Business & Commercial Aviation

There were smiles all around in Stans, Switzerland, because Pilatus delivered 115 aircraft in 2017, grossed sales worth $987 million and closed out the year certifying and delivering the first PC-24 twinjet.

JetBlue Airways' commercial tie-up with boutique scheduled charter operator JetSuiteX is both a long-term play for the mainline carrier and an indicator of how underserved communities could regain air-service network connectivity without relying directly on traditional airlines.

FAR Part 135 operator GrandView Aviation recently announced a five-year retention package of up to $80,000 to attract and keep qualified pilots to fly its fleet of Embraer Phenom 300 business jets.

Fractional aircraft operator Flexjet plans to move its Richardson, Texas, operations to the Braniff Center at Dallas Love Field. A private terminal and 60,000-sq.-ft. maintenance hangar are scheduled to open in mid-2019.

Fred Schrameck, the former CEO of Epic Air of Bend, Oregon, recently pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud for a scheme involving his consumer aviation company, Aircraft Completion Services.

Deer Jet has been awarded Overseas Repair Station recognition by the FAA, allowing it to perform maintenance on N-registered aircraft at its facilities in mainland China and Hong Kong.

Workhorse Group, a maker of electric pickups and vans, has joined the small, but growing, rank of companies flight-testing full-size electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft, with the first flight of its hybrid-electric multirotor SureFly April 30 near its Cincinnati headquarters.

A long-time seaplane pilot and Seaplane Pilots Association volunteer with experience in a wide variety of aviation businesses, McCaughey was appointed executive director of the Winter Haven, Florida-based association in 2011.

Frozen trim controls lead to an unexpected return to the airport.

Selected Accidents And Incidents In April and March 2018.

William Garvey, Editor-in-Chief of Business and Commercial Aviation, speaks to John Sheehan, Operational Excellence Program Consultant, about the latest flight department evaluation program.

BCA subscribers, log in to download the entire 2018 Purchase Planning Handbook, including airplane comparison tables as well as Avionics Marketplace charts, which are available only in digital format.

Flying-car developer Terrafugia says it hopes to add at least another 50 employees to its payroll by the year-end.

The Westchester Aviation Association's Third Annual Safety Day, set for June 20 at the Doral Arrowwood resort in Rye Brook, New York, is themed "Technology and Big Data: Impact on Aviation Safety."

Horizon Air Group, based in Dallas, has changed its name to Leviate after acquiring Word Class Jet, known as Starbase Jet, in August.

Bombardier Business Aircraft has introduced 12 product enhancements for Bombardier in-service aircraft, such as situational awareness, regulatory compliance and cabin upgrades.

AP Completion Services of Montreal has delivered a Gulfstream 650ER, its 100th business jet. Since its founding in November 2009, AP has delivered 135 aircraft.

The National Aeronautic Association has selected Cirrus Aircraft to receive the 2017 Robert J. Collier Trophy for designing, certifying and entering-into-service the Vision Jet.

Honeywell's Aspire 400, its newest satellite communications system for flight crews and passengers, is now available.

Mission Aviation Fellowship International recently ordered five Cessna Caravan 208 turboprops for its operations in Papua New Guinea, with the option for an additional two aircraft.

A near-collision between a drone and a Boeing 777 on March 25 has prompted Air New Zealand to call for stricter regulations for drone operators. The 777 was on descent into Auckland Airport when it passed within about 15 ft. of the drone.

Zipline, which has been operating 15 drones to deliver blood, plasma and platelets to 21 hospitals in Rwanda since October 2016, has accelerated its delivery service and soon will expand operations to clinics in Tanzania.

Dublin Municipal Airport began selling unleaded aviation fuel for piston aircraft in March, making it the first Texas airport to offer Swift Fuels' UL94 unleaded fuel to customers.

Israel Aerospace Industries plans to develop an electric short-haul commercial aircraft. The company says future electric-powered aircraft will reduce emissions and noise and provide significant savings in fuel costs.

Former FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said the effort to spin off U.S. air traffic control (ATC) from the FAA failed because it became too focused on the structure of a proposed new entity.