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BluFly 🛩
@blufly.media
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A humans-in-the-loop feed for the aviation community. If made by people and flying between the surface and the Kármán Line you'll find it on BluFly. Read the current issue at https://blufly.media/2026/01. (📸 ©2016 Richard Davies | SupaSmokey)
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blufly.media
For us, there's nothing quite like 'discovering' an aviator and a story with which we are completely unfamiliar. 🙌🏻 To wit, Gidsken Jakobsen in this detailed, copiously illustrated article, including this amazing photo. (📸 Unknown | Maihaugen) | 🛩️ 👩🏻‍✈️ 🦆 📍 🇳🇴 🥇 | 🔗 www.luftfartsmuseum.no/gidsken-jako...
An old, black and white photograph of a woman (separately identified as Gidsken Jakobsen), standing in front of a biplane mounted on floats on what appears to be a frozen lake. The aircraft is oriented such that it's pointed toward and slightly to the right of the camera position. Jakobsen is holding the lower blade of the aircraft's propeller and is looking directly at the camera. She is also wearing a leather flying helmet. There is a crowd of approximately twenty adults and children standing to her left and on the right side of the frame. The crowd is looking at a combination of her, the airplane and directly at the camera. Some are on cross-country skis. Everybody in the photo is dressed in heavy winter clothing, indicating that it was cold when the photo was taken. The aircraft has a radial engine, with the cylinders exposed to the airflow. The word « MÅSEN » is painted on the right side of the fuselage just aft of the engine and below the front seat of the two-seat, open cockpit. Further aft and although partially obscured, « N40 » is painted on the side of the fuselage in large letters. (📸 Unknown | Maihaugen used here with their permission and with the benefit of their kind assistance.)
January 12, 2026 at 3:21 PM
blufly.media
Back in the day, we would have entered this in a heartbeat: « The Eighth Annual Richard Collins Writing Prize for Young Pilots » sponsored by @sportys.bsky.social. The deadline for all future Markhams, Ganns, and Bachs ✍🏻 is February 28, 2026. (📸 See ALT) | 🛩️ 🥇 | 🔗 www.sportys.com/blog/call-fo...
An older man stands by a General Aviation aircraft. He is turned to the right side of the frame, and has his head turned to the right to look at the camera. He is smiling. He is wearing a blue-check shirt and glasses. His left hand is touching the doorframe of the aircraft, which is mostly white with horizontal red stripes. It appears to be a sunny day. Original caption from source: « Richard L. Collins beside a Piper Aztec. » (📸 N415Ros via Wikimedia under CC BY 4.0)
January 11, 2026 at 6:57 PM
blufly.media
We've heard that paper 📄 is making a comeback. Dr. @mikepryce.bsky.social, writing for the @aerosociety.bsky.social, makes the best case we've heard so far supporting this assertion. This, and the thought of that evocative 'old paper' smell, which we raiders find oddly intoxicating. | 🛩️ ⚔️ 🥇
Raiders of the Lost Archives
Are today’s engineers and researchers missing a trick by not visiting the dusty paper archives of old? Aviation historian Dr MICHAEL PRYCE thinks so.
www.aerosociety.com
January 9, 2026 at 4:28 PM
blufly.media
An interesting new article by Robb Mandelbaum writing for @spectrum.ieee.org. The story, along with an accompanying short video, primarily follows the @univofmaryland.bsky.social’s 'Team Crossfire' as they participate in the @xprize.org's 'Wildfire' competition. | 🛩️ 📡 🚁 ⚡️ 📹 🥇 | 🧵 1/2
XPrize Contest Sparks New Approaches to Wildfire Control
Can drones really extinguish wildfires in just 10 minutes? Discover the innovative approach by UMD's Crossfire team.
spectrum.ieee.org
January 8, 2026 at 11:43 PM
blufly.media
We continue to celebrate the northern winter ❄️ with some evergreen advice on 'open cockpit' flying in this cold, snowy season. We're also of the opinion that the photos and writing from ADVANCE are amongst the best we've seen. (📸 ADVANCE Paragliders) | 🛩️ 🪽 🥇 | 🔗 www.advance.swiss/en/brand/fly...
