Business & Commercial Aviation

Embraer is cutting 1,463 employees from its workforce in Brazil as it moves to reduce costs in the midst of a challenging market. The departing workers represent 99.5% of those who applied for a Voluntary Dismissal Program, the company reported.

The consolidation of Europe's business aircraft charter operations continues apace. The most recent pairing is the takeover of UK's Blink by Wijet of France, to create a single fleet of 15 Citation Mustang light jets.

Daher recently completed its 800th TBM single-engine turboprop, a TMB 930 that rolled off the assembly line at Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees Airport in France.

Blackhawk Modifications has announced details of its new engine upgrade for the King Air 350. Blackhawk is developing the STC to permit installation and operation of the Pratt & Whitney 1,200-shp PT6A-67A to replace the 1,050-shp PT6A-60A.

The long-running fight over Santa Monica Municipal Airport (SMO) entered a new phase recently when the FAA initiated an investigation requiring the California city to explain its rationale for issuing eviction notices to two FBOs at the key business and general aviation facility after the municipality declared its policy included closing the place.

The first Legacy 450 mid-light business jet assembled in Embraer's Melbourne, Florida, facility made its first flight in early October and is on track for delivery to a customer in December.

Gulfstream says it will cease production of the G150, the smallest aircraft in its lineup, after a 10-year run; the last G150 will be delivered in mid-2017.

Offshore helicopter operator CHC has secured $450 million from investors to rebuild the company once it emerges from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The Sterling Group, a middle-market private equity firm based in Houston, has acquired Destin Jet and formed a new fixed-base operator network.

West Star Aviation and Aviation Fabricators are nearing completion of a cooperative effort to develop an STC for a belted lavatory modification for the Hawker 800 and XP series aircraft.

Questions for Boeing Business Jets President David Longridge.

Nextant Aerospace, which builds the 400XTi, and Constant Aviation, which offers MRO services, have partnered with Rockwell Collins to offer a Next Gen flight deck package for Beechcraft 400X/XP aircraft.

Singapore-based Zetta Jet has added a Bombardier Global 6000 jet to its fleet, which will operate out of Zetta's North America hub in Los Angeles. It is the first Global equipped with Ka-band high-speed inflight internet connectivity.

Rockwell Collins’ offer to buy B/E Aerospace is a pricey ploy that will take more work to see to fruition, but it could secure the former as a leading provider of aircraft content while finding a successful exit for the latter.

Gulfstream’s newest aircraft is setting a new benchmark in business aviation technology. BCA Senior Editor Fred George strapped into the left seat of the new $44.65 million G500. Read his pilot report.

When pilots first belt into the cockpit of the G500, they will discover a Honeywell flight deck that has little in common with any Gulfstream they have flown.

The G500's electrical distribution and data communication network is far more advanced than found in previous Gulfstreams. Taking advantage of the latest Avionics Full-Duplex Switched Ethernet architecture, introduced on the Airbus A380 and the latest military fighters, it uses distributive processing and ARINC 664 communications protocols to slash wire count, reduce weight, decrease power consumption, boost reliability and increase system redundancy. Virtually every component on the data concentration network (DCN) has a redundant communications link.

Post-hurricane helping hand: It’s hard to know its worth until you need one.

Rated at 15,144 lb. thrust for takeoff up to ISA+15C, Pratt & Whitney Canada's PW814GA is the most advanced general aviation turbofan in its thrust class. Up front, it has a single-piece, wide-chord, 50-in.-diameter damper-less titanium fan and a two-stage, axial-flow, low-pressure booster with single-piece rotors that are powered by a three-stage low-pressure turbine.

In September 2016, Teterboro Airport ranked at the top of the list of business aviation airports viewed by acukwik.com users, according to traffic metrics. Analyze the rest of the top 50 in September.

There are risks inherent to any act of aviation. How can we best improve our levels of safety?

Alexandre Couvelaire is a former French air force pilot and founder of the charter company Euralair. He is also a director of the startup, Aero Electric, which has designed and developed the Sun Flyer, the world’s first certificated, all-electric training aircraft.

For more than a decade, Cessna’s mantra has been “It’s a sure thing.” The Citation M2 appears to epitomize everything that slogan entails.

The post-crash fire threat in helicopters continues even though the fixes are known and well-proven. It’s past time to act.

The NTSB believes installing a crash-resistant fuel system into existing helicopters would help mitigate the safety risk of post-crash fires in survivable accidents. However, the board is concerned that owners and operators of FAR Part 27 and Part 29 helicopters may be unaware of retrofit kits to do just that.