From the Editor

Some exciting news emerged over the past week: The Canadian Government has at last announced that it has selected the Lockheed Martin’s F-35 as the RCAF’s next fighter. This means that the procurement process can move forward, so that 88 of these fifth-generation fighters can be delivered to the Royal Canadian Air Force, possibly as early as 2025.

With the seemingly endless war in Ukraine continuing, our friends from the Netherlands, Patrick Dirksen and Frank Mink of Tristar Aviation, have sent us a detailed, timely overview of the flying branches of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The first part of this sizeable article is in this edition, while the second part will be in the May edition. This is also the case with Sandy Odebunmi’s detailed article on assessing one’s own risk when it comes to aviation insurance. Also, in this edition, read about Michael Wilton’s adventure in delivering a Cessna 182 in this month’s ‘Aircraft Ownership’ column.

After considerable delays, due to health restrictions around the world, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is now scheduled to be released in theatres on May 27. Given the incalculable number of people who have entered the aviation industry as a result of the original 1986 movie, it seems appropriate to take a took at the star of the show: the F-14 Tomcat. Read all about this aircraft in this entirely free edition of ANJ.

Once again, we thank you for being a part of our growing readership and hope you enjoy our content.

As always, fly safely.
Divan Muller