A snowy slope is viewed from above, looking down, where a paraglider has just performed a touch-and-go, the evidence of which is a divot in the surface and flying snow aft of the glider's direction of flight. In addition, the paraglider's pilot and wing are casting sharp, dark shadows on the snow, to the right, from which it appears the pilot is no more than a metre or two above the surface. The shadows also indicate a sunny day. The aircraft is flying from the top of the frame to the bottom. The surface of the snow appears windblown into shallow waves running from the top left of the frame to the bottom right. The snow is punctuated by two small, dark objects which could either be ski lift pylons or small, scrubby trees. The wing is mostly white with bright red and grey accents. (📸 ADVANCE Paragliders)
January 7, 2026 at 4:59 PM
blufly.media
It being the height of 'summer' in Antarctica and with all the promise of the New Year stretching out in front of you, perhaps it's time for a new career? If so, perhaps this one, eloquently described in this article by Vicky Auld, @bas.ac.uk Deputy Chief Pilot, on their @linkedin.com page. | 🛩️ 🧰 🥇
So you think you want to be a BAS pilot?
I hope the the following notes will help describe a typical route for a new pilot and hopefully they will answer some questions you may have and help you decide if this role is for you. It takes an un...
www.linkedin.com
January 5, 2026 at 3:05 PM
blufly.media
It's a New Year 🥂 and we're out with the first issue of 2026. 💥 Managing Editor @terencecgannon.com first celebrates the best of 2025. Then, he unceremoniously ushers the old year out with a salty « don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. » (📸 ©2016 Richard Davies | SupaSmokey) | 🛩️
January, 2026
A humans-in-the-loop feed for the aviation community — if made by people and flying up to the Kármán Line you'll find it on BluFly 🛩️.
blufly.media
January 3, 2026 at 12:15 AM
blufly.media
« Next Stop, Oshkosh, USA ▫️ It’s a historic moment for The Flying Bulls: in 2026, the team will cross the Atlantic for the very first time – making its US debut at the legendary EAA AirVenture … » (📸 Sebastian Marko / @redbull.com Content Pool) | 🛩️ 📅 📍 🇺🇸 🥇 | 🔗 www.flyingbulls.at/en/stories/n...
A Douglas DC-6B belonging to The Flying Bulls flight demonstration team is shown in a low-altitude fly-by as it banks slightly to the right. It is flying from right to left in the frame, and the camera is positioned slightly below the flight path. The skin of the aircraft is almost entirely highly polished aluminum. There is a set of blue trim stripes running the length of the fuselage. The Red Bull chequerboard and logo are painted on the vertical stabiliser. The sky in the background consists of misty clouds slightly tinted by the light that would be present at either sunrise or sunset. (📸 Sebastian Marko / Red Bull Content Pool)
December 29, 2025 at 10:54 PM
blufly.media
So, Boxing Day. 📦 See what we did there? | 🛩️ 📹 📍 🇨🇦
December 27, 2025 at 1:28 AM
blufly.media
We simply can't believe another year has come and gone already — where does the time go? 🎅🏼 In any event, all of us here at the home office wish you and yours all the best for a happy and healthy Christmas. (📸 @usnhistory.bsky.social) | 🛩️ 🚁 ⚔️ 🥇 | 🔗 www.history.navy.mil/our-collecti...
A black and white photo of a group of eight men posing in front of a twin-rotor helicopter tentatively identified as a Piasecki UH-25, also known as the Piasecki HUP Retriever. The aircraft is oriented so as to point at the right side of the frame and slightly toward the camera position. One of the men is dressed as Santa Claus, standing next to the helicopter's pilot who is wearing a leather jacket and might have his helmet tucked under his left arm. These two are surrounded by another six men dressed as elves. The helicopter windscreen is decorated with icicles and falling snow. Painted on the side of the fuselage are the words « Merry Xmas » along with candy canes, stars and other seasonal items. It appears to be a sunny day given the hard shadows being cast. Original caption from source: « Santa and elves arrive by special helicopter for a children's Christmas party at Naval Air Station Oakland, 23 December 1956. » (📸 Naval History and Heritage Command)
December 24, 2025 at 5:48 PM
blufly.media
Official Account Alert 🫆 We're grateful and thankful for top-drawer @bsky.app users like @robpegoraro.com getting the word out (see below) about new, aviation-industry participants like @united.com coming on board. Please consider giving *both* a like/follow. (📸 United Airlines) | 🛩️ | 🔗 united.com
The tail of an airliner painted with the United Airlines livery, oriented so the nose of the aircraft is pointed to the right. That said, the photo is tightly cropped to the vertical stabiliser, part of the right horizontal stabiliser, and the fuselage to just forward of the rear door on the right side of the fuselage. The photo appears to have been taken from the ground. The only other distinguishing characteristic is the number « 7252 » painted in black letters just above the rear door. (📸 United Airlines)
December 23, 2025 at 3:01 PM
blufly.media
Christmas 🎄 has indeed arrived a couple of days early this year, what with this great new article 🎁 by veteran aviation journalist @markep.bsky.social writing for the National Air and Space Museum. Not to mention it's about airships, a perennial favourite around here. | 🛩️ 📡 ⚡️ 🎈 🥇
The New Age of Tiny Airships
How the smallest Airship drones are performing jobs that conventional drones can’t.
