Business & Commercial Aviation

Bombardier Business Aircraft deliveries and revenue declined in 2017, although orders during the fourth quarter were the strongest for the period in three years, the company's president and CEO said on a conference call with analysts Feb. 15.

Tamarack Aerospace Group, based in Sandpoint, Idaho, has received FAA and EASA approval for its Atlas Active Winglets for the C525B business jet series, which includes Citation CJ3 and CJ3+ aircraft.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service South Eastern Section has ordered two modified Beechcraft King Air 350 cargo heavyweight turboprops to modernize its patient transfer and air ambulance fleet.

Boutsen Aviation, based in Monaco, closed on 17 aircraft transactions in 2017, including a Bombardier Global XRS and a Falcon 7X in December, the company said.

Private Jet Card Comparisons has launched Corporate Gift and Affiliate Referral Subscription programs. The website compares more than 100 jet card programs by more than 65 providers.

​Bell Helicopter sees China as the brightest spot in its Asian universe. A recent burst of orders there will likely triple the manufacturer's in-country fleet from 120 today to nearly 400 over the next few years.

The FAA deadline for equipping aircraft with Automatic Dependent Survillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is fast approaching. There are many upgrades programs available to help you meet the Jan. 1, 2020, mandated deadline for ADS-B and Future Air Navigation System-1/A.

Falcon Aviation and Leonardo Helicopters have partnered for a new helicopter offshore and onshore contract for the Kuwait Oil Co. Three new Leonardo AW169 helicopters will be deployed on a five-year contract to perform onshore and offshore oil and gas operations.

Dassault Aviation expects improved business jet sales in 2018 following an upturn in demand in 2017.

Rockwell Collins and Stellar Labs have launched Stellar Cloud, a software delivery infrastructure platform for business aviation built on Amazon Web Services infrastructure.

The tables show Jet-A and avgas prices from a survey of U.S. fuel suppliers conducted in February 2018.

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association is accepting scholarship applications from high school students for the Edward W. Stimpson "Aviation Excellence" Award, which includes a $2,000 scholarship. Applications are due by April 13.

The most important consideration when deciding about effective go-arounds from low altitudes is having an energy state from which that go-around can be made.

Among the lightning protection arrows in a flight crew's quiver are onboard detection (or inferring) avionics.

Clay Lacy Aviation recorded a 23% increase in charter activity in 2017. It also has added 10 new charter jets and three cities to meet growing demand, the company said. New locations include Miami-Opa Locka Airport.

The Philippine Department of National Defense has purchased 16 Bell 412EPI helicopters that will be operated by the Philippine Air Force.

The 2017 Tax Cuts & Jobs Act has some important provisions relating to aircraft purchases, operations and federal excise taxes that drew little notice by the media as the bill raced through the federal legislature.

AviationManuals recorded a 35% increase in revenue and a 30% growth in its manual and software subscription services in 2017, the company said. Its client base now exceeds 4,000.

News of business aviation promotions, appointments and honors.

Bye Aerospace's Sun Flyer 2, a two-seat electric flight-training aircraft, is in the final stages of ground testing and is expected to fly for the first time this spring.

Derring-do attitudes can blind pilots from recognizing their limits, grasping the full range of consequences of their actions, and seeing how their rogue behaviors inspire younger, impressionable pilots to attempt to follow suit.

Textron Aviation's assembly line for its new Citation Longitude super-midsize business jet is now at full-rate production, the company said. FAA certification is expected early this year.

The business aviation market in mainland China has been challenging in recent years, partly due to the government's austerity measures. But the consensus in the industry is that China's business aviation market is starting to take off again.

We were a cocky bunch of young naval aviators, and maybe even a bit more so than our predecessors since we had the extra distinction of being jet fighter pilots, something relatively new to the U.S. Navy in 1952.

Business aviation flight activity turned in its best year in 2017 since 2008, with more than 3 million flights in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean, according to Argus International data.