Ashley Burns

In July 2016, United States Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein and then-Secretary Deborah Lee James revealed their plan to fix what they referred to as a “quiet crisis.” The Air Force, they wrote for Defense One, faced a shortage of 500 fighter pilots that would grow to 700 by the end of […]

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced a six-month extension of the National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) Bulletin, marking the third time it has been reissued since its release in December 2015. Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke said she made the decision “with input from intelligence and law enforcement partners,” echoing […]

At a time when we wonder if millennials have any interest in aviation, and especially if they can afford it (for more, read “On Course” from the November issue of Flying), Matt Guthmiller’s story is one every pilot can appreciate. Flying since he was 16, Guthmiller added his name to the record books when he […]

Following in the contrails of Cessna 172 and 182 models, Lancair International announced this week that the latest option to be offered for the newly-designed Mako four-seater is the BRS Aerospace whole aircraft parachute system. The single-engine piston-powered aircraft’s design features will “easily accommodate” the BRS parachute, BRS announced in a release. “We are very […]

While the 46th Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta drifted into the sunset a few weeks ago, the numbers are in and this year’s event was an incredible success. An estimated 887,970 people watched more than 650 balloons from 21 countries take to the New Mexico sky with colorful, mesmerizing and even hilarious designs, certainly driving home […]

One of the reasons that Steve Thorne’s Flight Chops video channel has become so successful is that he’s a digital pilot for a digital age. As he told us recently, it wasn’t until modern tools like the iPad and its bevy of flight-related apps came along that he felt like he could hit the sky […]

On Tuesday, November 7, United Airlines will say farewell to its Boeing 747 fleet with one last flight of the “Queen of the Skies.” United flight 747 is a one-way trip from San Francisco to Honolulu — just like the very first United 747 flight that took place in 1970 — and there will be […]

If there’s one thing to take away from the latest episode of Flight Chops, it’s that Steve Thorne really enjoyed flying the Carbon Cub FX. It’s hard to miss him raving about the experience, and he also has nothing but praise for Backcountry Aviation‘s Patrick Romano, who took Chops on this week’s adventure as part […]

The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 was called off in January this year, after the governments of China, Australia and Malaysia had spent as much as $200 million on efforts to solve the incredible mystery, coming up with very few answers as to what happened to the Boeing 777-200ER that vanished on March 8, […]

Building on the success of its appearance at the 2017 Paris Air Show, XTI Aircraft brought its revolutionary TriFan 600 prototype to Las Vegas for this year’s NBAA-BACE. According to the company, hundreds of visitors made their way to the XTI booth at the exhibition, resulting in new pre-orders for “the world’s first vertical takeoff […]