airandspace.si.edu
December 23, 2025 at 2:03 PM
blufly.media
« Leveraging learnings from Wisk’s previous five generations of aircraft and more than 1,750 test flights, Gen 6 is the first-ever candidate for an FAA-certified commercial autonomous passenger aircraft in the U.S., with launch markets including Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami … » | 🛩️ ⚡️ 🚁 📰 🥇
Wisk Completes First Flight of Generation 6 Autonomous eVTOL
Wisk is dedicated to delivering safe, everyday flight for everyone with its revolutionary all-electric, self-flying eVTOL air taxi.
wisk.aero
December 22, 2025 at 11:21 PM
blufly.media
Okay, this looks like fun, at least if you live in the vicinity of beautiful Colorado Springs or happen to be passing through. Makes us wonder how many restaurants there are where you can similarly dine inside an aircraft; do you know of one? | 🛩️ 🍽️ 📍 🇺🇸 🥇 | 🔗 theairplanerestaurant.com?utm_source=b...
An aerial photo of The Airplane Restaurant in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Of note is that the dining establishment consists of a red-roofed building and, immediately adjacent, a mothballed Boeing KC-97 tanker in-flight refueling aircraft. The entire right wing is visible, whereas the left wing is incorporated into the red-roofed structure. The aircraft is marked with the livery of the « TEXAS AIR GUARD », which appears on the upper side of the middle fuselage. The words « US AIR FORCE » appear on the lower part of the fuselage towards the nose. There are three additional inset photos: bottom-left, an interior view of the aircraft's cockpit; bottom-middle, the interior of the fuselage which has been converted to accommodate dining booths; bottom-right is an interior view of the boom operator's position presumably inside the lower aft part of the fuselage. (📸 The Airplane Restaurant)
December 22, 2025 at 5:45 PM
blufly.media
From the Tekniska Museet, via the DigitaltMuseum website, an artefact with the intriguing caption reading, in part « from a box marked: "Bernt Balchen" » and furthermore marked « The glider and the C-47 after landing at the North Pole ». Just wow. | 🛩️ ⚔️ 🪽 📍 🇸🇪 🥇 | 🔗 digitaltmuseum.org/021011319916...
A black and white photo of a C-47 (military version of a DC-3) on the right side of the frame and a military troop glider tentatively identified as a CG-4A, on the left, on a snowy plain. The sky above appears to be clear, and the shadows being cast indicate that it's sunny. On the side of the C-47, above the passenger windows, are the words « AIR RESCUE ¶ UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ». Also, the number « 149565 » is painted on the vertical stabiliser of the same aircraft. The troop glider is darker in colour and has the number « 55399 » painted on its vertical stabiliser. Original caption from source: « Fotografiet kommer från låda märkt: "Bernt Balchen". Text på baksidan: "2/ Glidflygplanet och C-47-an efter landning vid Nordpolen. I förgrunden synes den anordning i vilken glidarens bogserlina fästes för att sedan kunna "fiskas upp" av det bogserande planet.", "2", "10th Rescue Sqdn. Ft. Richardson, Alaska". » Translated by Google: « The photograph comes from a box marked: "Bernt Balchen". Text on the back: "2/ The glider and the C-47 after landing at the North Pole. In the foreground is the device in which the glider's tow line is attached so that it can then be "fished up" by the towing plane.", "2", "10th Rescue Sqdn. Ft. Richardson, Alaska". » (📸 Tekniska Museet in Stockholm, via the DigitaltMuseum in the public domain)
December 21, 2025 at 10:17 PM
blufly.media
As far as tributes to the anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ first flight a couple of days ago, this is going to be hard to beat, as documented in this story by Caroline Parker writing for the @educationnc.bsky.social website. | 🛩️ 🏫 📍 🇺🇸 🥇 | 🧵 1/2
First Flight High School unveils plane on Wright Brother's 122 year anniversary
For over two years, the students at First Flight High School had the goal of building a plane where the Wright brothers first took off.
