Jonathan Welsh

Montclair

Travel Editor at Flying Magazine

Travel Editor at Flying Magazine Former freelance writer and 21-year staff reporter at The Wall Street Journal

Articles

Gulfstream G800 certified

1 week ago | aopa.org | Jonathan Welsh

During certification tests, the aircraft demonstrated a range of 8,200 nautical miles at its long-range cruise speed of Mach 0.85—exceeding its projected range of 8,000 nm. The G800 has a range of 7,000 nm at its high-speed cruise of Mach 0.90 or 8,000 nm at Mach 0.87. Maximum speed is Mach 0.935 compared with the expected 0.925, Gulfstream said.
Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race set for October in Ohio

1 week ago | aopa.org | Jonathan Welsh

The Advanced Air Mobility Institute, which is organizing the event, said the airport, which is home to the National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence, won the competition to host the race, beating out bids from finalists Stockton and Salinas, California. The three finalists all have strong backgrounds in electric aircraft.
Judge dismisses airport-noise lawsuit

2 weeks ago | aopa.org | Jonathan Welsh

The decision on the complaint from the town of Superior and Boulder County rejects the request for an injunction against the “public nuisance” of noise from piston-engine aircraft conducting touch-and-go operations at the neighboring Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Jefferson County.
Registration opens for AirVenture Cup Race

2 weeks ago | aopa.org | Jonathan Welsh

The AirVenture Cup Race, which began with 10 aircraft competing on a course from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, to Oshkosh in 1998, is marking its twenty-seventh year. The volunteers who organize the event that leads up to EAA AirVenture expect more than 80 aircraft to participate in 2025 and encourage all interested pilots to apply. That includes you. Applications are available online.
HondaJet owners seek to stem runway excursions with training

2 weeks ago | aopa.org | Jonathan Welsh

The latest HondaJet runway excursion briefly closed Southwest Oregon Regional Airport. Five people aboard were rescued after the aircraft came to rest in the water near the shoreline, and on April 9 the airport announced that the pilot and passengers had all been released from the hospital after one person was kept overnight for observation.
FAA plans to shut down RCO network, seeks feedback

3 weeks ago | aopa.org | Jonathan Welsh

AOPA, however, emphasizes that many pilots and aircraft are not yet equipped to operate safely without the network, suggesting the plan for a complete shutdown is premature. For more than 40 years, general aviation pilots have used the RCO network to request advisories, and solicit other services, from flight service stations, particularly in areas where radio coverage is otherwise limited.
Epic Aircraft unveils E1000 AX turboprop with Garmin Autoland

3 weeks ago | aopa.org | Jonathan Welsh

Ever since Garmin Autoland debuted in 2019 as part of a suite of safety systems (also including hypoxia recognition with automated descent, and autothrottles) in Piper’s M600/SLS, interest in the system has grown in the general aviation market. Other manufacturers of turbine aircraft marketed to pilot-owners for personal use, including Cirrus, Daher, and most recently, Pilatus, have followed suit as customer demand increased.
Airline pilot demand back to pre-pandemic levels

1 month ago | aopa.org | Jonathan Welsh

Major airlines added 1,139 pilots to their rolls during January and February, marking a 34-percent drop compared with the same period in 2024, according to data from the Future and Active Pilots Alliance (FAPA). Full-year hiring also declined sharply to 4,834 in 2024 from 12,196 in 2023 and 13,128 at the recent peak in 2022. Tim Genc, executive editor at FAPA, said the aviation job fairs that his group organizes reflect the ever-changing needs of the air transport industry.
This 1975 Cessna 421B Golden Eagle Is an Airline-Style ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

1 month ago | flyingmag.com | Jonathan Welsh

Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily. Today’s Top Pick is a 1975 Cessna 421B Golden Eagle. Decades ago, pilots moving up from high-performance piston singles tended to migrate to light twins. Now they often choose turboprop singles instead.
US Aviation Academy to acquire up to 90 Tecnam trainers

1 month ago | aopa.org | Jonathan Welsh

Under the agreement the flight school will acquire 38 airplanes for delivery between now and the first quarter of 2026, with an option for 52 more during 2026 and 2027. US Aviation Academy has been operating since 2006, has a fleet of more than 175 aircraft, and is instructing 1,500 flight and A&P students. The company said the new aircraft will help them meet industry demands.