Wednesday 24 June 2026
Multiple commercial and military aircraft fly through a bright turquoise sky dotted with white clouds.
Aaron Robinson /

Taxing the Skies Is a Bad Idea

Congress considers if a new technology for air traffic control is being misused.
Illustration by Noah Hickey/The Dispatch (Photos via Unsplash).

At 8:48 p.m. on January 29, 2025, the main rotor of a U.S. Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter sliced into the left wing of an American Eagle CRJ-700 airliner that was approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Both craft immediately plunged into the frigid Potomac River, at the cost of 67 lives.

Aaron Robinson has been on the auto beat for more than 30 years as reporter and editor for various trade and consumer publications, including a 17-year stint at Car and Driver. He is currently editor-at-large for Hagerty magazine, which simply means they don’t know where he is most of the time.

More on Hobbies