation I), 550 (Citation II), S550 (S/II), 552 (Navy T-47A), 560 (V and Ultra), 550 Bravo, 560 Encore and Encore+. The exemptions went to training providers, who issued single-pilot logbook endorsements.
Heart Unveils ES-36 With JSX Order
In Episode 898, our guest was Heart Aerospace co-founder and CEO Anders Forslund. We talked about the ES-30, a hybrid-electric 30-seat regional commercial aircraft the company is developing. Heart just unveiled the 36-seat ES-36 with an additional 1,415 pounds of payload capacity. Maximum takeoff weight and battery capacity remain the same, and the plane now employs two series-hybrid electric powertrains. The changes result from Heart’s experience flying the X1 demonstrator aircraft.
JetSuiteX, Inc. (or JSX) charters a 30-seat Embraer regional jet that is operated by a subsidiary and then resells seats on that aircraft to the public. It offers point-to-point flights in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Texas, Utah, and Baja California Sur in Mexico. JSX’s agreement converts a 2023 letter of intent into a deposit-backed purchase commitment and secures early delivery positions for the carrier.
See also, press release: Heart Aerospace Unveils ES-36 with JSX Purchase Agreement for Up to 100 Aircraft
Beyer Calls For Suspension Of AI System Deployed By FAA At Washington Area Airports
In a press release, U.S. Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) says, “The FAA should not use my constituents as guinea pigs for an unproven AI air traffic control system.” He was referring to the FAA’s deployment of the Strategic Management of Airspace Routing Trajectories (“SMART”) system to manage flights at Washington area airports.
Beyer cited uncertainty among regional residents about air safety, and the lack of public awareness about the change. Air traffic controllers were also neither consulted nor trained, and airlines “were privately ‘panicking’ about the hasty implementation of this system.” Beyer serves as co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Artificial Intelligence (AI) Caucus. His Northern Virginia district includes Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA).
‘Misaligned’ fan blades, loss of thrust caused Thunderbird F-16 crash
The F-16CM aircraft that crashed on Dec. 3, 2025, in California was powered by a Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 turbofan. The pilot was rejoining the formation after a vertical loop/barrel roll sequence when the engine stalled. The pilot described it as “the jet just… stopped midair.” He fought the aircraft for roughly four minutes, then ejected at under 500 ft AGL.
The Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board [PDF] determined the mishap was caused by three misaligned or turned variable vanes in the engine’s 4th and 5th stages, which caused a 5th-stage compressor blade and a 6th-stage compressor blade to fracture and separate, resulting in catastrophic engine damage at low altitude with no ability to recover.
The aircraft had a documented foreign object damage (FOD) event years earlier (2021, per Common Defense’s reporting) that produced damage in the 1st stage on three separate occasions, plus recovered foreign material at the 4th stage (paracord). Because the visible damage was upstream and nothing was seen in the sections preceding the 5th/6th stage core, that area was never inspected and the investigators concluded the FOD “substantially contributed” to the mishap by leaving a latent path for the vane misalignment to develop undetected.
Variable vane actuators on the outside of an engine case. Image by Olivier Cleynen.
Boeing flags 737 MAX software glitch: reports
The software glitch identified can prevent pilots from accessing an automated navigation feature when they change their planned flight path after a missed approach. Pilots have been notified, and Boeing is working on a software update.
The Air Current reports that the software issue emerged nearly two years ago. Boeing “was alerted by a customer in November 2024 to the potential issue affecting 737 models with flight management computer (FMC) updates U14 and 14.1… When a pilot alters their preprogrammed flight path following a missed approach, the FMC may transition from vertical navigation (VNAV) mode to a simpler level of automation for pitch control.”
Crusoe abandons $1.25B plan to use Boom turbines at AI data centers
In Episode 874, we looked at Boom Supersonic’s plan to develop the land-based Superpower stationary powerplant as a derivative of its Symphony engine, generating a revenue stream to fund Boom’s other operations. We cited reports that Crusoe Energy, an AI data center startup, had 29 Superpower units on order, valued at $1.25 billion, with delivery expected in 2027.
Crusoe has now announced it will not pursue a deal with Boom. Boom Supersonic CEO Blake Scholl posted on X his congratulations to Crusoe on their latest funding round, and: “Also wanted to let everyone know Crusoe and Boom are no longer launching our Superpower turbine together. The TL/DR is that turbines are no longer part of Crusoe’s near term primary power mix at Abilene/etc., so a launch partnership just didn’t make sense.” Further, “Boom will be delivering about 250MW of Superpowers next year to other sites, and we’re targeting 1GW in 2028.”
Trump ally Tuberville isn’t kidding when he says US pilots are in a ‘club’ of furry fetishists
Senator Tommy Tuberville from Alabama claimed on the Senate floor that “many airline pilots, flight attendants and air traffic controllers are part of the furry community.” The International Anthropomorphic Research Project’s Furscience website says “furries” are an anthropomorphic animal subculture. Members of this group adopt alter egos known as “fursonas” and wear “fursuit” costumes. Tuberville said, “We got a huge mental illness problem in this country, and we need to address it. We need to address it quick.”
The IARP website says, “Furscience is the public face of the International Anthropomorphic Research Project (IARP), studying furries and their fandom and disseminating our evidence-based research to furries, the general public, scholars, and the media to increase understanding and decrease stigma.”
Hosts this Episode
Max Flight, our Main(e) Man Micah, Rob Mark, and David Vanderhoof.