Airborne 01.07.26: Indian Plane Theft Continues, Top Gun Suit, Venezuela Raid

Also: Parachute Team Hang Up, Sen. Mark Kelly v Pentagon, Airbus Numbers, Salt Lake City Airport

New year, same problem for Minnesota pilot Darrin Smedsmo, whose 1946 Stinson 108 remains as a hostage on tribal land months after an engine failure forced an emergency landing. Federal agencies have yet to step in. Smedsmo was en route to Bemidji for flight training when his engine suffered a catastrophic failure over the Red Lake Indian Reservation and forced him to land on Minnesota Highway 1. A federal appeals court has ruled that "Top Gun: Maverick" did not violate a copyright of a magazine article about the Navy's Fighter Weapons School. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in California ruled that "Top Gun: Maverick" was not similar enough to Ehud Yonay's 1983 article, "Top Guns," about the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School, for Paramount to have breached its 1983 agreement with the writer. A large-scale US military operation unfolded before dawn on January 3, culminating in the capture of controversial President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. The post-strike debrief revealed just how tedious the mission, dubbed Operation Absolute Resolve, truly was: it involved more than 150 aircraft launched from roughly 20 bases across the Western Hemisphere. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne-Unlimited!!!

Airborne 01.07.26 is chock full of info in this Daily News Episode, Wednesday, January 7th, 2026... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Host Holland Lee. Holland is supported by ANN Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, as well as ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell. This episode covers:

Pilot STILL Waiting for Feds to Intervene, Return His Hostage Plane
Court Dismisses “Top Gun: Maverick” Copyright Claim
150+ Aircraft Involved in US Raid on Venezuela
Parachutist’s Armed Forces Bowl Entry Goes Sideways
Pentagon Moves to Cut Sen. Mark Kelly’s Retirement Rank, Pay
Airbus Expected to Pass Revised 2025 Delivery Target By a Hair
Salt Lake City Airport Sued Two Years After Fatal Ramp Accident

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