www.ednc.org
December 20, 2025 at 10:51 PM
blufly.media
It's been a while since we've had a Fine Art Friday, and we're inclined to re-launch this series having stumbled on these two, possibly related works by John Northcote Nash. There is this finished product, found at the @rafmuseum.bsky.social, and then there appears to be ... | 🛩️ ⚔️ 🦆 🎨 🥇 | 🧵 1/2
Sunderland Flying Boat in Hangar by John Nash, oil on canvas
John Nash represented this Sunderland flying boat when he was commissioned through the War Artists' Advisory Committee to paint Admiralty subjects in the Second World War, as an Official War Artist.
collections.rafmuseum.org.uk
December 19, 2025 at 11:14 PM
blufly.media
We think everybody wins in this story: @lanetitans.bsky.social and the students participating in their Aviation Unmanned Aircraft Systems program; the Oregon Department of Aviation; the people of Oregon state, not to mention the great forests the initiative is helping to protect. | 🛩️ 📡 🏫 🥇
Lane drone students team up with Oregon Department of Aviation to fight wildfires
www.lanecc.edu
December 18, 2025 at 4:52 PM
blufly.media
If you needed yet another reason to visit the @shuttleworthtru.bsky.social — there are currently fifty-three — here's another one: this exquisite, privately owned Hurricane will now reside amongst the collection. (📸 ©2025 The Shuttleworth Trust) | 🛩️ ⚔️ 📍 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🥇 | 🔗 www.shuttleworth.org/about/about-...
A Hawker Hurricane is pictured while parked on a field of closely mown green grass adjacent to a line of trees. It is shown in profile and pointing toward the left side of the frame. It is painted in green and brown camouflage on the upper surfaces. The letters « WX » are visible on the side of the fuselage, just aft of a Royal Air Force roundel. The « X » seems to overlay a number with the only part of it clearly visible being « 935 ». A small red and white chequerboard is painted on the side of the fuselage just aft of the single-seat cockpit. A red, white, and blue 'fin flash' is painted on the vertical stabiliser. The trees appear to be in their winter state. The sky above is nearly gin-clear blue. (📸 ©2025 The Shuttleworth Trust)
December 18, 2025 at 4:03 PM
blufly.media
On this December 17th, there's no better way of marking the 122nd anniversary of the Wright's first flight at Kitty Hawk than reading their original diary, presumably written on the day and available with this link to the marvellous @librarycongress.bsky.social. | 🛩️ 🥇 | 🔗 www.loc.gov/resource/mss...
A screenshot of the Wright Brothers' notebook written on December 17th, 1903, and documenting their first powered, controlled flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The only words that are absolutely clear are « Thursday, Dec. 17th », which is underlined and appears on the left page. The other words are more difficult to discern. (📸 Library of Congress)
December 17, 2025 at 5:57 PM
blufly.media
We have previously mentioned the retirement of the Harrier AV-8B to the Tillamook Air Museum. Turns out there was another reporter in the crowd on hand: Lillian Battey, on assignment for the TEACH-NW student publication … (📸 Lillian Battey) | 🛩️ ⚔️ 🚁 📍 🇺🇸 🥇 | 🧵 1/2 | 🔗 sites.google.com/teach-nw.com...
