Latest from Key.Aero
Explore the latest news and features by our world-class aviation journalists. Stay up to date on the latest military aviation developments, commercial airline news, historic restoration projects, flight simulation releases and much more.
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Historic
Save the Skymaster closes
North Weald-based Save the Skymaster has announced that it is to close its charity and halt restoration work on Douglas C-54, N44914 (c/n 10630) ‘56498’.
The Thomas Castle Aviation Heritage Scholarship trust has announced its 2024 scholarships
Applications for one of five available scholarships will open on May 1
How the Soviets improvised to counter Luftwaffe night intruders
How to take on Luftwaffe intruders by night when you lack any dedicated night fighters? The Soviet Northern Fleet was forced to improvise — and the results were mixed
Historic ‘9/11’ Cessna for USAF museum
The National Museum of the US Air Force has received Cessna 172P N9344L, newly retired by the Civil Air Patrol.
Mosquito T43 flies at Ardmore
On 18 March, former Royal New Zealand Air Force de Havilland Mosquito T43 NZ2308 — the fourth Mosquito to emerge from the Avspecs workshops at Ardmore, Auckland — took to the air with leading American warbird pilot Steve Hinton at the controls.
Military
First US Army C-27J begins upgrade in Italy
The first of seven US Army-operated C-27J Spartan tactical transports to undergo the C-27J 1.2+ avionics update departed Pope Army Airfield in North Carolina on February 19.
Arizona ANG’s snakelike KC-135R
USAF-operated KC-135R Stratotanker (59-1469) assigned to the Arizona ANG’s 161st Air Refueling Wing (ARW) ‘Copperheads’ at Goldwater ANGB – which is co-located at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona – now sports a special ‘Copperhead Snake’ livery.
Commercial
Record Stansted Airport passenger numbers
London Stansted Airport registered its busiest-ever year in 2023/24, new figures show.
First E-Jet Freighter flies
Embraer has flown the first E190F conversion from its São José dos Campos facility in Brazil.
Airlander 10 starts certification
Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) has formally begun the process of applying for a type certification for its in-development Airlander 10 aircraft, which it says is “designed to be the world’s most efficient large aircraft”.
Repercussions from Boeing 737 MAX delivery delays
Airlines are having to change fleet plans to cope with delivery delays of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
Flight Simulation
Graphics card upgrade
Using a high-performance graphics card plays an important part in achieving high frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator. In this feature, we look at the performance benefits of upgrading from the NVIDIA RTX 3060 to the more recent RTX 4070S.
Local Legends 15: The Dornier Do 31 out now
The Microsoft Flight Simulator Team has announced Legends 15: The Dornier Do 31 is now available.
Flying freight in Microsoft Flight Simulator
In this feature, we explore flying freight and the various options available for creating realistic cargo flights using the Airbus A320, Headwind Simulations’ A339x and the ATR-72 in Microsoft Flight Simulator.
