Business & Commercial Aviation

According to the AOPA, more than 25,000 pilots are now flying under BasicMed rather than with an FAA aviation medical certificate.

Fast Five with Richard N. "Dick" Aarons, safety editor of Business & Commercial Aviation.

B. Coleman Aviation has completed construction of its 40,000-sq.-ft. hangar at Gary/Chicago Airport located 25 mi. from Chicago. The construction expands the facility to about 95,000 sq. ft. The new hangar can accommodate four large-cabin aircraft and eight small-to-midsize aircraft. The addition was added to meet the growing demand in the region for business aviation services.

Drone collisions with aircraft will cause more impact damage than a bird strike of equivalent size and speed, concludes a study conducted for the FAA.

Jet Aviation's maintenance facility at Moscow Vnukovo Airport has received Federal Air Transport Agency approval in Russia for Federal Aviation Rules 285 (FAP-285), confirming adherence to all Russian civil aviation laws. The approval allows the facility to provide line maintenance and AOG support to Bombardier Challenger 300 series, 600 series, Global 5000/6000 and Gulfstream G550/G650 aircraft.

Faced with a new set of delays associated with Safran's Silvercrest engine, Dassault Aviation has announced in December that it is terminating the development of its Falcon 5X business jet program.

Textron Aviation is betting that a boom in online commerce and package deliveries will provide a boost to the business aviation market's nascent recovery and has found a valuable partner to hedge that bet.

Pilatus has received FAA and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) type certifications for its PC-24 twin-engine business jet, the Swiss company announced. The certifications pave the way for initial customer deliveries.

Paramount Business Jets has launched a newly designed website with faster response speeds for desktop computers and mobile devices. It is optimized to allow clients to book private jets through their mobile devices and provides improved support for international websites, the company said. The website is www.ParamountBusinessJets.com

Jet Aviation's history goes back further than 50 years to a decision by young Carl Hirschmann in 1940 to leave Paris for the U.S. ahead of the German blitzkrieg.

Here is a list of honors won by BCA writers in the past decade. This much abbreviated record is provided not as a boast, but to recognize those contributors who work hard in behalf of readers and as a way of underscoring your trust in what we deliver.

Airbus has ended production of the H120 after delivering 700 of the light helicopters. Production also has ceased for the H120's Safran Arrius engine.

Two private jet operators have begun accepting a new form of payment for charter flights—bitcoins. Monarch Air Group and Premium Jet said they will accept the bitcoin.

Slovenia's Pipistrel Aircraft has created a Chinese company to produce the Alpha Electro and Panthera electric-powered light aircraft.

Satcom Direct has launched a new certified cybersecurity course called CyberSAFE (Securing Assets for End Users), which is designed for those interfacing, supporting or interacting with aircraft communications.

FlightSafety International has introduced a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A engine series pilot familiarization course designed for agricultural aircraft operators.

Zetta Jet ceased operations Nov. 30 and filed a motion for Chapter 7 bankruptcy after a judge declined to approve outside financing and two aircraft financiers demanded the return of six aircraft critical to its business.

Flamingo Air in Cincinnati is establishing agreements with partner companies in Japan to offer drone training and maintenance and repair courses there.

China's Zhehjiang Geely Holding Group, owner of auto manufacturers Volvo and Lotus, has completed its acquisition of roadable-aircraft developer Terrafugia.

Bombardier Aerospace has achieved delivery milestones on the Challenger 650 and 350. The company has surpassed 200 deliveries of its Challenger 350 super-midsize aircraft and has made more than 50 deliveries of its Challenger 650 large-cabin aircraft.

Global Aviation Technologies will update 19 C-21A jets, which are military versions of the Learjet 35A, for the U.S. Air Force.

​Business jet operations in North America rose 3.8% in October, in line with September results and slightly above the year-to-date average of 3.5%, said Robert Stallard of Vertical Research Partners, citing figures from the FAA.

About 30 medium and large business jets valued at a total of $1.5 billion are expected to be delivered to owners in Florida each year between now and 2025.

Surf Air, an all-you-can-fly membership airline, is moving its London service to London City Airport from London Luton Airport. Surf Air began London-to-Zurich daily weekday service on Nov. 13.

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has released its 2018 Bahamas and Caribbean guides for 2018. The guides provide photographs of all airports in the islands, including 61 in the Bahamas and 88 in the Caribbean, and provide runway and navigation information, customs, immigration procedures, hotel contacts, survival tips and other information, AOPA said. It also includes tips from other pilots about places to stay and what to do. The guides are for sale and can be downloaded as an app on iTunes.