A Harrier AV-8B is parked on the ramp at Tillamook Airport, Oregon, and is surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. The aircraft is shown in profile and oriented such that it points to the right side of the frame. It is parked between two beige-coloured, corrugated hangars. It is painted entirely in military grey. The word « MARINES » is visible on the vertical stabiliser. The number « 82 » is painted on the fuselage just forward of the aircraft's cockpit. The crowd is dressed for warm weather. Tree-covered hills are visible in the distance. The sky above is partially cloudy with blue patches visible. A dog on a leash can be seen at the bottom right of the frame. (📸 Lillian Battey)
December 17, 2025 at 4:11 PM
blufly.media
Official Account Alert 🫆 It's been a while since we had an opportunity to do one of these, so we're thrilled to see startup EVIO Aircraft (@evioaircraft.bsky.social) arrive on @bsky.app. Please join us in welcoming them and consider giving them a follow. (📸 EVIO Aircraft) | 🛩️ ⚡️ | 🧵 1/3 | 🔗 evio.aero
A computer-generated rendering of EVIO Aircraft's future 810 aircraft. It's a low-wing regional airliner with four engines, which appear to be turboprops. It has a T-tail. In the image, the aircraft is shown flying toward and to the left of the camera position as it gently bank to its left. The terrain below is a series of islands in a sunrise/sunset-lit sea. A line of clouds is visible on the horizon, which is also tinged with orange. (📸 EVIO Aircraft)
December 15, 2025 at 11:07 PM
blufly.media
As winter settles in, we're reaching back to this past summer for this great story by Kevin Garrison, writing for @avbrief.bsky.social, entitled « Flying Is an Art » and accompanied by this summery image of one of Van's RV-12s near Sunriver, Oregon. (📸 Ed Hicks) | 🛩️ 🥇 | 🔗 avbrief.org/flying-is-an...
A small aircraft is pictured in silhouette flying either at sunrise or sunset. It is flying from left to right in the frame and slightly toward the camera position. There appear to be rolling hills in the distance, also in silhouette. The sky is clear blue fading to orange at the horizon, with some wispy clouds in the distance. Original caption from source: « RV-12 SLSA N251VA. Shot for Van's Aircraft at the Sunriver RV-12 Expo. » (📸 Ed Hicks, used with permission.)
December 15, 2025 at 9:47 PM
blufly.media
There are few newsletters we more eagerly anticipate than the ones from AirCorps Aviation out of beautiful Bemidji, Minnesota. Work on 'Shillelagh', their P-51B project for the Dakota Territory Air Museum of Minot, North Dakota, continues apace. (📸 Chuck Cravens | AirCorps Aviation) | 🛩️ ⚔️ 📍 🇺🇸 🥇
P-51B Shillelagh FALL Update | AirCorps Aviation
www.aircorpsaviation.com
December 12, 2025 at 6:24 PM
blufly.media
New from @dlr-en.bsky.social: « Climate Strategy Put to the Test: Reducing Contrails ▫️ DLR is working together with 17 partners from research and industry to investigate how contrails can be avoided, reduced and made more climate-compatible. » (📸 See ALT) | 🛩️ 🏫 📰 🥇 | 🔗 www.dlr.de/en/latest/ne...
Bottom right: a view from an aircraft looking down at a cloud deck. Extending outwards toward the horizon is a contrail which leads to a jet just near the horizon. The ground below is mostly obscured by the cloud deck, but the sky above is clear blue. A red and white sensor problem is visible in the bottom left of the frame. Original caption from source: « As part of the A4CLIMATE project, DLR and 17 international collaborators from research and industry are investigating how contrails can be avoided – and how this can reduce the climate impact of aviation. Using DLR’s Falcon 20E research aircraft, contrails are captured and measured directly where they form. The cockpit image of the Falcon 20E shown here depicts a measurement flight behind a TUIfly passenger aircraft. » (📸 DLR under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) Top left: A business jet parked on a taxiway or runway. A grassy bank is visible beyond the concrete in the background. The aircraft is primarily white with a blue stripe with gold borders running horizontally along the fuselage. The rudder is painted bright orange. The registration « D-CMET » is painted in black, block letters on the vertical stabiliser, as is the DLR logo. Original caption from source: « Since 1976, the Falcon 20E research aircraft with D-CMET registration has served as a platform for German and European airborne research into the Earth and atmosphere. Many unique modifications and modern equipment make the Falcon a truly versatile platform for research applications. It is operated by the DLR Flight Experiments facility in Oberpfaffenhofen. » (📸 DLR under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) Background: A map of the world overlaid with a regular grid pattern. Streaks of red, yellow, and orange highlight busy flight routes. Original caption from source: « The graphic provides a global overview of the radiative forcing from contrails in 2019. Darker red tones indicate stronger warming caused by contrails. » (📸 Adapted from Teoh et al., ACP, 2024., via DLR)
December 11, 2025 at 4:10 PM