Business & Commercial Aviation

Flexjet made headlines twice in a day at the National Business Aviation Association’s annual convention on Nov. 18 by placing orders for 20 Aerion AS2 supersonic business jets, and 20 Bombardier Challenger 350s.

Astronautics Corp. of America is promoting a new architecture designed to prevent hacking of an aircraft’s data.

Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia is the launch customer of Astronics Max-Viz’s 1400 enhanced-vision system.

Amazon has revealed the latest prototype of its Prime Air package-delivery small unmanned aircraft.

Flying-car developer Terrafugia has received FAA authorization to fly three 1/10th-scale radio-control models of its next-generation TF-X.

FAA’s new website for registering small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) was set to be up and running by Dec. 21.

A Windecker Eagle, the first composite aircraft to be awarded a type certificate by the FAA, is flying again.

Daher has delivered its 100th TBM 900 single-engine turboprop, a milestone that comes 20 months after the company unveiled the aircraft in 2014.

West Star Aviation is expanding its maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is offering free scheduling software and other tools to flying clubs available through its AOPA Flying Club Network.

This year’s National Business Aviation Association’s convention was a “resounding success,” drawing 27,000 attendees, 1,100 exhibitors and 100 aircraft on display.

We share 17 stories hand-picked by our staff. These articles are our favorites from BCA's last 12 months and deserve another read.

Doug King, CEO of Epic Aircraft, discusses his pursuit for FAA certification of an improved LT model, designated the E1000.

Teterboro Airport was the business aviation airport searched the most worldwide on acukwik.com in November 2015, according to an analysis of AC-U-KWIK site traffic. The top airport outside the United States was the second most searched airport overall: Paris Le Bourget Airport.

In the not-too-distant future, it will be possible to fly anywhere over the planet in an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast environment affording benefits equally to flight crews, operators and air traffic controllers.

Air Charter Guide Worldwide Trip Builder users requested quotes for flights to Los Angeles International Airport more than any other airport in November 2015, according to an analysis of aircharterguide.com data. Two airports in Las Vegas were in the top five list of requested departure airports.

The chatter within the inflight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) industry is increasingly about the “passenger experience” — broadly meaning the gestalt of interaction between the passenger and the flight, from booking, to the terminal experience, to the cabin environment.

On BCA Digest's first birthday, we are pleased to unveil a new mobile-responsive newsletter design. Thank you for reading during the past year. We hope you enjoy the improved reading experience on your phones and tablets.

Ranging from an article about making sure the pavement under your aircraft can support it to our Gulfstream G550 Operators Survey, these 10 BCA stories posted on our Facebook page received the most likes of all the stories posted in the last 12 months.

Successfully coping with tailplane icing requires an understanding of the aerodynamics of your aircraft and how the wing and tailplane work together.

The Bombardier Challenger 650 has been awarded certification by Transport Canada (TC) and customer deliveries will begin before year end. “This latest milestone is terrific news and starts a new chapter in our Challenger family story,” said Paul Sislian, Bombardier Business Aircraft.

Bell Helicopter has signed a deal with Air Medical Group Holdings for the sale of eight Bell 206L-4 helicopters to be used in emergency medical services. It will be operated by Air Evac Lifeteam, an O’Fallon, Missouri-based subsidiary. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2016. Air Evac Lifeteam operates more than 130 Bell 206Ls in its fleet.

Continued technical troubles with the Silvercrest engine in development at Safran’s Snecma motors division will further delay certification of the new powerplant by 12-18 months, and Dassault is not happy. The engine problems mean the planemaker will not begin test flight of its new Falcon 5X business jet this year. “We have written to our partners and told them to slow production,” says Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is expected to purchase up to six AgustaWestland AW609 commercial tiltrotors for search and rescue (SAR) missions. In the agreement, which was being negotiated in November, the UAE military would help to define the aircraft’s SAR configuration. The value of the contract was not announced. The government said the aircraft had been selected because of its ability to fly faster and higher and responds faster to incidents around the country.

Doc’s Friends is the 2015 recipient of the Wichita Aero Club’s annual trophy. The organization is restoring a vintage Wichita-built B-29 Superfortress to flying condition. Volunteers have spent 18 years transforming a 65-year-old “pile of parts” into an impressive aircraft, the selection committee said. The trophy is a tribute to the thousands of men and women who built, maintained, flew and sacrificed to produce thousands of B-29s for the defense and freedom of the country. The award will be presented Jan. 23 in Wichita.