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The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) announced today its EAA Ray Aviation Scholarship program has now seen 500 recipients complete flight training and earn their private pilot certificates. Founded by James C. and Joan L. Ray, the Ray Foundation enables EAA and its chapter network to provide up to $11,000 for deserving youth to help cover flight training expenses. The Foundation has made $1.8 million available to the EAA this year.

Sporty’s Pilot Shop recently released its Aerobatics with Patty Wagstaff app optimized for the Apple Vision Pro virtual reality device. Sporty’s says the app offers pilots and aviation enthusiasts a “safe and engaging pathway to experience the complexities of aerobatic flight maneuvers through immersive 360-degree video.”

President Joe Biden signed the long-awaited bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act into law on Thursday May 16—funding the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for another five years.

Spirit AeroSystems is expected to lay off some 400-450 workers at its Wichita, Kansas facility following a decrease in production rates at Boeing, the company’s largest customer.

The Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) issued a call to action requesting pilots submit feedback on a proposal from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) regarding the closure of 16 airstrips in Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument (BENM).

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its final report on last year’s fatal midair collision at EAA AirVenture, concluding that the crash occurred when a gyroplane violated event rules by making a prohibited 360-degree turn and collided with a helicopter.

Triple ace and aviation legend Brig. Gen. C.E. Bud Anderson died Friday at his home in Auburn, California at the age of 102. Anderson earned 16 kills in the European Theater during the Second World War and the New York Times says he was the last of the triple ace of his era. He reportedly died in his sleep. Anderson was a P-51 pilot in the Second World War, assigned to the 357th Fighter Group and flew with Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager. He continued his career after the war, joining the flight test program at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio before flying 25 missions in an F-105 Thunderchief in Vietnam as a wing commander. He retired in 1972 and joined McDonnell Aircraft Company at Edwards Air Force Base as head of flight test.

The Southern California Airspace Users Working Group is calling on its membership to contact their state senators to block a bill that would begin the phaseout of leaded aviation gasoline in 2027 (amended from 2026). As we reported earlier

Almost three quarters of respondents said they had no concerns whatsoever about being exposed to lead at the airport.

Russ Niles is Editor-in-Chief of AVweb. He has been a pilot for 30 years and joined AVweb 22 years ago. He and his wife Marni live in southern British Columbia where they also operate a small winery.