Composite image with portrait of Jon Wagner, two Joby eVTOLs in flight, and a technician examining a Joby propeller

I recently interviewed Joby Aviation's Jon Wagner for @spectrum.ieee.org. Formerly senior director of battery engineering at Tesla, he's spent the past 8+ years helping Joby perfect its eVTOL powertrain. No paywall! spectrum.ieee.org/amp/joby-air...

United CEO is skeptical of eVTOL airport taxis, but FAA has a more nuanced take Simulations at LAX and MCO reveal challenges and opportunities for eVTOLs at busy airports

Adding more helicopter-style ops to busy Class B airports probably isn't a good idea today, but that doesn't rule out safe eVTOL airport shuttles in the future. For @theaircurrent.com, I wrote about how the FAA is laying the groundwork for them: theaircurrent.com/air-traffic-...

United CEO is skeptical of eVTOL airport taxis, but FAA has a more nuanced take Simulations at LAX and MCO reveal challenges and opportunities for eVTOLs at busy airports

United CEO is skeptical of eVTOL airport taxis, but FAA has a more nuanced take theaircurrent.com/air-traffic-... (via @elanhead.com) #staycurrent

Not sure if it's a fit for you, but FWIW I've had very good luck with the nervelocks.com program for hip & leg pain. Sounds a little woo-woo but actually just basic exercises from a physiotherapist who has apparently listened carefully to his clients over the years. Similar underlying theory.

You mean HH-60Ws? 😉

D.C.-area ATC evacuations followed 2025 smoke event which injured controllers Previously unreported smoke event left multiple air traffic controllers with health issues that resulted in the loss of their medical certificates

SCOOP: A year before the two recent evacuations of D.C.'s ATC center, a previously unreported incident caused smoke to enter the control room but did not result in an evacuation. Controllers lost their medical certificates.

via @theaircurrent.com: theaircurrent.com/feed/dispatc...

Decades of aircraft and ground vehicle near misses at LGA preceded fatal crash Decades of aircraft and ground vehicle near misses at LGA preceded fatal crash Sunday evening that killed at least two

New: Decades of aircraft and ground vehicle near misses at LGA preceded fatal crash, public safety databases show (via @theaircurrent -- no paywall): theaircurrent.com/feed/dispatc...

Understanding U.S. eVTOL developers’ long trudge through certification New tech meets old bureaucracy as Joby, Archer and Beta grind away on FAA approval

The big read: What the heck is taking the eVTOL companies so long? theaircurrent.com/aircraft-dev... (via @elanhead.com)

Drone tech company Swarmer expands focus beyond Ukraine with sensational IPO Listing dramatically outperforms expectations amidst centrality of drone warfare in Iran conflict

“Just as Ukraine was a wake-up call for the entire world...I think Iran is a second wake-up call in that we’re seeing the most well-capitalized, best organized militaries in the world run out of some things pretty quickly." theaircurrent.com/defense/dron...

Drone tech company Swarmer expands focus beyond Ukraine with sensational IPO Listing dramatically outperforms expectations amidst centrality of drone warfare in Iran conflict

Drone tech company Swarmer expands focus beyond Ukraine with sensational IPO theaircurrent.com/defense/dron... (via @elanhead.com) #staycurrent

Probable Cause finding: pilot's failure to maintain clearance from elk while maneuvering at low altitude

Picture of sad helicopter on its side after being defeated by wily elk.

New favorite Probable Cause (no injuries in this accident).

They were trying to net an elk (I have no idea why - assume for some sort of wildlife tracking purposes).

I'm thinking the elk ran away laughing.

Understanding U.S. eVTOL developers’ long trudge through certification New tech meets old bureaucracy as Joby, Archer and Beta grind away on FAA approval

Understanding U.S. eVTOL developers’ long trudge through certification theaircurrent.com/aircraft-dev... (via @elanhead.com) #staycurrent

The collision avoidance tool that could help prevent the next midair disaster Breaking down ACAS X as Congress considers competing ROTOR and ALERT bills

A next-gen collision avoidance tool known as ACAS X could help prevent a future midair collision, but will have to make its way through Congress first.

The collision avoidance tool that could help prevent the next midair disaster (via @theaircurrent.com): theaircurrent.com/aviation-saf...

And here are the eight proposals selected for the program, not limited to eVTOLs: www.transportation.gov/briefing-roo...

Trump's executive order on drones will shape U.S. eVTOL roll-out FAA’s Beyond program for small UAS will provide established structure and waiver authority for eVTOL integration effort.

Lots of buzz around the eIPP today, including Beta Technologies kicking off its Q4 earnings call with an eIPP rap to the tune of O.P.P. (yeah you know me) 🎤

From August, here's my feature for @theaircurrent.com on how the eIPP came to be: theaircurrent.com/aviation-pol...

We’ve made this free to all readers, too! ⬇️

@waiterich.bsky.social DM me and I'll be happy to share some relevant articles

NTSB board member J. Todd Inman abruptly departs safety watchdog J. Todd Inman, one of the five members of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, has left the investigative body, according to multiple people familiar with the situation.

SCOOP w/ @jonostrower.com: NTSB board member J. Todd Inman abruptly departs safety watchdog (via @theaircurrent.com):

theaircurrent.com/feed/dispatc...

Hyundai eVTOL subsidiary Supernal lays off most of its staff in major retrenchment The struggling eVTOL developer will retain a skeleton crew in California focused on aircraft design.

Hyundai eVTOL subsidiary Supernal lays off most of its staff in major retrenchment theaircurrent.com/feed/dispatc... (via @elanhead.com) #staycurrent

Where in the World is Steve Giordano Podcast Episode · The Air Show · February 20 · 41m

This episode of @theairshowpodcast.com was a little different this week. We welcome Nomadic’s Steve Giordano of Cockpit Casual fame to the show and got to ask him about The Rehearsal and flying with Nathan Fielder. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Winter has grounded Ukraine's interceptor drones, gutting Kyiv's air defense From his base near the hotly contested town of Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, Vladyslav has, by his own estimates, downed upwards of 60 Russian drones using Ukrainian interceptor drones over the past...

"An interceptor drone was an effective device in good meteorological conditions — not in -20°, not in snow, not in rain. This merits attention," Anatolii Khrapchynsky, an aviation expert and reservist in the Ukrainian Air Force, told the Kyiv Independent.

The Sahara Desert Hasn’t Always Been a Dry, Desolate Landscape. Some Scientists See Signs It May Be Greening Again Petroglyphs on sandstone at a national park in Chad bear witness to wildlife that once roamed the area before the continent’s water largely receded 6,000 years ago. Could it return?

The Sahara Desert Hasn’t Always Been a Dry, Desolate Landscape. Some Scientists See Signs It May Be Greening Again.

www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

@thesundaylongread.bsky.social

How clashes between Sean Duffy and Bryan Bedford intensified FAA's year of turmoil ATC modernization and internal restructurings occurring amid tension between FAA and DOT chiefs

NEW from me: Clashes between FAA chief Bryan Bedford and Transpo. Sec. Sean Duffy have intensified a year of turmoil at the U.S. aviation regulator.

Tons of details on the 1DOT move and internal re-org in here, too:

More on @theaircurrent.com: theaircurrent.com/regulation/b...

Xcert AI wants to save human experts time, not replace them Startup’s v1 release focuses on requirements generation and document creation for aerospace certification, using LLMs with human involvement.

Xcert AI wants to save human experts time, not replace them theaircurrent.com/feed/dispatc... (via @elanhead.com) #staycurrent

NENA | 99 Luftballons [1983] [Offizielles HD Musikvideo] YouTube video by NENA

m.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpu5...

V-22 Ospreys have serious unresolved safety risks, NAVAIR review confirms X-53 inclusion risk previously reported by TAC is just one of many outstanding safety concerns for the V-22

Via @thedewline.bsky.social, a Marine Corps Osprey made an emergency landing on Feb. 3 due to a gearbox crack: aviationweek.com/defense/budg...

Context: theaircurrent.com/aviation-saf...

Newcomer ERC, now flight testing, keeps Germany’s eVTOL dreams alive Munich-based startup continues legacy of the country’s early eVTOL hopefuls with alumni from Lilium, Volocopter and Airbus

Newcomer ERC, now flight testing, keeps Germany’s eVTOL dreams alive theaircurrent.com/aircraft-dev... (via @elanhead.com) #staycurrent

The Air Current is always looking for great journalists to expand our coverage of aviation, aerospace, defense, manufacturing, and everything adjacent. If you're curious what that might look and feel like for your next act, please reach out.

How a Solar Impulse spinoff cleared a major battery certification hurdle A battery testing milestone by Swiss startup H55 advances the broader electric aviation industry.

How a Solar Impulse spinoff cleared a major battery certification hurdle theaircurrent.com/aircraft-dev... (via @elanhead.com) #staycurrent

How a Solar Impulse spinoff cleared a major battery certification hurdle A battery testing milestone by Swiss startup H55 advances the broader electric aviation industry.

The electric aviation industry has downplayed the challenges associated with certifying large lithium propulsion batteries, but it’s been a topic of intense negotiation behind the scenes. A milestone announced this week by H55 moves the entire industry forward: theaircurrent.com/aircraft-dev...